Nicole joined the firm in July 2023 and provides support to Clare Galvani. She is responsible for taking initial enquiries, setting up new clients, preparing medical records bundles and chronologies.
Nicole studied Law and Criminology at the University of Essex which she completed in November 2023. She is now studying the LPC LLM at the University of Law with the goal to qualify as a solicitor.
What a Typical Day Might Look Like for Nicole
First and foremost, I usually start my day by going to the gym. I find that exercising really sets me up for the day and I definitely notice a difference in my concentration and productivity levels if I do not go.
Arriving at the Office
9:00am – The first thing that I do when arriving in the office is check my emails to see if there are any urgent tasks that need completing and any call back times that have been requested from any new enquiries that have been received overnight.
Morning
9:30am – If there are no call backs arranged for the morning, then this is the point that I usually go and get a coffee before I sit down and make a start on a chronology. The first crucial step in a Clinical Negligence claim is reviewing all of the medical records when they have been received from the client’s GP/hospital/treatment provider and organising the key documents into chronological order with a brief overview. It is at this point that we are able to properly assess prospects of success and decide whether we are able to take a case forward to the next stage, so attention to detail and accuracy is paramount. I therefore choose to do chronologies in the morning as my mind is fresher. This can take some time and is helped along by coffee!
10:30am – This is the time I start looking at my spreadsheet to determine if I need to chase any medical establishments for any records we are waiting for. I find that wait times on the phone prior to this time can be extremely long, particularly with GP surgeries. If I am sat on the telephone waiting in a queue, then I will continue to with a chronology.
Additionally, I am often given other tasks such as researching, attending client meetings, arranging conferences and assisting Clare with sourcing any barristers or expert witnesses that may be required for a claim. In this role, I need to be flexible and able to prioritise tasks efficiently in order to manage my workload, all whilst learning at the same time! This is especially important as I am hoping to secure a training contract in the future.
Lunch
1:00pm - During lunch, I always leave the office. Whether that be for a gym class, a walk around the park, or the shops if it’s raining! I find that getting some fresh air and a break from the computer screen helps me with my concentration for the afternoon.
Afternoon
2:00pm – The afternoon is when I start the more individual tasks such as creating and sending letters, requesting medical records, downloading medical records and putting medical records into a link ready for expert instruction. Towards the later part of the week, and once Clare has reviewed the new enquiries from earlier that week, I open any new files, prepare and send out our initial paperwork for signing.
3:00pm – Chasing medical records can carry on into the afternoon depending on how many are outstanding. Some GP’s release more appointments for the day at 2pm so I try and leave enough time between then and calling so that the wait time is shorter. Whilst on hold, I continue either with the tasks that I had started that afternoon or I work on a chronology until the end of the day.
End of the working day
5:00pm – I tend to leave the office between 5:00pm and 5:15pm, depending on the task. I then spend the evening walking my 2 dogs, cooking dinner (hellofresh so that I don’t have to think too much about it as my brain tends to stop working at this point) and relaxing by watching some TV.
