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Joanna Shaw
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Joanna Shaw
Trainee Solicitor, BLM Manchester
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“As part of my secondment I travel to
the European Parliament to attend meetings
of the parliamentary committees.”
Read Modern Languages at Durham University. Joanna joined as a trainee in September 2006 and now is in her second year of her training contract. She was selected from hundreds of applications to undertake a six-month secondment at the Law Societies Joint Brussels Office in September 2007.
9.30 am: Arrive at the office and start the day by reviewing the daily press to monitor current developments in European Union policy areas. I read the national and European newspapers and journals delivered to the office and then review the e-mail bulletins from electronic journals, which I receive directly to my Inbox.
My review focuses on news items relevant to my practice area of Justice and Home Affairs, which includes civil litigation, criminal law and private client. I take copies of any European articles relevant to these areas and file them for later research and inclusion in the Law Societies’ legislative update publications. I also keep an eye out for any interesting developments in the areas of Law Reform and Professional Practice that may be included in our monthly newsletter, the Brussels Agenda.
11.00 am: Meeting with my supervisor to discuss current developments in Justice and Home Affairs. We decide which areas should be researched or worked on further. I follow this up by accessing the websites of the European Institutions: the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the European Council. Through these electronic sources, I am able to check press releases and statements and track the progress of current European legislative proposals.
12.30 pm: Begin work on the legislative update publications, which I am responsible for, in the areas of civil litigation, criminal law, family law and consumer law. I research and apply the up to date information obtained from my press monitoring and research. It is my job to make sure that they are regularly updated and include all recent EU developments relevant to the legal profession.
2.00 pm: Review recent judgments handed down by the European Court of Justice and prepare case summaries to be included in the monthly European Court of Justice Update.
3.30 pm: Travel to the European Parliament to attend meetings of the parliamentary committees, who sit in Brussels every month. I observe discussions in the Legal Affairs Committee, the Justice and Home Affairs Committee and the Committee on Consumer Protection and the Internal Market. The Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) debate European legislative proposals currently under consideration.
6.00 pm: Return to the office to review my notes from the parliamentary committee meetings and report to my supervisor with any interesting developments. This concludes my work for the day. I leave the office and return home. |