Wilkin Chapman LLP, the largest law firm in Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, has appointed four trainee solicitors: Megan Barker, Maria Saleh, Alexandra Newson and Sarah Thurston.
Megan Barker studied law at Warwick University and then went on to continue her studies at the College of Law in Bloomsbury. She joins the personal injury team in Lincoln. Megan applied to Wilkin Chapman as she felt that the firm has a wide range of departments, which would allow her to experience very different areas of law during her training.
Maria Saleh studied law at the University of Hull. During her studies, Maria was a volunteer at the Citizens Advice Bureau where she was able to impart advice on a number of legal issues. She also worked in a Community Legal Advice Centre. Maria joins the agriculture team in Beverley working alongside senior solicitor Judy Lankester.
Alexandra Newson has been with the solicitors’ firm since 2011, working in the debt department which is located in Grimsby. She studied at the University of Hull and the College of Law in York before becoming a trainee solicitor. Alexandra felt the small number of trainee intakes per year at Wilkin Chapman ensured the quality and variety of the trainee experience.
Sarah Thurston studied history at Oxford University and then went on to the University of Law, before applying for the trainee programme with Wilkin Chapman. During Sarah’s first year at University, she visited Wilkin Chapman on work experience and felt that it was clear that trainees gained a broad experience of each department, working with clients from many backgrounds and projects of various sizes and levels of complexity which led to her decision to apply for the trainee programme. Sarah joins the commercial property team in Lincoln.
Commenting on the appointment of the trainees, chief executive, Julia Whittaker says: “We are delighted to welcome our new colleagues to the firm. Their first week was spent attending our induction course which was held at our Grimsby office. This introduces everyone to the firm’s key personnel and explains our ethos and, in particular, the importance that we place on customer service. It also helps everyone to settle in and get to know our systems!”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has commended Wilkin Chapman LLP on their training programme and in particular noted that the induction of new trainees was regarded as “first class”.
