1. How do you feel about becoming a trainee solicitor and taking this next step towards becoming a qualified solicitor?
I am very excited to have started my training contract at Jones Chase. I’m also very thankful for the opportunity and the faith that the firm has placed in me. It was always a personal goal of mine to become a qualified solicitor, so knowing that I am heading in the right direction is an extra morale boost after dedicating so much time and energy into this career path.
Being a trainee solicitor will be a steep learning curve and the added responsibility will be challenging, but at the same time it will be rewarding and it will give me an opportunity to further diversify my legal knowledge with the hope of becoming a well-rounded solicitor by the end of my training.
2. How will this switch impact your working life?
The switch from a paralegal to a trainee solicitor is one that I am enthused about. I will now be running my own cases with the supervision of a great team at Jones Chase. The extra responsibility will give me more opportunity to deal with clients directly. The firm supervises all of its legal work, and will continue to do so, but I will now be in a better position to run some of our cases as our clients’ point of contact and support them as and how they require.
The level of responsibility from both the team and clients has changed and that is a challenge that I relish.
3. How does it feel to train in the same firm that you joined as a paralegal?
Before I became a paralegal at Jones Chase it was always difficult to picture myself as a trainee solicitor at a firm in London. However, since I started my role at the firm I have been able to work on a wide variety of employment law cases, both contentious and non-contentious, and with a great team of experienced solicitors. As a result, I have always been set on progressing through the firm with the aim of continually bettering myself as a lawyer.
I’m very lucky to work with fantastic clients too and appreciate the significant level of trust that they place in me to look after them.
Starting a new job anywhere is always difficult, especially a training contract, so I am thankful that I have already built-up great relationships with colleagues and clients alike from my time as a paralegal and I know that this will be beneficial throughout my training.
4. What are you looking forward to most about becoming a trainee solicitor?
I am looking forward to a new level of exposure that will allow me to gain further insight into employment law and develop myself as a lawyer. The opportunity to manage my own workload and be relied upon by both clients and fellow colleagues to meet deadlines is a great learning opportunity.
I have been involved in a variety of successful cases for our clients but the opportunity to lead my first case and produce a successful result is something I look forward to. Honing my negotiating skills during this process will always allow me to view each case differently but with the same aim of producing a positive result for our client.
We are heavily integrated into the business and lives of our clients respectively, and doing a great job for them on a daily basis, with complex and in-depth legal issues and making the difference, is a key motivator for me.
5. You wanted to pursue a career in law to help people and to make a difference in their lives. In what way could your training contract help with this goal?
At Jones Chase we always put our clients’ interests first which aligns with my own values.
Taking on new client assignments from the start and seeing them through to a successful outcome will become more regular the further into my training I get. As a result, this will give me the chance to implement both high-level and in-depth advice to a client, tailored to their needs, and importantly to help others who are in need of Jones Chase’s assistance.