Postal Strikes: the aftermath October 27, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Life at Medium Sized Law Firm, Working Life.2 comments
After the postal strikes at the end of last week we were expecting a mad rush on Monday. My partner and I were asked to come in 8-5pm so we could handle the workload, but immediately I knew it wasn’t going to be my day.
The trains of course have decided to make it difficult to get to work on time as anyone who has been following me on twitter will know. With one train cancelled and then the alternative train delayed so I miss the connection so it has been a fun couple of days with a 2 hour trip (instead of 40minutes) while I journey into Wales and back. I’ve asked to start work later for the remainder of the week and get a later train.
But once I finally got into work (dead on time and frizzy haired) I discovered that first post was only 20 letters (for the whole firm). Second post however was a different story – 8 lovely bags full which kept us busy for the rest of the day. But nothing shocking, so much for a big backlog.
Today was back to normal, so I was happy. Tomorrow will hopefully be the same.
On another note, rumours have started circulating about my colleague’s replacement. They had the interviews last week – the guy who works reception told us we were getting a stunning American girl (wishful thinking on his part), but today our boss informed us it will be a 30-something guy (much to all the boys disappointment) but at least he should fit in well and be able to have a good banter with the rest of the guys I seem to be totally surrounded by. Less than a week until they start, the nerves are kicking in.
Postal Strikes October 24, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Life at Medium Sized Law Firm, Working Life.2 comments
As I am sure EVERYONE knows by now, our famed posties striked on Thursday and Friday over disputes regarding working conditions and pay. The postal strike (and upcoming strikes if no agreement is reached) is said to have devastating effect on small businesses who can’t afford to take their custom elsewhere and may suffer loss of trade. The undoubtedly angers many businesses struggling to keep afloat and those who are unemployed who say postal workers should be thankful they have jobs etc.
So how have the postal strikes been affecting the average business?
Previous postal strikes we had been able to go to the depot to pick up some bags of post. But yesterday that was not the case, there was no collections or deliveries. Of course most people had been more prepared for these announced strikes, court documents had been sent earlier (I had no frantic phone calls or emails about urgent documents that needed to be located) and much more was sent and received by DX. DX was the only thing the post openers had to deal with yesterday and the rest of their morning was spent “tidying”. What a great productive day. Dreading the extra monday mail this week, we’re working 8-5 to try and deal with the backlog.
So what now? Nothing has appeared to have changed, other than the hire of temporary workers and angry customers, in addition postal workers have a shocking backlog to deal with of 30 million letters. And more strikes are due in the upcoming week.
The main problem as I see it is that everyone is pretty confused about what the postal strikes are all about, everyone in our office were talking about different things and disagreeing with each other. With so many people in one room disagreeing there will definitely be a wide disagreement between the general public and this is not helping the pubic view of royal mail.
Sign language Level 1 October 21, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Sign Language.4 comments
So last week I had my Sign Language Introductory course exam. I passed. And this week I am starting my Level 1 qualification. The Level 1 in BSL is a year long course with 3 exams but I am really looking forward to it as there is much more content than the introduction. We also have monthly deaf centre get-together to have contact with deaf people which sounds educational and fun.
I have started signing more in daily life. I practice during my morning commute and sign when I am at home. It is becoming more natural and hopefully soon enough it will become second nature. My main problem is that when people sign they also lip. As a lip reader I automatically lip read to understand them and sometimes I wonder how much I am understanding from the signs and how much from the lips. For example, someone will sign the name of a pet or family member by finger spelling, the name may be quite long and sometimes we are all tired after a hard day’s work and it is easier to lip read. Not that I do it on purpose of course, I want to learn, but it is just one of those things.
All the signing has got me thinking. For me signing is obviously never going to replace lip reading and talking. It’s not something that is going to IMPROVE my skills as a lawyer. Sign Language is regional, and I could see potential mix-ups that could result from signing with individuals from other cities. For example, business in London is the same as our word for toilet. That could make for interesting conversation. Nevertheless I have been having a great time signing and I am looking forward to having a crack at more vocab tomorrow.
Grumpy Colleagues, Flu jab and Workplace Tension. October 20, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Life at Medium Sized Law Firm, Working Life.add a comment
Today was a sad day in work for most, the yearly bonuses were announced and sadly the majority of the non-lawyers were disappointed. In my department no one got one, despite it being promised that most people would be given a bonus, after all business is booming and recruitment is still on the up. Everyone is angry and threatening to leave. Relations are tense. Unfortunately it makes me more nervous about asking for the pay rise which I have been deliberating asking for the past couple of weeks.
Today was also flu jab day. The majority of the staff were queued outside the head office in line for what was a two second stab in the arm. Luckily I was second in the queue after lunch so there was no waiting around, that said I have had difficulty raising my arm since. Has eased up now but knowing my luck it’ll start hurting again when I am trying to sleep or something like that.
Bonuses and aching arms aside, things are still pretty tense in work. Everyone is getting on each others nerves more, we are picking up on each others bad habits, because our group are in such close quarters all day every day it’s like living with people you barely know and as much as you have fun you still want your own space every once in a while and it is just not happening. Maybe I’ll start listening to my ipod, after all the postal workers do that when they are opening the post. Will definitely need entertainment during the postal strike.
Drinks with LPC Students: October Edition October 17, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Life After the LPC.add a comment
The previous catch-up with this set of LPC students was in August with the addition of the friend who has began paralegalling at my firm. So there was two of us from a medium rather impersonal but fun to work for firm and two from a small, we-are-drowned-in-work-and-don’t-get-lunch-breaks firm.
The tales from the two drowning in work was entertaining, what with suicidal clients, mental patients, mountains of paperwork and court appearances on their second day it sounds like a good way to learn (even if it does all sound a bit scary). But it makes me worry about the quality of legal advice their clients are getting, no disrespect to my friends I’m sure they are trying their best but when advice is coming from googled information and they are simply getting no support from the lawyers that work there it doesn’t inspire confidence. Particularly as they feel it is all too much and are considering quitting their job (especially as they found the LPC difficult) – for me it also makes me think that that I do want a job like that and need to stop being comfortable in my current position.
After the end of a weary week we were happy to sit down with a few drinks and bitch a bit, and in all honesty it was nice spending time with old friends, as I find it more difficult to bond with work colleagues. A couple of friends we haven’t heard from are those who have embarked on a TC with a top law firm earning over £30k, the general opinion between friends is that they better be working to midnight every night as the rest of us are getting worked extremely hard for a fraction of their wage. Ah, the competitiveness of law students shines through as always.
Handwritten Scraps? October 11, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Life at Medium Sized Law Firm, Working Life.4 comments
I used to think posting a letter was even a bit dated – but with people’s exasperation over postal strikes, and businesses grinding to a halt, this is obviously not quite the case. At work I deal with in incoming post (and outgoing as well sometimes) and it is clear we deal with lots of post. So we still get letters from out clients, that tradition hasn’t died out – but it is the state of such letters that cause a worry:
1. The scraps of old paper
Many client letters are typed up and printed on a white A4 sheet of paper. Nice and sensible, easy to scan, easy to read. Even file paper isn’t that bad. But a surprising amount of people write on the tiniest scraps of paper, torn out of magazines, catalogues and even on the backs of receipts or shopping lists. I even had a torn open envelope used a piece of paper. very messy.
I couldn’t image not having paper in my house, I usually have at minimum a note pad by the phone, and a pack of paper for the printer. As a nice organised person there will usually be note blocks in most rooms as well as notepaper or note-cards for writing thank you notes. A practice drilled into me by my parents and something that for me the use of technology has not changed.
2. The Tool
Just because someone has managed to find a decent sized piece of paper in their house suitable for writing on, doesn’t mean that the have a pen to write with. Letters from clients can be written in felt tip pen, colouring pencil, metallic coloured pens, various coloured pens, and even marbled effect pens, which were great when I was a kid not so great when I am repeated scanning a piece of a letter, hoping that the writing will show up soon. A preference for coloured ink aside, it just seems strange to use such a pen when writing to your lawyer.
3. The handwriting
It is also a widely supported theory that handwriting is obsolete, sometimes that I can agree with. Translating bad handwriting can really cut into my time some days. All that would have been needed was a little bit more care. I can spend a long time poured over a single scrap of paper trying to translate the handwriting to work out who is is going to or coming through.
Outside of work, even some job applications still request handwritten applications – during my degree I rarely wrote anything it was a struggle to get my handwriting looking pretty, now I write all the time and I am back to my use free flow of handwriting. Not that I’d called it particularly neat. Not that it ever was. But I do believe handwriting can be an art form in its own right and should be encouraged.
There. Rant over. You can go back to enjoying your weekend.
The Third Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper October 6, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Notebooks.1 comment so far
Still embracing the good old fashioned pen and paper? Check out the Third Carnival of pen, pencil and paper for inspiration, hosted this month by Office Supply Geek.
Included are some great reviews of notebooks and pens and insight into people’s own collections – fantastic collection from Linda at Curious Notions. Also enjoyed reading Are fountain pens on the decline? from Tiger Pens Blog.
Notebooks: Ladybird Books October 5, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Notebooks.1 comment so far
As a kid I had the complete Vintage Ladybird Collection – in true organisational and childlike fashion my collection was numbered, colour coded and stickered with my name. So when I saw notebooks in the style of Ladybird books (similar to my penguin book notebook) I had to have one.
I originally saw hardback Little Red Riding Hood notebooks (£8.95) in Vinegar Hill last week which I was considering but I ended up ordering a paperback version of Puss in Boots online at Kiss Me Kwik for £3.99 (plus £1 P&P), which arrived a few days later.
The notebook is the same size as the actual vintage books, and you have to properly crease the notebook open to write inside. The pages are plain rather than lined, but are thick quality and smooth to write and draw on. Looking forward to enjoying this notebook on the train tomorrow.
My Study Project: The notebook edition October 3, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Notebooks.2 comments
Over the next few weeks I intend to tackle the mess in my so-called study. Since finishing the Legal practice course, everything from the past year has been dumped in piles around the room and it is beginning to look a bit like a graveyard for law textbooks, notebooks and folders.
Today it was time to tackle the notebooks. The notebook collection here is very different from my eye-candy ones of my childhood when my collection was all about the look, now my notebooks also have a more academic appeal. My intentions are to weed out the practical from the beautiful and try and come up with a more organised way for displaying such notebooks rather than have them stacked in my wardrobe.
The collection of notebooks used in the last academic year:
The left hand side is a pile of my spiral notebooks – which are practical, cheap and easy to cart around but somewhat lack that spark that made me love notebooks in the first place. I will single out my favourite spiral notebook which I used for accounts here (such a waste for my last classic rhino notebook - I have been guilty of buying these in bulk during undergrad).
But just because notebooks are pretty, doesn’t mean they don’t have a practical side to them. One of my recent favourites has been the Alife B6 Planner.
The Alife planner is notebook, with a PVC enamel covering (available in a range of colours). What is so great about this notebook is that it is made to be functional – with a variety of pages, labelled on the front as: Free Writing 176 pages, Free Drawing 196 Pages, Memo 16 pages, Information archive 16 pages. It also has plastic pockets in the over to place loose bits of paper (and in my case souvenir beer mats).The notebook is incredibly durable and survived a month backpacking round Europe. I purchased this particular notebook in Paperchase. Alife Designs also have produced a wide range of similar style notebooks with a variety of specialised purposes which I totally love. However, the only website I’ve been able to find them to buy on is paperpuppy.net (int shipping to the UK is priced at $24).
The other notebook I’ve chosen to highlight is the Pantone Universe.
Another brightly coloured notebook. I’ve again chosen blue – who knew I liked blue that much? Pantone is all about colour. And the brightly coloured note books show off that colour. Both on the cover and on the inside with red narrowly lined paper rather the usual dull colour. Good quality paper easy to write on. I used this notebook for blogging ideas while I commuted to university. Smooth for writing on, even on the move. I bought my notebook at John Lewis, but it is also available from Ryman’s.
For more on the notebooks I have used during my LPC year (for academic purposes and otherwise) please have a lot at my flickr collection for more information and photos and my separate post on designing your own textbook.
Design Your Own Textbook October 2, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Exams, Legal Practice Course (LPC), Note-taking, Notebooks, Organisation.11 comments
During the run up the to exams I was blogging about the lack of a good textbook when it came to a couple of subjects and how this meant we had numerous resources to refer to in an open book exam. I questioned whether self made notes could replace the textbook and toyed with the idea of designing my own textbook, but was initially worried I wouldn’t have the time so late in the game.
Challenged by the idea of completing such a task I wrote my own text book for both my Commercial Law and Commercial Property Law which I felt were the 2 subjects with the weaker notes. If I was doing the LPC over again I would probably try and do this for all the subjects since I obtained over 80% for both these subjects.
How to get started?
Firstly you need a large CHUNKY notebook (do note that for the compulsory exams the amount of material required would probably require more than 1 notebook). I used Ryman’s case bound memo book for this purpose:
The notebook itself was a great choice although the downside that some people may find with it is that because it is case bound it is not easy to remove pages and may prefer a perforated book. However as a person who would yank out a page at the smallest mistake and start again, this notebook was good training for me – both to plan and be more careful, and also to make do and realise the book is for my private use and a simple crossing out won’t matter too much.
Why Bother?
Once you’ve made a decision on the notebook to use, next it is important to decide what to use it for and what you want to get out of the book and plan how you are going to achieve these aims.
For example for commercial law – I wanted the notebook to replace the rest of my materials. In fact for the exam, almost everything I wrote came from this book and I only looked else where for a couple of things. This was important for several reasons:
- It cleared space on my desk and saved the time that I would have spent flicking through various resources – i.e. more writing time.
- By writing all the information in the book and organising it myself I KNEW the information much better and was more confident about the material. In addition I also had a much better idea of where to find it in the book.
- I moulded the book into a combination of the textbook notes, my notes and research and the tips and information given by the tutor. Therefore it was a much higher standard of information.
The contents
Using my commercial law notebook as an example I will show you how I put my book together. What will be best for each subject / individual will vary and I do suggest that you use whatever is most suitable – but hopefully this will give you some inspiration.
On the Electives course, most of the material is taught in it’s own distinct workshop. So I kept the “workshop” format which essentially became the 10 chapters of the book. The information was than broken down into a mixture of key information / bullet points, statutes and case law to back up the information and extra information to enable me to show a greater understanding and flesh out any exam answers.
Another key thing to put in is the things that will help you in the exam: ways to structure your answers, things you always forget/get wrong, mistakes friends made in case you make them too and finally any other advice the tutor gives you.
And finally try it out. Use the book to complete prep, tackle your mock exam etc – this helps you realise what extra things you need. I used my notebook in my mock exam and as a result I decided to number the contents page with page number and not just the title. It was great to spot things you might have previously overlooked.
The Organisation
As well as having all the information combined into the notebook, it is also important that the notebook is organised. I did this in a number of ways:
- The contents are colour coded. I used different colours to distinguish the information. This can either be to make the information easily to understand, make the pages more atheistically pleasing or simply to aid a visual learner.
- The pages have two numbers: the first is the workshop / chapter number and then the second is the page number of that chapter. (nb. the contents page and index will list these numbers for easy reference).
- Tabbing. Tabbing doesn’t work for everyone. But the way I did this book was the same as I would have done any of my LPC textbooks. Different colours for different topics, in a running sequence. And then different style tabs to represent the key topics and exam hints.
Verdict?
What you get out of your notebook, depends entirely what you put into it. It is an impressive learning tool and study aid as well as a resource. It helps your understanding of the subject matter to coherently put it down on paper without just copying from another textbook. If you are a visual or kinetic learner – this will be an excellent method to add to your revision techniques, only difference is it starts a little earlier than the usual revision.
