University: University of Leeds
Degree: Law
Year of qualification: 2024
Position: Solicitor
Department: Trusts and estates
Pronouns: She/her

What attracted you to a career in law?

At school, I was always interested in (and frankly better suited to) the essay-heavy subjects. I enjoyed breaking down a particular issue or analysing a set of facts and presenting my findings. I wanted to find a career that suited my skill set and offered intellectual challenge, and law seemed like the perfect fit. I took the opportunity to gain some work experience shadowing a barrister in London when I was doing my A levels and gained a really good insight into what a career in law could look like. As a result, I went on to study law at university and have worked at Ashfords since graduating.

How did you decide which firms to apply to?

After graduating university, my family moved to the South West and I secured a paralegal job with Ashfords. I knew very early on that Ashfords was the firm that I wanted to train at. It has a very supportive learning environment and a great culture. I applied for a training contract internally and thankfully I was successful! 

How much work experience had you had? Why is it so important?

I think work experience is invaluable if you’re thinking about pursuing a career in law.  Paralegal experience is particularly useful if you want to qualify as a solicitor. Before my paralegal job, my work experience was mainly shadowing barristers in court. I thoroughly enjoyed these experiences but I was unsure whether I’d be more suited to a career as a solicitor. I therefore decided to apply for a paralegal role to gain insight into life as a solicitor – it was  this experience that ultimately made my decision for me. I was a paralegal for four years before I started my training contract. The skills I picked up as a paralegal helped me immensely as a trainee and now as a newly qualified (NQ) solicitor.

Which departments did you train in?

I sat in the banking and finance, trusts and estates, and property litigation departments at Ashfords. Prior to this I was a paralegal with the real estate team. I then qualified into trusts and estates.

Please outline your area of expertise. What might you do in a typical day?

As a solicitor in the trusts and estates department, my work involves assisting private individuals with estate and tax planning. This primarily includes assisting clients with the preparation of their wills, lasting powers of attorney, estate administration and the creation and administration of trusts. I also assist with various agricultural property matters. Where we’re dealing with an individual and their assets, there’s often cross over with other departments and so I’m regularly liaising with colleagues from other teams on a particular issue or matter. This means our work can be quite varied.

Our work is very client facing and so in a typical day we’re often meeting with clients either at our offices or at their homes. I really enjoy this aspect of my job as I get to personally meet with my clients and get out of the office! My day will also usually involve drafting documents for clients, dealing with an aspect of estate administration and advisory work generally.

What do you most/least enjoy about your career and why?

I most enjoy getting to work with clients and helping them with a particular issue. In my area, we’re usually dealing with clients who’ve lost someone close to them. It can be hugely rewarding to help a client navigate through such a difficult time in their lives.

I also enjoy how varied and challenging the work can be. As an NQ solicitor, I’m constantly learning and developing knowledge in my area.

In terms of what I least enjoy, a career in law can be stressful. The job comes with a lot of responsibility and you’re always held to a high standard. Sometimes this means that you’re required to work longer hours to complete work and keep your clients happy. That being said, my experience is that this isn’t an everyday occurrence and, on the whole, you’re not expected to work late every day.

What makes your firm stand out from the rest?

I think Ashfords stands out because of its culture and values. From a training perspective, the law firm has an incredibly supportive learning environment. The partners are approachable and want to teach you. Ashfords have several key sectors that offer services to high-quality clients and so the work you’ll get involved in, even as a junior, is varied and interesting. Overall, it’s a great place to work.

What skills/strengths do you need to be a successful solicitor?

I think there are many skills that make a successful solicitor. Alongside communication, problem solving and analytical skills, which will all stand you in good stead, people skills are also integral. Not only is this important for developing internal networks within a firm, but it’s also important to build your external networks. In my experience, clients appreciate someone who’s personable. If you’re responsive to queries, understand the client’s needs and keep the client well informed on a matter, they’re much more likely to want to instruct you again in the future.  

What advice do you have for budding solicitors who are contemplating a career in law?

My advice would be, if you’re interested in a career in law, to try to get some work experience. Practising law is very different to studying, so I think any experience you can get is invaluable.

Once you start your legal career, my advice would be to stay open minded. You might end up in a department that you’d not have previously considered but find that you really enjoy the work – you might even choose to qualify there.

What’s the work-life balance like at your firm? How often do you have late nights/work at weekends?

Ashfords offers a good work/life balance. You’re not expected to work late every day and the firm appreciates that you have commitments outside of work. Of course, there’ll be times where you’re required to work later to get something out to a client or meet a deadline. In my experience, very late nights are rare and I’ve never been required to work on a weekend.

Does your department largely work independently, in support of another dept or is it routinely supported by other depts?

While we do, of course, work independently a lot of the time, as my department deals with private individuals this often lends itself to situations where we might need to refer work to another department. For example, if the client owns a business there might be scope to involve the corporate or employment teams. Where we’re dealing with estates there will almost always be a property involved and so our residential team would likely deal with any sale or perhaps we’d need to instruct our property litigation team to deal with a tenant. We also regularly support departments on their matters where required and so are often working collaboratively with colleagues across the firm.

How often as a trainee were you communicating directly with clients (calls, attending meetings)?

I communicated with clients daily as a trainee. I was taken to a lot of client meetings but was also given a lot of responsibility with the matters I assisted on. I’d often be trusted to run my own files and be the main point of contact for the client. This was a great way to develop the skills needed as a qualified solicitor with my own clients.

Where’s your dream holiday destination?

My dream holiday would be a safari in Kenya, which I’m hoping to do for my honeymoon!