Training

People often ask us about the approach to training at Fox Williams and in particular what training offers and how it can make a difference.  We’ve therefore taken the following pages to answer some of the questions you might have as you browse our site.

What’s your approach to training at Fox Williams?

It might be seen as slightly unusual for a firm of our size and nature to have a team that is designated solely to the training and development of all staff, but that’s exactly the approach we have.

Why is training seen as so important?

We’re committed to providing up-to-the-minute, expert advice and allowing our people to grow and develop their entrepreneurial and creative talents.  They can’t do this unless they have access to the latest developments both from the legal and business world. 

The Fox Williams’ commitment to the training and development of all their people/staff is demonstrated by their establishment of a department devoted specifically to assisting with this. 

So training is seen as a valued resource then?

Absolutely, training and development is important for everyone at Fox Williams.  Everyone who starts at the firm has an induction programme set up for their first week to introduce them to us and how we work.  Each induction is tailored specifically for the individual and the role they will play at the firm.  It doesn’t just end there though, throughout the year everyone has access to a wide range of in-house training programmes organised to meet specific departmental, individual or group needs.

….and why’s it so different again?

As we said before, we have a Training Coordinator who is able to ensure that as well as making sure people have access to the wide range of technical training on offer publicly, we are also able to invest in bringing in providers who are experts in their field to help design and run courses which address specific needs identified, rather than just the current “off the shelf” package.  These can range from short update sessions aimed at briefing a whole department on the most recent developments in their area of law through to the general interest seminar programme run on every other Monday for an hour and a half; or the more wide ranging core skills programme for all 0-4year PQE’s; or even the firm-wide business development programme currently being developed with the aim of training all staff from partners, through to secretaries and support staff on this key area.

Through this process everyone feels they’ve been listened to and their development is being taken seriously throughout their career development.

How does this actually apply to Trainees; Lawyers; Support Staff members?

• Trainees

  What can I expect when I arrive as a trainee at Fox Williams?

  As a trainee at Fox Williams you will have a “Support Network" available to you throughout your two year training contract. 

  You’ll meet our Training Coordinator on day one and from then on, on a regular basis, whether as part of the individual meetings you have mid-way through each seat, during the trainee forums held every 6 months or if you just need to pop by the office to discuss an issue. 

  How do I know who to speak to?

  Your introduction to Fox Williams starts with an induction programme tailored for you and aimed at helping introduce all the people in the firm to you to familiarise you with the way we work.  We take this time to explain what lies ahead over the next two years, and how we are there to help as you follow this through.

  Yes, but won’t I just be photocopying in my first few weeks?

  From your first day and in each of our five departments you spend time in, you’ll be gaining valuable legal experience in all the areas of law we specialise in.  Added to this is the access we’ll ensure you have to a range of other training to support you so the actual experience you gain is backed up by the latest academic thinking or advice on best practice.  We’ll arrange for you to attend the three parts of the PSC Core during your two years with us, together with the PSC electives which are run in-house and tailored to the development needs of a commercial city lawyer in training.  We run these as part of a consortium arrangement with other city law firms so you’ll also have the chance to meet with other trainees at firms in the consortium. 

  With the wide range of training run in-house, you’ll have additional access to many of the sessions on offer.  This is quite wide–reaching and can include the technical update/training sessions each department has, as well as the Monday evening general interest seminars and legal updates organised, enabling you to benefit from all the latest developments alongside all of our lawyers.

  Yes, but will I be happy?

  We certainly hope so and will do our best to ensure that you enjoy your training contract at Fox Williams and create the environment you need to develop as lawyers, both personally and professionally. You don’t have to just take our word for this - why don’t you look at what our trainees have to say and see if they agree in their recruitment guide “trainees@FW”.

• Lawyers

  Training is essential to all lawyers as you need to satisfy the Law Society’s Continuous Professional Development requirements.  How can Fox Williams help me with this?

  At Fox Williams professional development is seen as very important and not just about completing the Law Society’s minimum requirement of 16 hours CPD a year, in fact last year our lawyers’ average CPD hours were 45.  This is due to the number and range of technical and management skills  sessions run in-house, together with the access that is made available to public courses, when the need arises.

  That sounds interesting, but what would that mean to me as an individual?

  Our size and personal approach to training enables us to identify or react to individual needs and either find a public course or tailor an in-house session that meets these.  We recognise the different development needs our lawyers may have, and we’ve designed a number of programmes to help meet these.  If you join us you would fit into these programmes, and we’ll help you build on your skills and strengths and ensure you have a real sense of progression.  So if you join us as a junior lawyer you will follow our Core Skills Programme aimed at lawyers with 0-4 years PQE, as you progress you’ll see these skills are built on, and followed through into the next level of training offered by our Senior Associates Programme. 

  This also applies to our senior lawyers and partners too, with, for example, the creation of the firm wide business development programme in which we aim to help all staff from partners down to build on their skills and strengths in  this key area

• Support Staff

  That all sounds very well, but isn’t training really just for lawyers?

  Not at all, at Fox Williams we believe professional development is an important element of everybody’s work life and are committed to ensuring that everyone in the firm has access to training, when and where it’s needed, this was further demonstrated by our Investors in People accreditation  in January 2002.  For all our staff our approach starts with a full induction programme, and following on from this there’s a wide range of training run in-house and access to many of the sessions on offer, including the weekly IT Workshop programme offering help with word, Excel, PowerPoint etc, together with the Monday evening general interest seminars open to all and regular updates on general issues.

  Yes, but I don’t need to satisfy any professional training requirements?

  Just because you aren’t required to undertake training as a requirement of a professional body doesn’t mean you won’t wish to develop your professional skills.  Everybody has some form of development need, even if it’s just learning how to better use the latest version of Microsoft Word, at Fox Williams we try to ensure that everyone who wants it has access to training that would help them in their role/job and their professional development.

  What if studying for a further professional qualification might help me improve the way I work, would Fox Williams be happy for me to pursue this?

  Both in the past, and at present, training for professional qualifications such as ILEX or CIPD has been identified for some members of staff as a way of helping them as they develop professionally.  Fox Williams is always happy to consider how it can help with this, whether it’s by sponsorship to help with course fees, or allowing additional time away from work for study leave.