Two Seats In: Contentious Or Non-Contentious?

Published date04 December 2023
Law FirmMichelmores
AuthorSena Guvercin

During a training contract, trainees work across various areas of law and are required to undertake seats in both contentious and non-contentious areas. This is a requirement ensuring the training contract meets the standards set by Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Apart from being a requirement, this also equips trainees to narrow down the area of law they eventually choose to qualify into whilst ensuring that they have gained a well-rounded experience in different areas of law.

What is the difference between Contentious and Non-Contentious seats?

Contentious seats typically involve areas of law where legal disputes are resolved through litigation or other contentious methods, such as commercial and regulatory disputes , employment law or family law. Non-contentious seats, on the other hand, involve areas like corporate law, real estate, or commercial transactions where legal work focuses on advisory and transactional matters rather than courtroom disputes.

Seat one: Transactional Real-Estate - Non-Contentious

I was introduced into the world of non-contentious law via the Transactional Real Estate team in the Bristol office. This area of law involves legal work related to the buying, selling, leasing and financing of commercial properties.

My to-do list often consisted of:

  • Conducting research on property law, land use regulations and other relevant legal aspects to support ongoing cases and transactions,
  • Preparing legal documents, such as contracts, leases and agreements,
  • Assisting in the due diligence process for property transactions, including reviewing title documents, land registry records and environmental reports,
  • Resolving title defects or disputes that may arise during property transactions,
  • Preparing and submitting Land Registry applications.

One of the advantages of a non-contentious seat is that it's not uncommon for smaller transactions to begin and conclude within your seat duration. This enabled me to run a few of my own matters from start to finish which was a great opportunity to develop my confidence, skills and knowledge. A transactional seat often tends to involve higher levels of responsibility and client contact.

Non-contentious work generally consists of more regular instructions and the ability to build longer-lasting client relationships. Therefore if you enjoy talking with people and supporting them with their general queries, you may be leaning towards non-contentious work.

Seat two: Contentious Probate - Contentious

My...

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