Two months as a Generalist Solicitor

by Emma Lant, Generalist Solicitor

It does not seem long ago that I was writing my blog as a new starter with North West Leicestershire District Council (NWL Legal), but the time has flown by, and I have now been with NWL Legal for two months, in the role of Generalist Solicitor. It is always important to reflect on how the job is going, especially in a role which is as wide-ranging as this one.

During my first few weeks, I have taken on a wide range of tasks, including assisting with the annual review of the Council’s constitution, which has included a read-through of the full document and creating a table of points to be raised for discussion, reviewing Council policies, picking up ad-hoc enquiries which come in daily to the Legal inbox, and undertaking legal research. I have also assisted with creating and delivering a training session for colleagues in the Housing team, which helped me to expand my knowledge of the topic as well. Another highlight of my employment so far has been meeting with Councillors within a Working Group to discuss potential changes to an existing Council document. I enjoyed presenting the information to the Councillors, and hearing their views on how they wished to proceed. I also liked being able to follow this process from initial drafts through to meetings with Councillors, and it will be interesting to be involved with the next stages as the document goes on to be discussed at a Committee meeting.

It is always daunting to start a new job, especially one where I can potentially be involved in so many different areas of law. However, the team at NWL Legal have been incredibly supportive and it has been great to learn from their experience. This has set me up well to be able to build on this in my next few months with the team, and I am looking forward to taking on new challenges as my time at NWL Legal continues.

If you would like to instruct a member of the Legal Team, please email legal@nwleicestershire.gov.uk.