paul's blog

Did you know that, before 1964, in order to do anything with a harbour, an Act of Parliament was required? Even now, if you want to sell one or close it, you may well need to refer to Parliament. Similarly, for certain very complex infrastructure projects, it may be better to use a “private Act”. A Private Act is legislation passed using Parliamentary processes, but that affect only a certain class of persons. This can be preferable to using the planning system.

I am presently in the second half of my seat in G&I (that’s “Government and Infrastructure” to the initiate).  This is one of BDB’s larger departments and the work is appropriately engaging and “big ticket”.

It’s now my fourth month in my corporate seat, and we are officially very busy.  I have had more “verification” to do, much as I did at the beginning of the seat, although for a very different kind of company, to raise money for an acquisition on the AIM market.  I’ve also had slightly more control over the process this time, which is all part of the training, I’m assured; indeed the words “rite of passage” have been used.  This has been time-consuming to say the least.  Not to worry, though - once this client has gone out and ra

Welcome back all. 

I mentioned briefly last time that I’ve moved departments, to the second seat on my rotation, and I have.  I’m being supervised by a senior associate whose work is mainly corporate.  I’m also likely to get some commercial, charities or employment work as well, as befits a seat in this newly merged department, which now incorporates all those teams.<

Hello and welcome to the second part of this regular account of my progress.

I very recently moved seats and am now in my second week in the newly conceived “Business Services” department.  But before I get into that, what have I been up to since just before Christmas? 

Good day and winter’s greetings to everyone, and welcome to the proper start of my trainee blog.  Over the next couple of years I will try to enlighten and entertain as I progress from being the seriously green first-seater I am now to a slightly less green fourth-seat trooper (we hope) sometime in 2012.  I’ve begun my training contract after a year’s deferral over 2009 - 2010, which I volunteered for in the heat of the “crunch”.  Things have since picked up, and as of September I’ve been in Real Estate, one of my preferred seat choices.