A memorable Monday for a first-seat ‘TED’ trainee at Russell-Cooke

A partner in my team kindly arranged for me to attend a hearing held at the Royal Courts of Justice with her and an associate. You may recognise the building from news reports and television programmes about high-profile court cases. It was a morning hearing so I came in earlier than usual. I arrived at Russell-Cooke’s stunning Bedford Row office (a Grade II listed town house in the Lincoln’s Inn area) at around 8:30am.

I made myself an extra strong coffee and familiarised myself with the hearing bundle. We walked ten minutes to the barristers’ chambers to meet with our barrister to discuss our position and to briefly speak with the other side’s barrister as well. I took the minutes of these meetings.

Our barrister led us through security and then through the breath-taking Royal Courts of Justice to a side room for some last-minute discussions before the hearing. 

The hearing was a Court of Protection matter and lasted around three hours with a break in between. It was a real privilege to be involved in this hearing so early in my training contract and to observe such experienced lawyers working together on a case. As somebody at the very start of my legal career, it was incredibly inspiring to see the kind of lawyer I aim to become and to have exposure to the type of work I will become increasingly involved in over time.

I arrived back at the office just in time to have lunch with the trainees and associates from other departments. We have a coffee room which always seems to catch the sunlight even on grey days where the Bedford Row trainees meet for lunch every day. We updated each other on our weekends and Monday mornings before heading back to our departments.

After lunch, I finalised my minutes before carrying out some legal research for a separate matter regarding a dispute over the administration of a high-value trust fund. Taking minutes is a common trainee task which allows you to pick up on the ways that solicitors communicate difficult concepts in a way that seems natural and uncomplicated.

The partners booked a table at a nearby wine bar called Davy’s to welcome new joiners and also those returning from exotic trips abroad. We work closely with the private client team and share a floor with them so both teams logged off at 5:30pm and we all walked over to Davy’s where we caught up over wine and charcuterie. 

Deya Shergill is currently a first-seat trainee in the trust and estate disputes team. 

Applications for Russell-Cooke's 2026 spring vacation scheme and 2028 training contract are open from 7 November 2025 to 6 February 2026.