Ashfords Solicitors - Six legal trainees qualify

The six are:

· Nick Conner in the commercial property department in Exeter;

· Kirsty Cooke in the employment team in Exeter and Plymouth;

· Rebecca Moore in tax in Exeter;

· Laura Tyrrell in commercial litigation in Exeter;

· Esther Thackeray in the private client department in Tiverton;

· Emma Warren in commercial property in Plymouth;

Legal trainees normally undertake a two-year training contract, but if they have done accredited legal work before their contract starts, perhaps working as a paralegal, then half of that time, up to a maximum of six months, can count towards the two-year formal training period.

All six of the Ashfords trainees carried out valid legal work for over a year before starting their training contracts with the firm, giving each one a six-month exemption and bringing forward their qualification dates from September to April this year.

Ashfords had a record total of 27 legal trainees undertaking the two-year training programme this year. All work in the firm's five offices across the region in Plymouth, Tiverton, Taunton, Exeter and Bristol and most, if not all, sign up as qualified solicitors at the end of their training.

As a result of the tremendous growth of the firm, Ashfords now recruits 15 new trainee solicitors each September.

Ashfords employment law and training partner Charles Pallot said: "We are very pleased to have taken on Nick, Kirsty, Rebecca, Esther, Laura and Emma early as qualified solicitors and welcome their contribution.

"We have a near perfect record in retaining our trainees which is a key part of the firm's ongoing growth and success.

"Ashfords continues to enjoy an excellent reputation in attracting and developing top quality legal recruits and, our trainees tell us that they like our hard-working, friendly approach, plus the wide range of quality legal work on offer from our many clients."

Six legal trainees qualify

Introduction