In May 2026 we had the privilege of welcoming Lily-Ann Ashley to our office for a few days’ work experience. At the end of her time here, she kindly wrote this blog about her time with us.
I am a 2nd year law student and was lucky enough to spend three days at Boyletts Law, which is a law firm specialising in Residential Property and Wills and Probate legal services, to do my work experience.
I began by attending meetings with clients seeking advice regarding their wills and understanding how inheritance tax works. This was beneficial as I got to understand how the meetings were conducted and questions that are raised when deciding how client’s assets were be handled. The firm demonstrated an empathic, comfortable environment for clients during a difficult time of grief or a stress surrounding their assets. This was important experience for me to witness so that I could understand the correct approach when interacting with clients.
On my first day I also learnt the correct procedure to follow when answering the phone to clients and referring them to the correct team member for their issue to be attended to.
On my second day, I was given the task of creating my own hypothetical Will in which I was guided to follow statutes and legislation from the ‘Parker’s Will Precedents’ book. This helped deepen my understanding of how a Will is created and how it should be presented.
I also attended a lasting power of attorney client meeting, in which I learnt what the meeting was about and how people are appointed to be a Power of Attorney, ensuring the correct documentation is presented for the courts to approve with no complications. I witnessed the clients sign their documents to approve the Power of Attorneys – allowing the attorneys to have access to the finances of the donor if the person loses capacity and cannot deal with the financial side of things themselves.
On my last day I was appointed to review an executor’s expenses and verify these expenses with evidence of their receipts or invoices. Any documents that were eligible or missing I would highlight to the staff member that was dealing with the probate, and they would request them again from the client. Being actively involved in this was rewarding in that I was able to be a part of a significant step in a probate matter.
Lastly, I was involved in a meeting between colleagues at Boyletts Law, this was intriguing as it conveyed how solicitors seek advice from each other about their own individual work. It was interesting to see how they propose different ideas and approaches when it comes to each individual client. They were able to consider all options they have when approaching a trust or general inheritance. This benefitted me as both fee earners included me and helped me understand the more technical things they were discussing.
Overall, I was welcomed into Boyletts Law and learnt so much from the whole firm. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity and appreciate each colleague for helping me without hesitation.
By Lily-Ann Ashley