Alternative careers in law

USING YOUR LAW

Alternative careers in law

Igraduated from the University of Law in 2019 with an LL. B (Hons) Law Degree, confused about whether to continue pursuing qualification in the form of the Legal Practice Course (LPC) or whether to have a break from education. Despite obtaining a place to begin the LPC in September 2019, I declined this offer to continue my job as a hotel manager, whilst on the hunt for a job in the Legal Sector. I wanted to gain some experience in the area of Law that I was interested in, before deciding whether to pursue a career and complete further qualifications.

I received an offer from CTTC (a premium support mechanism for the UK’s professional Adviser community offering professional Executor and Trustee services) to begin as a Legal Administrator in February 2020, a company who strive to take on employees with limited experience as they understand the difficulty graduates face when applying for roles which require experience at traditional law firms. I have now been with this company for three years, with my role and skills expanding exponentially since 2020. Within a few months of being with the company, a new department was created, “The Client Care Team” with roles advertised internally and I was successful in progressing to “Client Care Administrator”. After a year of working within this Team and learning new areas of Law including deputyships and contentious probate cases, the current Team Leader went on maternity leave, and I was asked to cover this role whilst she was off, leading to the offer of the role permanently in May 2022.

Moving through the business in different roles has developed my skills and capabilities immensely, allowing me to push myself to take on more challenging work utilising the experience that I was gaining and without feeling a requirement to be qualified.

Furthermore, working in-house, rather than in a traditional Law Firm has opened my eyes to several different areas of law rather than being in one department focusing on a specific legal area. The opportunity to progress to Team Leader so early in my career has also provided the opportunity to develop managerial skills further from my time as a hotel manager, leading a growing Team which acts as an integral part of the business. Whilst qualification as a solicitor isn’t necessary for my role or for further progression throughout the business, my ambition to qualify still stands; therefore, I have recently applied for our qualification scheme for company funding for completion of the SQE. If successful I will also be completing the compulsory two-years qualifying work experience across four different areas of the business; highlighting to other legal professionals that you can still achieve a management position through an alternative career in law, whilst still pursuing your qualification goals.

My top tips for interviewing:

1. Read job descriptions/specifications carefully and link your previous experience to points they are looking for. All experience can be made relevant to the job that you are applying for.

2. Take your time answering questions and don’t be afraid to ask for time to think through your answer.

3. Let your personality shine through! ■

Elizabeth Shimmell

Elizabeth Shimmell

Client Care Team Leader at Countrywide Tax and Trust Corporation Ltd (CTTC)