Life as a trainee
Trainees Philip Kreczak (left) and Jenny Jackson (right) with newly qualified former Ward Hadaway trainee Helen Milburn.
Helen Milburn
Studied: LLB Law, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Role: Qualified into Corporate Finance, Newcastle, September 2007
I always knew that Newcastle was the place I wanted to work and build a career mainly because it’s such a vibrant and exciting city. Something new seems to happen every day here. 
Being a trainee at Ward Hadaway allows you to interact with the whole firm as you move from department to department. The level of work that all the trainees at the firm are involved in is consistently of a very high standard.
In my time here, I have worked in the Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury teams, the Commercial Property department and the Corporate Finance department. I qualified in to Corporate Finance in September 2007.
I have found myself fully involved in the work in all departments, playing a part in everything from multi-million pound acquisitions and disposals to representing National Health Service Trusts at court hearings on a wide range of matters.
Every skill that I have acquired or developed during my training contract has proven to be transferable across the firm. Each department welcomes the input you are able to bring from the experiences you have gained in other departments. I look forward to building my career here at Ward Hadaway in Corporate Finance.
Ward Hadaway also has a very active social life. From the day you secure your contract, you are invited to the firm Christmas party, summer barbecue and other social events.
The HR team is regularly in touch with you offering support and guidance should you need it and if you don’t they still like to check in with you every once in a while.
As a newly qualified member of the team, I am well placed to be able to offer advice and assistance to the trainees in the corporate and banking teams.
The role of trainee mentor is both formal; by way of regular meetings with trainees and corporate partners to discuss the department as a whole and the work trainees are involved in, but also more informal involving regular lunches and other social activities.
My role will continue as the trainees change within the team and will become more of an overseeing role as trainees move to other departments in the firm.
Philip Kreczak
Studied: Law, University of Northumbria
Role: Second year trainee. Currently in Property department, Newcastle
Coming from the North-East, I was sure that I wanted to train and practice in the region. I feel that the region is an exciting and developing place to be a part of the legal profession. 
There are several firms based here that can boast impressive credentials, but I felt that every time I had contact with Ward Hadaway, the atmosphere about the place was very welcoming – and still is.
The staff are always very friendly and prepared to help out. This kind of attitude convinced me that I would find Ward Hadaway to be a very rewarding and enjoyable place to begin my legal career.
My first of four placements (or ‘seats’) at the firm was in the Healthcare Unit. Ward Hadaway is one of only 12 firms nationally on the NHS Litigation Authority’s Clinical Negligence Panel and represents a whole host of NHS Trusts across the region.
I worked on a variety of tasks, including drawing up witness statements, instructions to experts and Counsel and making an application in chambers, appearing before a District Judge.
In my second seat, I have been on secondment at the Regional Development Agency, One NorthEast supplementing their in-house legal team.
I have been heavily involved in dealing with Freedom of Information requests, giving advice on data protection issues to various departments within the Agency and general commercial matters.
Jenny Jackson
Studied: BA Geography, University of Leeds; Law Conversion Course (GDL and LPC), College of Law, York.
Role: First year trainee.
I initially studied BA Geography at university but decided to convert to Law because I liked the fact that the law is constantly changing and it’s an intellectually challenging profession.
I wanted a training contract in the North-East not only because I was born and brought up here, but because the area is great for both work and for social life.
On the working side, there has been a lot of new commercial development recently, especially on the Quayside.
Socially, Newcastle is a really up and coming city – there’s a real buzz around the area with so much going on day and night.
I applied for a contract before starting my conversion course and Ward Hadaway definitely stood out from the other firms I applied to.
They were friendly, very approachable and really took an interest in what I wanted from my career.
Since I started at the firm, that impression has been reinforced – everyone is keen to help you choose the right path and genuinely cares about the progression of your training contract. All the trainees are really friendly and keen to help each other out.
In my first seat, I have been in the Intellectual Property/IT team and have already had quite a lot of challenging work to do.
I have had the opportunity to attend client meetings, department seminars and the work has been interesting with quite a lot of responsibility attached.
You certainly don’t get fobbed off with photocopying as a trainee here!