The Legus European Internship: Katie O'Kelly

What did you do during your week at Blackadders?

I spent time with four different departments in their offices in Edinburgh and Dundee. I also attended a presentation in St Andrews, delivered by a Partner that I was shadowing.

I attended the firm summer conference in Dundee, where the whole firm came together to celebrate the success of the past year and set out intentions for the upcoming year.

I spent every day in a different department (residential property, employment, private client and family). The reason that I chose these departments is because I work in family law and these are the departments that we most commonly cross-refer to and that our clients may need advice from.

Some days focussed on learning about how Blackadders runs as a firm, and the interactions that they have between offices. Similarly to us, Blackadders have a number of offices so it was interesting to see how they came together as a firm and what they do to encourage inter-firm referrals and ensure continuity of service throughout the offices.

I also attended their firm summer conference, an afternoon where the whole firm came together and had updates from the Managing Partners, an external speaker, and the firm plan was discussed. There was also a social in the evening. I would say that this event was akin to our annual Executive’s Conference.

I was given the opportunity to have a look at commonly used legal documents to get an idea of the differences / similarities between the law in this jurisdiction and the law in Scotland.

I attended a client meeting with a Partner during my morning in the family team. 

What would you say are the benefits of this programme?

There are many benefits to the Legus Internship. It was great to meet like-minded people and gain an insight into the workings of a similar firm. I learnt a lot from Blackadders in that respect.
 
Although I only spent a day in each department, I had sight of Scottish legal documents and picked up on some of the key differences between English and Scottish law. I now have some understanding of Scottish family law which can help me provide a better service to my clients when required and I would be able to refer them to a firm that I have experience of and have confidence in.

Finally, and possibly the biggest benefit of the programme, is that I made some strong connections at Blackadders and I will certainly use them if I am in need of any assistance with regards to the law in Scotland or have a client who needs Scottish legal advice.

How do you think this will benefit you in the future?

I hope to continue to build on the connections that I have made and solidify the relationship, both between myself and the Blackadders team, but also between Russell-Cooke and Blackadders. I think it would be a real benefit to both firms to continue to build upon this relationship as cross-jurisdictional matters continue to increase.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I always manage to find an empty table or seat in a busy bar / restaurant – getting there just as other people are leaving or spotting a free table in the corner. Perhaps not a talent, but something my friends are grateful for.

Who inspires you?

I am fortunate to be surrounded by lots of people who inspire me, but my parents are probably my biggest inspiration. My dad instilled in me that the harder you work the “luckier” you get, whilst my mum has a resilience like no one else I know.

What is the last book you read?

I tend to listen to audiobooks as I am not very good at making the time to sit down and read. I have just finished The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne; the story of a young boy growing up in Ireland in the 20th and 21st Centuries. I would definitely recommend adding it to your list.

What would you dream weekend look like?

Although I love living in London, my dream weekend would be an escape to the country; you can’t go wrong with a long walk in the countryside followed by a well-earned sit down in the beer garden of a local village pub.

If you could have dinner with a famous person / character from film, book or TV, who would you choose?

This is a hard one to narrow down. If I was hosting, then probably someone like Adele as I imagine she’d be relaxed, fun, and have some great anecdotes, which is just what I want at a dinner party. However, if they were hosting then it would have to be Michel Roux as then I’d be guaranteed an amazing meal!

Katie O’Kelly is an associate in the family and children team. She advises on a wide range of family law matters including divorce and separation, financial settlements, and cohabitation disputes.

Legus International is a legal network with over 80 law firm members across the globe. In conjunction with Legus, Russell-Cooke announced the launch of a new Legus European Internship in October 2023, which has so far seen us host three international interns and send two associates to fellow member firms.