Almost a year into my new career as a trainee solicitor, what have I learnt about myself, the firm and working life? Well, before I allow you a sneak preview into my life in Litigation, here are three bits of invaluable advice that I'm giving you for free.

* Don't try to work on a hangover unless it was a department-wide drinks event the previous night. The safety-in-numbers approach is the only way your red eyes, crumpled suit and general lethargy may well pass under the radar;

* Live close to the office. Whilst the majority of your friends may well live in Clapham and Fulham and eulogise the benefits of living there, it is an inescapable fact that they will always have to get up early and hit the tube during rush hour to get into work on time. The smugness I feel every morning as I stroll out my front door at 9am ahead of a brisk 15 minute walk to work is worth every penny of my extortionately-priced London rent;

* Always have a couple of stories about the other trainees up your sleeve. Law firms, like anywhere else in life, run on office gossip as well as hard-work. Everyone from the partners to the secretaries love a good story to chuckle about and share. If you ever find you are in danger of becoming the unwitting victim of such a situation I have one word for you... DEFLECT... Delve into your armoury and sacrifice a fellow trainee. It's worth it and people will love you for it (other than the sacrificial lamb obviously).

Right, with that out the way I feel I should give you a more serious insight into life at an international law firm, and more specifically what I'm up to now.

Since we returned in the new year, the Litigation department has been buzzing with work and this has been particularly noticeable within the Energy and Natural Resources Team where I am currently placed. Being busy at work is one of those strange double-edged swords... the days fly by and more importantly you learn new skills as well as getting to meet a greater variety of people though obviously your social life may suffer. Alternatively, being a bit quieter can lead to boredom and an anxiety that you might be seen to not be "pulling your weight" at work which can often be more stressful than working longer hours and taking on extra responsibility. On balance I feel I have been lucky to have worked on some interesting, high-profile disputes within a sector that I hold a genuine enthusiasm for.

But what is Litigation and what do I do as a trainee here?

In contrast to the more transactional, quick-fire nature of the work I experienced in Loan Markets, Litigation can be said to be a more measured, academic side to the law. It is probably the closest in the UK that we get to the standard John Grisham-inspired image that most people get when they assume we spend all our time in court defending criminals and suing pharmaceutical companies. In reality, the majority of our time is actually spent preparing for the eventuality of a court hearing or arbitration tribunal. This can often take a considerably long time and be very strategic so generally it is for the more senior members of the department to push these cases forward and inevitably they will do the majority of the drafting, witness/expert interviews and client management. As a trainee it is my job to assist with these tasks and facilitate the smooth-running of any meeting or hearing along with any other case management requirements.

Legal research is an integral part of a trainee's role here and this can vary hugely on a day-to-day basis. One day I might be asked to research a certain area of divorce law (thankfully not by my Mother) while the next I may look into Iraqi oil fields or stabilisation clauses in Production Sharing Agreements with emerging African countries. After the initial reaction of "How the hell do I go about doing this" it's actually surprisingly rewarding (and interesting) to find some semblance of an answer which you can put into an advice note for your supervisor. This note will rarely be checked for accuracy so you are very much aware that what you find could well help shape the development of the case you're on, a daunting prospect but one that allows you to silence those doubting friends who think you're the most highly-qualified teaboy in the City.

Disclosure (deciding which documents will have to be revealed to the other side) and bundling (preparing files/documents etc for court) are the other aspects of a trainee litigator's job that you will frequently hear about it and are absolutely crucial. To give you a personal example, before Christmas it was my job to ensure that all the various documents required for a Case Management Conference were collated together (from our internal system, emails etc), properly indexed, copied and sent around to all the parties attending the hearing. This included the partner, my supervisor, the associate, the barrister representing us, the clients and the judge. The dreaded "attention to detail" phrase is one you will often hear at work and in this situation any errors would have been amplified as judges are notorious for their impatience when faced with incompetence. A mistake on my behalf would have been hugely embarrassing for the firm (especially in front of our clients) and I was certainly relieved to make it to the end of the hearing without receiving the Alex Ferguson-style hair-dryer treatment from either the judge or the partner!

Right, I'm off to meet some Russian clients this afternoon so best be off. I say 'meet' but my involvement will largely be restricted to taking notes, passing round the tea (dammit, my friends will love that) and ensuring everyone has what they need. Who says City life isn't glamorous?!

Next time I will be sure to fill you in on all the excitement from the trainee ball and Litigation ski trip. Maybe life at work isn't that different to Uni after all!!

If you have any questions about life at Ashurst then feel free to contact me via our facebook page, www.facebook.com/AshurstTrainees.