Family Law Work Experience 2019

It has been amazing to work in Maguire Family Law, and I am privileged to have worked alongside a professional and friendly team. My experience at MFL has furthered my knowledge in law, and I have definitely improved my understanding of family law, giving me a better understanding of what I want to study as University. Maguire Family Law have put in a lot of time and effort into ensuring that I learn as much as possible in my week at MFL, and I feel as though I have learned all the basics of family law, divorce and finance. I have been able to get a better inside view on what happens in law firms, and a deeper understanding of court orders, forms, files and the technical side of the law. I have enjoyed working with real cases and being able to compare court decisions with mine, and developing more of an insight on divorce procedures. I am also happy to have been able to experience the hard work and the extensive tasks that Solicitors are faced with on a daily basis, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to sit down with some of Maguire Family Law’s Solicitors and have my questions answered.

Day 1

I was nervous as anyone would be on the first day, but was equally excited and eager to press on with some work!

On Monday, I was given a tour of the office, introduced to the staff and shown how everything works around the office. I was introduced to Jennifer, a Partner at Maguire Family Law, who showed me the IT System, files and explained what solicitors do on a day to day basis. My first task was to print and file 1000 pages, hole punch them and sort them into files – it was definitely an interesting task, certainly not the highlight of the week but it was good for me to see the content of files, and how paperwork is organised.

Day 2

Tuesday was my first full day of work here at Maguire Family Law. I was given some statements to read over and then was put in the position of a District Judge, where I was challenged with a task to compare the statements, look at the evidence and make decisions regarding the case. This was definitely one of my favourite moments at MFL because it put me in the position where I was able to see a case from both perspectives, and was able to carry out the analysis required to reach a decision on the case. I was able to see what either parties in a divorce experienced, and how the Solicitors would organise and use the information and evidence given to them.

Day 3

Wednesday was probably one of the most enjoyable days. I was familiar with the system and how the office works, I knew everyone at the office and I was able to get on with a task without having to ask so many questions (which I’m sure Jennifer was getting tired of anyway!). I was able to view the contents of files, and had an opportunity to read through some court bundles which was interesting because I was able to learn what forms were filled out, and what was presented to the Judge in court, as well as how it was presented. It was useful to learn what each document included, and the extensive paperwork which was required for a divorce. It was also very interesting to see how simple the process was for those getting divorced, but how complex the process was for the Solicitors and Barristers working on the case behind the scenes. The day ended with me creating a powerpoint for a seminar.

Day 4

Thursday was a mixture of different tasks. It was a mixture of research, reading petitions, searching for certain forms and getting around the IT System and entering information into the database. I was sorting and organising forms, looking through various legal documents and looking deeper into case files, enhancing my knowledge of the whole process of a divorce from start to finish along the way. I was engaging with tasks from different aspects of Family Law, ranging from divorces, finances and children. I ended the day with a couple hours of property research for one of the clients, looking into houses for sale, convenience of location and crimes in the area, which was interesting in term of learning more about property value in different types of areas.

I was also able to attend a seminar and learn more about the emotional and financial aspects of a divorce and children which furthered my knowledge in other aspects of a divorce.

Day 5

Sadly, my week at Maguire Family Law was coming to an end, but the work certainly wasn’t! On Friday, I began by drafting and writing my own divorce petition, and followed in to comparing different petitions, and looking at the responses to the petition from the opposing parties. I then was set on a task to organise a spreadsheet with potential speakers for MFL’s next seminar, which was interesting because it allowed me to see the different occupations which relate to and are involved with divorces. My time here at Maguire Family Law has been amazing, and I am privileged to have had the opportunity to work alongside an amazing team who have made my work experience beneficial and memorable. I look forward to hopefully working with this team in the future, and I appreciate the hard work and effort as well as the time they have taken out of their busy work day to ensure that I learn as much as possible in my week at MFL. Special thanks to the team for allowing me to come in, and I wish everyone the best in the future.