Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work at Hybrid Legal? We caught up with Lauren, one of our Client Partners who shares here take on a typical day at the office.
6.15am I jump on the Peloton bike first thing and do an hour workout. This morning I chose a 2000s rock ride followed by an 80s HIIT ride.
7.30am – 8.45am I am currently completing the LPC part-time and there is a lot of reading and prep work. I spread this prep out over weekday mornings. This morning I finish the required reading on advocacy for dispute resolution and update my notes on pre-contract searches and enquiries for real estate.
8.45am Before logging on, I make a coffee and grab some breakfast.
9am I check through my emails, file completed items away and organise my to-do list to make sure I have a plan for the day and am prioritising the right tasks. The day flies by and I am often juggling multiple projects so I always start the day by going over emails, checking my calendar and updating my to-do list and notes.
9.30am I have a call with a client to run through a trade mark clearance report that I have prepared. In this call I outline why a trade mark is beneficial and what the requirements are. We discuss the business focus of the client to ascertain whether the class wording I have proposed captures that focus, or whether other goods and services need to be included. We then go through the search results and my analysis of identical and similar marks that are already registered. We discuss the risk of opposition and ways to avoid opposition. Finally, we discuss costs for filing the application and our watch service, Hawkeye. I share a copy of the report with the client and I make a note to check in with the client next week to see if they are ready to file their application.
10am I speak with an associate to discuss a settlement agreement that I have drafted for a client on a data protection matter. We discuss key terms and are both happy that the agreement achieves its intended purpose. Following the call I finalise the draft and send a copy to the client to review, along with instructions for execution.
10.30am I have a team catch up call with Jon and Alex to discuss matters we are working on and our workload in general. It’s a great opportunity to bounce off ideas and it means that we stay in the loop on other client matters.
11am I receive an urgent call from a client about an employee’s resignation and her contractual obligations. I discuss the concerns with the client and ask them to send a copy of the employment contract. I review the contract, identifying relevant provisions related to notice period, restrictive covenants, confidentiality and reimbursement of training costs. I draft an email which highlights and explains these provisions and revert to the client.
12.30pm I check through my emails, accept meeting invitations and read through new information on matters which I may be required to help with in due course. A number of clients have emailed me, and I respond to simple queries straight away. For tasks which require further research or drafting, I acknowledge receipt to the client, give a time frame for responding and immediately add the task to my to-do list.
1pm I usually pop out on my lunch to go for a walk but today it is raining and freezing cold. I do a yoga class instead, grab something to eat and make a cup of tea.
2pm I am in the process of negotiating Master Services Agreement terms with a client’s prospective customer. We have received comments and questions on the contract from the customer and I start reviewing these one by one. The main focus of the negotiation relates to the intellectual property, indemnity and liability clauses. I answer their questions and make necessary clarifications to the wording in the contract. I make comments on the commercial implications of the suggested amendments, offer alternatives as a compromise and push back on proposed amendments which are not acceptable. I send this version to the client to review with my comments.
3.30pm Ryan calls me to discuss new matters that he needs my help with – a defamation dispute and a review of website terms and conditions. We also discuss timelines for the work and quotes. I make a note to look out for emails on these matters and carve out time in my schedule later in the week to do an initial review. As I am constantly on my toes and jumping from project to project, time management is fundamental to the role of Client Partner. I really enjoy the variety of the work, and I look forward to these calls and finding out my next interesting project.
3.45pm I notice that we have received a number of trade mark emails from the UK Intellectual Property Office today. I work through these and update our clients accordingly on publication, exam reports and registration. I then chase a third party for a response as we intend to oppose their trade mark unless certain limitation wording is accepted. I also make sure all the correspondence is uploaded to our case management system so that anyone else can go in and see the progress of each matter.
4.15pm The rest of my afternoon is clear so I start on a new project of re-drafting a client’s workplace policies. I start with the parenting policies – maternity, paternity, parental leave, shared parental leave and adoption. I read over each policy, highlighting areas which need updating due to out of date information, missing information, inconsistencies or typographical errors. Once I have completed the review, I will redraft and restructure the policies.
5.30pm Before I log off each day, I check through my emails and upload correspondence and documentation to our case management system. I also make sure that I update my to-do list and check my calendar for the next day. I have an early call with a client regarding the setting up of a professional body, so I block out some time to read over the background of the matter first thing.
This evening I am going out for dinner and will catch up on The Great British Bake Off when I am back!
Why do you like working for Hybrid?
You really get to know one another when you work in a small team and we have a lot of fun! Whether remote or in the office, we always make an effort to bring the team together for breakfast meetings, Friday round up calls and social occasions (of course!). The Hybrid team support each other to succeed, personally and professionally, and this creates such a positive, proactive and passionate working environment.
As a Client Partner in a small team, I get great exposure to legal matters and the responsibility of overseeing projects, both of which are great for my training and development. The work is challenging, but it drives me to improve my knowledge and skills. If you are interested in a particular matter or want to explore something new, you are given the opportunity to run with it.
If you would like to join the team at Hybrid Legal head over to our careers page for more information.
Lauren completed her Graduate Diploma in Law in 2016 before working in an intellectual property firm as a paralegal and supervisor.
