Ogier's Jersey and Guernsey trainee solicitors swap torts for forts to paint Elizabeth Castle

14 trainee solicitors from Ogier's Jersey and Guernsey teams recently spent a day painting the Governor's House at Elizabeth Castle as part of Jersey Heritage's work to regenerate the iconic landmark.

With all Ogier staff entitled to paid time out of the office to work on a community project, the trainees decided to pool one of their volunteer days - and their painting prowess - to continue the Ogier tradition of painting and restoring an area of the castle that Jersey Heritage is looking to regenerate for visitors.

Ogier is a longstanding supporter of Jersey Heritage, and has sponsored a number of projects including the Castle Schools programme and the popular castle competition, which this year saw hundreds of primary school children submitting their castle stories and pictures.

Ogier is one of the few Channel Island firms that operates a structured England and Wales Trainee Solicitor programme, taking a number of trainees onto the programme each year in Guernsey and Jersey. The two-year programme sees trainees rotating in different departments to learn about a number of practice areas within Ogier.

Hazel Thomson, Group Talent & Development Manager, said: "We're proud of our trainee solicitor programme and the calibre of graduates it attracts. It's one of a number of talent programmes we offer at Ogier and a great way for the trainees to not only build critical legal skills, but really get a feel for all that Ogier has to offer."

Guernsey trainee solicitor Henry Simpson said: "I was pleased to be able to take part in one of Ogier's volunteering days, and to get to know my fellow trainees at the same time. As we have a number of volunteering days each year, I'm happy to pop back if it needs another coat!"

Jersey trainee solicitor Jamie Colquhoun said: "I was delighted to take part in the effort to paint the governor's office at Elizabeth Castle. Not only did the opportunity allow me to bond with and work alongside my fellow trainees, it also allowed me to contribute towards something worthwhile, which was of itself a truly rewarding experience. It's great to have Ogier's backing to take a day out of the office to support a local cause."