  |
 |
 |
Alasdair Proudfoot, from Castle Douglas - Assistant.
"I joined Dickson Minto as a trainee in September 1998. I have been qualified for seven years now and work as an Assistant in the Banking Department.
I studied law and completed my diploma in legal practice at Dundee University. My main interest there was in company and commercial law subjects and I was delighted to obtain a traineeship with a firm specialising in corporate law, especially one with Dickson Minto's reputation.
During the first year of my Traineeship I was fortunate to have seats in the Banking and Private Company Departments in the Edinburgh office. This gave me a particularly varied and interesting workload involving transactions, general correspondence and some elements of drafting. In addition, these seats enabled me not only to see the types of transactions DM was involved in from a number of different angles but also increased my understanding of how a transaction was carried out and structured, and the various elements which must come together to enable a transaction to complete successfully.
After my first year I spent six months in the London office, again working in the Banking Department. The opportunity to spend time both working (and enjoying myself) in London was a major bonus particularly as Dickson Minto provides rent-free accommodation and a generous London living allowance. The firm also provides regular flights home which means you are able to reacquaint yourself with Scottish licensing hours on a routine basis!
After qualification, I started work in the firm's Banking Department in Edinburgh where we act on behalf of a number of banks and borrowers in respect of various acquisition finance, leveraged and multi-purpose facility arrangements for a variety of UK and overseas borrowers. Most of my work involves liaising with a contact at either a bank or a borrower in relation to the documentation of their facility arrangements, all related security aspects and any additional issues which may arise. I also work with a number of overseas lawyers in various overseas jurisdictions on a regular basis. Usually I will be assisted in this by a more junior Assistant or Trainee, and my work will be overseen by one of the partners in the department. If necessary (and particularly on deals where we act for borrowers) we may work alongside other members of the firm, for example, members of the property, taxation, public company or equity teams, on the transaction.
Of course, it is often necessary to put in long hours in order to complete a transaction on time. But I don’t believe the hours at Dickson Minto are any different from those experienced by most other corporate lawyers at leading firms.
DM also has a formal training structure to keep us up-to-date on developments in the areas of our practice. Trainees complete a weekly training session during their first year and also participate in a weekly ‘Bulletin’ which is attended by all fee-earners. In addition, there is also an annual training weekend which is attended by all fee-earners from both the London and Edinburgh offices.
The firm gives you plenty of opportunities to enjoy yourself.
There are a number of social events held on a regular basis including various summer activities and outings.
And of course, there are our regular five-a-sides and golf outings, much enjoyed by all!"
