By Eleanor Brickell, Solicitor, Occupiers’ and Public Liability at Legal Futures Associate Express Solicitors
The journey to reach a career in law can take many different avenues, from studying at university to starting off with work experience at a firm. But for me, it all started in the post-room at Express Solicitors.
I first took an interest in law when I was in college as this was one of the options I studied and it was my law teacher who told me about the apprenticeship route. I loved the thought of being a legal professional and enjoyed studying the topic so I thought I would apply for the job at Express when I saw they were offering apprenticeships. Nearly nine years later I have finally made it.
When I first began working in the post-room, the solicitor apprenticeship didn’t exist. I was doing a Level 3 Cilex (Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) apprenticeship which was two years long and my goal at that stage was to be a chartered legal executive. It was halfway through this apprenticeship that the Level 7 solicitor apprenticeship was created so I signed up for that as soon as I had completed my Cilex apprenticeship.
Initially, I found the first couple of years quite difficult to keep all the plates spinning, especially with studying and taking exams every few months. But Express supported me and allowed me to work an 80/20 split, which is working four days and then studying one day a week. This got easier with time as I developed a routine and it became my norm.
Despite this, I still had some difficult moments, especially went it came to the SQE. It took some intense revision and a lot of dedication to pass those exams, but I also found that being open with my colleagues about how stressed and overwhelmed I felt really helped too.
The support I have received from Express has been amazing throughout, from funding the apprenticeship (via the apprenticeship levy) to providing me with a mentor in my early years (who I believe was a trainee solicitor at the time). They were very supportive when I decided to apply for the six-year solicitor apprenticeship and even let me take a three-month sabbatical just before I began the course.
I was 21 at the time and wanted to see some of the world before I committed to six years of intense studies. They allowed me to be flexible in the final 18 months or so of the apprenticeship when I was sitting the SQE, as I was able to bank my study days and use them in bulk to properly prepare for the exams. Express also funded my resit for SQE1 when the first sitting didn’t go my way and fronted the bill when I had to cancel my SQE2 the week before the exams due to a personal bereavement.
Advice to someone starting in law
For someone who is just starting their journey in law, my advice would be to focus on one hurdle at a time. It can get quite overwhelming to think of the journey as a whole (e.g. law degree, then training contract, then SQE, then admission). But if you take it one step at a time it helps to organise the mind and allows you to focus on the task at hand rather than being burnt out by thinking about the million things that need to be done.
Also, figure out which area of law drives you the most and look for work experience in that area to see if you like working in that practice. A firm with a ‘family feel’ like Express also goes a long way, for example, one you know will support you throughout your journey and one that treats you as a person rather than a number.
I would also suggest to absolutely log everything. One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received was back when I was in the new claims team and the trainer at the time would say ‘if it’s not on Proclaim – it didn’t happen’. This is something I live by and it has served me well over the years in terms of knowing where I am up to with cases and what has been done and needs to be done. Another great piece of advice I have received is to never ignore your gut feeling.
I hope that my journey can inspire the next generation of lawyers and make them realise that there are multiple options to achieving a career in law. Studying law at university isn’t the only route and you can explore other avenues such as work experience or, in my case, starting in the post room.
