North East law firm Hay & Kilner has taken on Bethany Herbertson and Robert Hackett as its latest practice trainee solicitors.
Bethany and Robert have started on a two-year training programme which will see them spend four blocks of six months working alongside experienced practitioners in different departments within the Newcastle-headquartered firm in order to get a sound general grounding in the law and to help identify any particular strengths and areas of interest.
Bethany’s first training assignment is within Hay & Kilner’s clinical negligence team, while Robert is now part of its commercial team and working on property and dispute resolution.
Alongside their on-the-job learning, the new trainees will be put through the Professional Skills Course at Northumbria University by the firm, which is a mandatory qualification run by the Solicitors Regulation Authority which must be successfully undertaken prior to an individual practicing as a solicitor.
Bethany and Robert have both been working as paralegals in Hay & Kilner’s residential property unit for the last year, positions which they took on after completing their post-graduate Legal Practice Course qualifications at Northumbria University.
Prior to that, both Bethany and Robert had graduated from Newcastle University with degrees in English Literature and Law respectively.
Bethany, who is from Newcastle, says: “I knew I wanted to stay in the region after completing my studies, and having been impressed by the people I’d met from Hay & Kilner at networking events, the firm was high on my list when I started to look at potential employers.
“The breadth of legal services that the firm provides means I’ll be able to get a wide-ranging grounding in the law over the next two years, and to find out which areas I’m going to be most suited to.
“The time Robert and I have spent with Hay & Kilner means we’re already well versed in how the firm works, and it’s exciting to now be starting out on our training.”
Established in 1946, Hay & Kilner is one of North East England’s leading independent law firms and provides a full range of legal services to businesses and individuals from both within and outside the region.
Jonathan Waters, managing partner at Hay & Kilner, adds: “We place a great deal of importance on recruiting the best possible trainees, and many members of our senior team have built successful careers from training at Hay & Kilner.
“Both Bethany and Robert have shown themselves to be highly capable and impressive young people, and we’re very pleased to be taking them on as our latest trainees.
“The time they’ve already spent with the firm means they had a good understanding of how we work and this knowledge will be invaluable to them as they begin the next stage of their legal careers.”