Trainees: they’ll be OK, as long as the pigs don’t eat them first…
What on earth??
Well, a few months ago, I was in Versailles speaking at a legal conference. And one of the (French) delegates introduced me to the above wonderful phrase.
We were talking about our children and, in particular, one of my boys who has been going through a tricky time over the past year or two.
She used this phrase to describe a situation where someone is either particularly vulnerable or at a tricky point in life: a cross-roads if you will – a time where it’s particularly crucial that they receive the right guidance/support. And that, if they don’t receive that support at the crucial moment, things can go badly wrong.
No one wants to be eaten by pigs 🐖 , after all.
The important thing to know is these are the people who, if they manage to avoid the pigs & stay on course, they will absolutely fly later on (not meaning to mix my metaphors & introduce flying pigs just to confuse you further). They can excel, given the right steering.
And, as we’re at that time of year when trainees are joining law firms (and pupils joining chambers), it made me think of them.
Sometimes I hear people say of trainees who have struggles during their training contracts “Well, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” i.e. if you can’t cut it, you need to get out of the profession. They’re lacking in resilience, they’re too soft. And therefore they need to go.
Now, I fully accept that law is not for everyone. And if you have a trainee who is resistant to all feedback, turns up late, refuses to do certain tasks, takes offence because you ask them to work late when its needed, that’s not going to work out.
That said, what I’ve observed since leaving private practice myself and now providing therapy to lawyers for a number of years is this:
Many of the best lawyers I know had really difficult training contracts. For one reason or another, they had major wobbles. But the lucky ones had a senior who kept faith with them. Who could see their potential and who harnessed it in the right way. So they steered them away from the pigs 🐖 .
I also know many people who had wobbly training contracts or difficult NQ experiences who’ve since left the law . They could have been fantastic lawyers. But no one led them away from the pigs. Often, they were deemed “not confident enough”, “too emotional” and “lacking in resilience”. But no one explored this enough with them and guided them in a way that would have helped them to develop those skills. I’m not talking about giving trainees a completely bespoke experience (that’s unrealistic) but at least helping them access their potential and find what I think of as the holy grail – the department where both the work and the culture of the team fit for them.
What do you think? Am I talking a load of pigswill?
PS I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my little one’s Peppa Pig collection here.
What on earth??
Well, a few months ago, I was in Versailles speaking at a legal conference. And one of the (French) delegates introduced me to the above wonderful phrase.
We were talking about our children and, in particular, one of my boys who has been going through a tricky time over the past year or two.
She used this phrase to describe a situation where someone is either particularly vulnerable or at a tricky point in life: a cross-roads if you will – a time where it’s particularly crucial that they receive the right guidance/support. And that, if they don’t receive that support at the crucial moment, things can go badly wrong.
No one wants to be eaten by pigs 🐖 , after all.
The important thing to know is these are the people who, if they manage to avoid the pigs & stay on course, they will absolutely fly later on (not meaning to mix my metaphors & introduce flying pigs just to confuse you further). They can excel, given the right steering.
And, as we’re at that time of year when trainees are joining law firms (and pupils joining chambers), it made me think of them.
Sometimes I hear people say of trainees who have struggles during their training contracts “Well, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” i.e. if you can’t cut it, you need to get out of the profession. They’re lacking in resilience, they’re too soft. And therefore they need to go.
Now, I fully accept that law is not for everyone. And if you have a trainee who is resistant to all feedback, turns up late, refuses to do certain tasks, takes offence because you ask them to work late when its needed, that’s not going to work out.
That said, what I’ve observed since leaving private practice myself and now providing therapy to lawyers for a number of years is this:
Many of the best lawyers I know had really difficult training contracts. For one reason or another, they had major wobbles. But the lucky ones had a senior who kept faith with them. Who could see their potential and who harnessed it in the right way. So they steered them away from the pigs 🐖 .
I also know many people who had wobbly training contracts or difficult NQ experiences who’ve since left the law . They could have been fantastic lawyers. But no one led them away from the pigs. Often, they were deemed “not confident enough”, “too emotional” and “lacking in resilience”. But no one explored this enough with them and guided them in a way that would have helped them to develop those skills. I’m not talking about giving trainees a completely bespoke experience (that’s unrealistic) but at least helping them access their potential and find what I think of as the holy grail – the department where both the work and the culture of the team fit for them.
What do you think? Am I talking a load of pigswill?
PS I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my little one’s Peppa Pig collection here.