Today is a Tuesday and I am working in the office which means I'll be waking up a little earlier than usual.
6:30am - Wake up and head to the gym, followed by breakfast back home.
9:15am - Arrive at the office and check if the breakfast offering on the 6th floor is to my liking (second breakfast is never a bad idea).
9:30am - Time to log on. My first task of the day is always to pull up my to-do list from the day prior and read any new emails I've received since logging off. I have been practising using time blocks recently, so I set aside some time in my calendar to focus on a few of the more demanding tasks I have today - more on those later!
10:00am - The Commercial Property team has a weekly meeting today. This week, it focuses on business development, where each member of the team talks about the leads and contacts that they have been pursuing. I discuss a client focus programme I've been assisting with by conducting research on target clients and a recent catch-up I had with an old university friend.
10:30am - Back to my desk and the emails are starting to pick up. I read through them and update my to-do list again before starting my first time block of the day.
10:45am - I have set aside time in my diary for my first major task of the day: reviewing the first draft of a lease that our client is looking to acquire in Central London. I need to ensure the lease reflects the heads of terms and, as this is my first mark-up, make it as tenant-friendly as I can. I know that the landlord's solicitor will reject or amend most of my amendments, but this is a balancing act. After some negotiation over the next month, we will arrive at a draft both of our clients are agreeable to.
12:45pm - My time block ends, and it's time to check my emails and update my to-do list before heading to lunch with my team. Another balancing act begins - trying to load enough of today's free lunch onto my plate to keep me going for the rest of the day without overdoing it. After eating, I head out for a short walk alongside the river to my favourite café for a drink, before circling back to the office with coffee in hand.
1:30pm - Reviewing the first draft of a lease can take some time, so I spend a few more hours amending and checking over my work before I'm done. Once I am happy with the lease, I send it across to the matter's supervisor in redline, along with a few comments on clauses where I need guidance. I find the best way to learn in this seat is to run through my thought process and hear other people's opinions in person or over a video call.
3:15pm - My second time block ends and it's time to check for any urgent emails and update my to-do list.
3:30pm - Time for my next time block. I'm currently working on an interesting matter where a religious organisation is acquiring a church from a different religious organisation. A novel point of law has cropped up and caused a point of contention with the seller's solicitor. After researching the legislation and discussing the same with my supervisor, I reach out to our excellent PSLs and Post-Completions team to make sure that our approach is correct. Thankfully, they agree, and we put our findings to the other side who acquiesce and accept our position.
4:30pm - I have an all-parties conference call to discuss a deal that has become stuck on a few points. I find these calls useful in situations when clients need to take more of a commercial approach. Both sides agree in principle on how to proceed and leave it to the lawyers to negotiate the specifics throughout the rest of the week.
5:00pm - It is time to tick off some of the smaller tasks on my to-do list, such as responding to emails, arranging meetings, and chasing up on matters I have not heard back on in a while. Once this is done, I update my to-do list for tomorrow.
6:30pm - Time to clock off. I check to see if there are any new music or podcast releases I can download for my journey home, and then head off for the evening.
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