A trio of legal professionals has completed their training contract, following two years of intensive on-the-job training across Winn Group.

Terri Otieno, Cerys Waters, and Liam McCormac will be enrolled on the Solicitors’ Roll after successfully completing their learning, becoming fully qualified solicitors for the first time in their respective careers.

With a range of training contract opportunities throughout the year at Winns, opportunities that are only available to internal staff, we decided to catch up with the three of them to find out more about the end of a 24-month process:

How do you feel coming to the end of your training contract?

Liam: I feel proud of how far I’ve come and excited for what’s ahead. The training contract has given me a strong foundation, and I’m ready to build on it as I move into the next stage of my career.

Cerys: It feels quite bittersweet; all my hard work has finally paid off! Ever since I left university, I have had something to work towards, which was qualifying as a solicitor, so now that I have reached that milestone, I am wondering what is next.

Terri: Feeling excited, it is something I have been working towards since I was in school, and so I am very happy that I am finally qualifying as a solicitor.

What have you learned from your experience?

Terri: I have learned a lot through my training seats, from being able to draft an opinion on quantum to conducting thorough legal research for the Litigation Department and preparing for and conducting application hearings. It’s been great to see what other departments do on a day-to-day basis.

Liam: I’ve learned that growth doesn’t happen overnight - it comes from small, consistent steps and being open to learning from every experience.

Cerys: The list is endless. I am hopeful that my training contract has given me the skill set required to be a good solicitor.

Do you feel supported by Winns?

Cerys: Yes, absolutely. I wouldn’t have reached this milestone in my career if it weren’t for Winns and the people here. The constant encouragement from my managers and peers has been what has kept me going over these past few years, particularly during my training contract, as there were times I doubted my ability to get to where I am today. I am excited for what the future holds for me here at Winns.

Terri: I have always been supported by Winns from my first day within the company. My managers have always been supportive of my progression within the company, and in just over three years since I started, I am due to qualify as a solicitor.

Liam: Winns has always supported me to take the next step and continue to progress my career - I am very grateful for that, and I look forward to the next stage of my career knowing that support is in place.