Our Time

I feel like I'm saying this most weeks - but what a week!

I always like to reflect after LegalGeek as it reminds me how far we've come. From starting with a free spare ticket at one of the first ones, to taking a contingent of our innovation group this time - it certainly shows how far the industry has come.

I don't want to always be a 'back in my day' person - but it's crazy looking at the 2000 people attending Legal Geek to think back to what it was like when we started doing this. When trying to forge this as a career was seen as madness and risky by so many people. But now look - look at what we've grown, look at what we are now a part of.

On Tuesday we held our Innovation Group away day. And as part of that we celebrated our first graduate scheme cohort completing the scheme and being placed in their permanent roles. We asked the group to do something to show us what they had learnt over the two years. What we got was unexpected, had people in tears and really made me proud of the team for creating a path for so many amazing people.

So please read this amazing poem - written and performed by our Grads (which we can no longer call them!)

Our Time

As we stand here today more than two years have passed,

It's hard to believe it - the time's gone so fast!

But before we look forward, let's stop to remember,

The day it began – 21st of September.

The nerves from that day are quite hard to forget,

For most of us this was the first time we had met.

And all that we'd done up till now to prepare,

Had brought us to those doors in St. Peters Square.

In the lobby we were greeted by the mighty Tim Law,

Who gave us a flavour of what was in store.

And once in the lift, six floors we would climb,

To meet some of you for the very first time.

We sat in a circle of we think around 20,

With jitters from coffee and small talk a-plenty.

Some were excited, and some of us shier,

Some were more chatty, whilst others' mouths dryer.

In the Q&A slot we met Annest and Rob,

Now experts at answering "What's your favourite part of the job?"

With newspaper bridges now balancing our shoes,

And the shakes now subsiding from the main interviews,

We went on to network to round off the day,

Rob – there's a chess match we're still yet to play!

Then we all parted ways for some drinks that were needed,

And awaited the call to say if we'd succeeded.

Fast forward to Monday the 1st of November,

Donning heels, suits and blazers, an official team member.

Excel tasks, HighQ sites and group presentations,

And the grad video that caused a few palpitations.

We fondly remember the all-hands and scrums,

And of course 'Drawasaurus' - James T always won.

Pretty soon we all felt like a part of the team,

And looked forward to rotating throughout the grad scheme.

Let's talk about pillars, of which there are six,

Each one was unique, such an interesting mix.

And through them we journeyed, for four months in each,

Where we grew every day from the lessons they'd teach.

From Products to Client Projects and then LTC,

Doc Lifecycle, IE and of course R&D.

But let's not be general, there's way more to say,

In the grad scheme they all had a big part to play.

?

?Mike and Rob are the leaders of team R&D,?

With to-do lists of which they will never be free,

Gen AI meetings seem to run back to back,

Now Flo, Ron and Etta can help pick up the slack.

Sophie, Tina and Jodie keep LTC ticking,

Aiding clients' visions and what tech they are picking.

Secondment, SharePoint and CLM have been fun,

With Sajj and now Anna, there's a lot more to come.

When you hear the sound of laughter from Laura P,

You know you aren’t far from the team of IE.

Where spirits are high, and support comes in spades,

With Sabryna and Leo the latest upgrades.

Now into DL learning Contract Express,

For James, whom we felt we should really impress.

And like the twirly moustache to which we waved bye,

He's gone to develop our team in Dubai.

James and Emma keep Products a well-oiled machine,

With Delia and Aiman expanding their team.

And even though CDE drove a few mad,

This project was worked on by every grad!

Last but not least, of course its CP,

Word on the street says it's the place to be.

With Tom and Olivia, Laura and Will,

Now Annest and Jas will be adding their skill.

Last year we welcomed the shiny new grads,

It's been lovely to witness the value this adds.

We've enjoyed working with them and shown them the ropes,

So they can make sure that the next cohort copes

It's been great to watch our fantastic team grow,

With more people to ask if HighQ's being slow.

Each week we're all changing in many a way,

Unlike Shawarma Thursday's – they’re here to stay.

We want to thank the SLTs and our leadership,

Without you we wouldn't be here on this trip.

Not just to London or to Legal Geek,

But for planning the grad scheme week after week.

You've shown us what can be an amazing career,

That exploring ideas should be nothing to fear.

Opportunities are plenty, our confidence has grown,

And you've genuinely helped us come into our own.

So far we've looked back, we've left nothing unsaid,

Now is the time that we must look ahead.

We look forward to growing within ILT,

And continuing to become the best we can be.

New tools will emerge, AI will progress,

We're sure there'll be moments we all feel the stress.

But we'll all work together, each mountain we'll climb,

Because this is our team, and this is our time.