Interplay Between Legal Services: A Trainee's Commentary

A trainee solicitor at Lanyon Bowdler will typically do four placements or seats in different departments within the firm, each spanning six months. Having now worked in three departments within Lanyon Bowdler (Clinical Negligence, Court of Protection, and Private Client, the latter two as part of my training contract) I always find it exciting to discover areas of overlap or intersection where departments will need to ask for advice, work collaboratively, and perhaps hand over the reins to another legal team to provide a comprehensive service for our clients.

As a trainee in Court of Protection, I would speak with people whose loved ones had lost their mental capacity due to injury or illness and required assistance with decision making about their finances or their care. Some of those I spoke with were able to provide their loved ones with the assistance they needed by virtue of a Lasting Power of Attorney that had often been made many years in advance. The Court