Life at Bolt Burdon Kemp, one month in
I joined the Complex Injury Team at Bolt Burdon Kemp (BBK) as a paralegal on the 19th April 2022, assisting with high value accident claims. I have now been at BBK for a month and this blog is going to take you through exactly what my life has been like since I started at BBK.
I started on Tuesday 19th April 2022, and the second I walked through the doors, it was nothing but welcoming. I was given a welcome bag filled with loads of goodies, including a BBK water bottle and umbrella. I was also provided with everything I would need to be able to start work such as a work phone and computer. I also had my photo taken for the ‘Who’s who?’ page so people in the firm can know who I am. During your first day, you will also complete all the necessary HR meetings.
I went out for lunch with my manager, Charlotte, and we went to a local Thai restaurant which was really nice. I still find it amazing the lengths BBK and those in my team went to accommodate me and make me feel welcome. This was a contrast to my previous experience where a typical approach to an induction was a ‘this is your desk’, ‘this is your phone’, ‘now off you go’ mentality, so the difference in cultures is already incredible.
The week was filled with various meetings and inductions, getting to know more members of staff, the building and where things are as well as an induction to the case management system. Everyone was so friendly and accommodating that I felt at home. Nothing is ever too much to ask from anyone, and if they don’t know the answer themselves, they’ll either go and find it out for me or will point me in the direction I need or refer me to others I can speak to who may know the answer.
Another brilliant thing BBK do is set you up with a buddy. My buddy is Evie who works in the spinal injury team. BBK understand that life as a new joiner can be difficult and challenging and somewhat overwhelming. So to help you settle in they allocate you a buddy who will show you all the ins and outs of the regular day-to-day things of the business, introduce you to others, tell me about all the various clubs and offerings BBK have – I’ll explain more about these later on – and point me in the right direction for all the good local places around the office. You’re normally meant to go out for lunch with your buddy on your first day, however I had lunch with my manager, so we rearranged for another time and went to a Vietnamese restaurant not far from the office. We talked through all various parts of the firm and what I can expect in the next few weeks and months ahead of me, and again, removed any element of doubt I had. Not only is this buddy lunch a great way to see a little bit of the Angel area around the office and find more amazing restaurants I can go to later down the line, but it also means I now know a very friendly face in the office should I need help with anything.
During my first couple of weeks, I went out for a couple more lunches. The first being for a member of my team who’s going on maternity leave so we wished her well with a leaving lunch at a Turkish restaurant, again very tasty! This was also used as a bit of a welcome lunch for me, where members of my team wanted to get to know me and I wanted to get to know them too! The next was my formal welcome lunch with the Complex Injury Team when we went to a Mexican restaurant.
With all these lunches, I needed some way to burn off these extra calories, so I have enrolled myself on the BBK steps challenge, where we’re in teams of five, and the idea is to take as many steps as we can in a week to win a prize. We also get bonus points if we take photos of various items when out on our walks. This is just one of the many things BBK has to offer outside of work hours. Every Wednesday, BBK puts on ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’. They offer fitness classes during the day and after usual business hours there is a club that is held which is available to all members of the firm. I’m yet to go to one, just only because I’ve been busy settling in and finding my feet, but it’s most definitely on my radar and some of them have been highly recommended such as the film club, restaurant club and the baking club.
During your first few weeks at BBK, you are given a reduced time target to allow you to take the time to settle in and get to grips with the system and the flexible working policy. The ability to work whenever and wherever I want to means that I can find time for myself as well as my family and have a healthy work-life balance. The work that I have been given so far has been varied and interesting. For example, I attended my first Joint Settlement Meeting during which we negotiated a favourable settlement for our client. I hadn’t been to one previously so this was a real eye-opening experience and the whole day was so valuable in progressing my career as a paralegal.
By way of a summary, if you couldn’t make this out already as you’ve been reading, I have absolutely loved my first month here as a BBK employee, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me. I am looking forward to meeting more of my colleagues as time progresses, not to mention getting stuck in to the extra activities that BBK has to offer!
