The Yellow Sheet
The Yellow Sheet June 2020
Informals Honorary Secretary
Carolyn Palmer Honorary Secretary At the time of writing, lockdown mode is still on and working from home is quickly becoming the new norm. Whilst I’m missing my colleagues and the buzz of the office, as well as my lunch time walks along the beach and group catch ups in the garden, working from home has its perks. With the sun rising nice and early, not travelling to work means I get to sleep in until a reasonable time, go for a morning jog and still be at my desk (my dining room table) and ready to start work by around 08.30 – winner! Whilst working from home has undoubtedly freed up a bit more time, the last month nevertheless seems to have been busier than ever. So, what have I been doing? Focusing on the things of most relevance, on Wednesday 6 May, I attended the second Zoom CIPA Council meeting and I must say I’m amazed at how smoothly Zoom meetings with large numbers of people can run. Once the meeting finished, I joined my second Zoom meeting of the afternoon, with my fellow Informals Committee members. Of course, top of the agenda was exams and with the, now cancelled, EQE 2020, attention has turned to (1) the UK exams and (2) the EQE 2021.
Firstly, for all trainees planning to sit exams in October 2020, please know that the Informals are working closely with CIPA to ensure that the PEB is fully aware of the need for early certainty and the need for the exams to take place, even if not in the usual format. As soon as the Informals has any news, we will update the Yellow Sheet. Regarding the EQE 2021, and the increased numbers of students sitting the Main Examination, please know that CIPA is working hard to secure a larger venue than usual to reduce the likelihood of UK candidates having to travel to Munich to sit their exams. Again, once I have more concrete news in this regard, I will be sure to pass it on. In other news, many of you will have seen emails about, or perhaps even listened to, the new CIPA podcast. If you haven’t listened to the podcast already, I highly recommend doing so. In the next couple of weeks, I, alongside two of my fellow trainees, will be taking part in a podcast focused on isolation from a trainee’s perspective. Each of us are from different firms and have different levels of experience, meaning we will hopefully cover the different challenges that occur depending on things like the size of your firm or your level of experience/responsibility within the firm. If any of you have any ideas for further topics you would like to see covered in a podcast, do get in touch. I think that’s all for now! Stay healthy.
Editorial
Jonathan Foster Yellow Sheet Editor After such a packed Yellow Sheet last month, we have tactically given the reader a lighter edition this month. As has become normal in these times, I won’t try and talk about anything ‘current’ or ‘topical’, because who knows what will have changed between the time of me writing this, and the time of you reading it! If you are a trainee in Northern Ireland or Cambridge, your prayers have finally been answered – you have a regional secretary! Helen Lavery and Lindsay Pike will be taking the helm in Northern Ireland and Cambridge regions, respectively; so make sure you read their introductions below, and get in touch with them if you’d like to be included in any future events. While Mental Health Awareness week is now long past us, it is still more important than ever to look after yourselves, not just physically, but mentally. If you missed last month’s edition, make sure you go back and read the brilliant article written by Val McCartney of Jonathan’s Voice. And with that in mind, here’s Joel to introduce a new role on the Informals Committee…
44 CIPA JOURNAL JUNE 2020
www.cipa.org.uk
