Jack’s work experience diary

Jack Tomlinson, an 18-year-old student from Cardinal Newman College, has taken two weeks of work experience with the Preston and Garstang offices of Harrison Drury. Here’s what he had to say about his time with the firm…

It was the reputation of how brilliant Harrison Drury is with its employees that attracted me to the firm and having spent two weeks wandering around the Preston and Garstang offices it’s easy to see where that reputation comes from.

My name is Jack and I am approaching the end of my two years studying at Cardinal Newman College. The business course I study affords me two weeks to spend on a work placement and after hearing great things about the firm, I got in touch with Harrison Drury and the following week I was on the door step of the Preston office ready to see what was in store for me.

My time at Harrison Drury was split with a week in Preston and a week in Garstang. This set the tone for the diverse range of things I experienced across the firm, allowing me to see how a real and successful business works inside and out.

I began my time in the marketing department where I got stuck in and started out by doing market research, looking at events for the solicitors to attend and scouting out attendees for the Clitheroe event to celebrate the merger between Harrison Drury and Chenery Maher. The work was interesting, varied and I was made to feel as though I was contributing to the firm.

One of the larger and more exciting jobs that I was tasked with involved working with the team to evaluate competitor’s websites, the current Harrison Drury website and provide feedback on the first draft designs for the firm’s new look site.

I also spent a day with the finance department who showed me how to manage the finances of a firm experiencing fast growth and a day with the reception team who demonstrated how to keep the firm so organised. I got a thorough insight into the real world of business.

My second week saw me move over to the Garstang office where the team were great at welcoming me. I was invited to sit in on client meetings as an introduction to the kind of things the team works on. The meetings gave me an insight into the practical application of law and into the level of professionalism required in the industry.

Spending time in the Garstang office showed me more of the operating side of the firm, what sectors it operates in, how it operates, and I was able to make the link between how the tasks I undertook in Preston made the operation of the whole business possible.

I have a lot to take away from my time at Harrison Drury. My networking skills and confidence have grown through the tasks and I have gained extensive knowledge about the real world running of a business, how a fast-growing team is managed and financed while still having the feeling of a community.