Dylan Duke

Why Byrne Wallace Shields LLP?

I initially joined Byrne Wallace Shields LLP in January 2020 after I came across the team when working opposite them in another firm. I chose Byrne Wallace Shields LLP for my traineeship because I was familiar with the team, culture and atmosphere in the firm and knew it suited me well. Everyone is friendly and helpful and I got to take part in a meaningful way.

What have you enjoyed most about your trainee journey so far?

I’ve really enjoyed getting to be part of different teams in the firm and figuring out what work I like doing and the solicitors giving me the chance to do that. The firm has rolled out a new trainee programme which focuses on learning and development and emphasizes developing key skills for trainees on their route to becoming a solicitor. The workshop sessions have been very helpful and gave insight into areas which were never fully explored in Blackhall (such as business development). I feel like the workshops provide a good grounding in becoming a solicitor. 

Describe your rotations to date

I have worked in both the Banking and Infrastructure, Construction and Energy departments where I worked on a variety of matters but mostly focused on non-contentious development finance work. Both of the teams were great and really allowed me to get heavily involved in everything I was working on. The departments all have a trainee mentor and often arrange knowledge or learning sessions where certain topics are explored or discussed. Often, these sessions are catered towards junior members of the team like trainees and it can give a really useful foundation in the department if you’ve never worked there before.