Natalie Payne from the Leeds office of Ward Hadaway was among the law firm’s solicitors to recently complete their training contracts.
The newly qualified solicitors worked in different departments across the firm during their two years of training to get a flavour of various areas of law, including corporate, private client, employment and property.
Payne commented: “I have been lucky enough to do two seats in employment law, so I intend to hit the ground running and have a seamless transition into my newly qualified position.”
Martin Hulls, managing partner at Ward Hadaway, said: “I would like to personally congratulate all of our NQs on their success with Ward Hadaway.”
“As a firm we are dedicated to the development of all of our people, investing in them and encouraging them to try something different. We believe this is crucial in order to deliver the best service to our clients.”
“The high number of trainees who choose to stay on with us is testament to us having the best working environment and career opportunities available at the firm.”
Ward Hadaway has also welcomed 14 new trainees to the firm, including Florence Banister, Isabelle Cernis and Lucy Melville in Leeds.
The 14 trainees will take seats in the firm’s commercial, litigation, real estate, corporate, employment and housing teams.
Cernis, who trained at the University of Leeds, begins her career in Ward Hadaway’s Leeds office, starting out with a seat in employment.
She said: “I would advise anyone wanting to pursue a career in law to meet as many people as possible who work in the legal sector as an opportunity for work experience could crop up at any time.”
Hulls and senior partner Jamie Martin welcomed the new trainees to the firm on their first day at a social get together.
Hulls said: “Jamie and I are delighted to be welcoming so many talented people through our doors. We had nearly 400 applications for places this year, so it’s great to see so many young, enthusiastic people keen to start their legal careers with us.”
