Case studies: Trainee solicitor at DLA Piper: Zoe Brocket

Zoe Brocket is a final seat trainee at DLA Piper in Birmingham. She studied Law (LLB) at the University of Warwick.

I studied law at A-level and found it really interesting. My teachers were really passionate about the subject and inspired me to learn more. It was during my law degree that I realised that I wanted a career that would enable me to use my legal knowledge in a corporate environment. I wanted to work closely with businesses and work in a job that would provide me with career progression.

Having completed vacation placements at various law firms including DLA Piper I think that I was in a position to make an informed decision. I chose DLA Piper because of the quality of work that is given to trainees, the friendly atmosphere and the career opportunities available.

I wanted to work in a firm that could offer me a wide variety of seats during my training contract; high quality training and a good level of responsibility. I was also attracted by the firm's international scope, and having completed a seat in the Tokyo office I have had the chance to see how the firm works on an international level. I applied for a vacation placement with DLA Piper during my second year of university. Whilst on the vacation placement I completed an assessment day for a training contract and was successful.

I am now a year and a half into my training contract. My first six month seat was spent in the finance department where I worked on various leveraged and real estate finance transactions. I was really made to feel like a valuable member of the team and attended lots of client meetings. I spent my second seat in the firm's Tokyo office doing corporate and finance work. I have spent my third seat in the corporate tax department where I have been able to undertake a diverse range of work and have worked closely with other departments within the firm.

In the future I hope to continue to make the most of all of the opportunities available to me at DLA Piper.