5 minute read
Solicitor Apprentices
You do not need to be Kim Kardashian to be a Superstar Solicitor Apprentice.
Apprenticeships - Juggling work, life and study through positivity.
Do you know Kim Kardashian? She is nearly as famous as Donald Trump. Kim Kardashian is known for her multi-million-dollar business and prior to that, a reality TV celebrity. However, did you know that she is training to become a lawyer through an apprenticeship in the state of California? Kim's work with grandmother, Alice Johnson, helped to secure Ms Johnson’s early release from a 1996 life sentence for a nonviolent drug offence. Kim Kardashian now wants to continue to advocate for criminal justice reform and help those who are unjustly imprisoned. So that’s in the US.
What about here in England? Solicitor apprenticeships were officially launched in England and Wales in 2016 as an alternative route to qualification. They are now gaining traction helped by the amazing City Century initiative that is promoting apprenticeships in the City of London.
Solicitor apprenticeships can increase access to the legal profession and diversity within it. However, qualifying as a solicitor through a solicitor apprenticeship is not a walk in the park. It’s a six year programme. An apprentice works in the organisation four days a week and has one Study Day to study to obtain a law degree. This is followed by study to pass the Solicitors Qualifying Exam - SQE1 and SQE2.
A solicitor apprentice has to juggle work, study and life. So, what is required to succeed and flourish on a solicitor apprenticeship programme? It goes without saying that good time management and organisational skills are required. But what else? Much more than that is required to thrive rather than just survive. There are 3 requirements that are needed - Growth Mindset, Grit and Resilience.
GROWTH MINDSET: This is the belief that one's abilities and intelligence can be developed through perseverance and hard work. This belief leads to taking the action to develop and grow. Many apprentices start their apprenticeship straight from school. They are plunged into a completely new environment. They may have been at the top of their class at school and now they are out of their comfort zone. They may never have studied law or worked in a legal office so are learning something new everyday. That is why a growth mindset is essential.
GRIT: The term "grit" was popularised by psychologist Angela Duckworth, who extensively researched the concept. In her work, Angela Duckworth defined grit as a combination of passion and perseverance towards long-term goals. The apprenticeship programme is six years. Although six years equates to the time it takes to qualify through the “traditional route “, an apprentice makes a six year commitment (possibly at the age of 18 - but could be older). Apprentices have to wave goodbye to the long school holidays. A solicitor apprenticeship is like running a marathon. Although a solicitor apprenticeship is a fantastic immersive experience, it does require stamina and commitment.
RESILIENCE: This involves cultivating the ability to bounce back quickly from adversity, setbacks, and challenges. A solicitor apprentice has to deal with the challenges of study and
working in a sometimes stressful working environment. The ability to bounce back quickly from failing an exam or negative feedback is essential. In addition, there are life events such as, relationship break ups, illness or financial problems which might knock an apprentice off course.
The big question is, how do you develop a growth mindset, grit and resilience? Positivity is the holy grail! Positivity is not about standing in front of the mirror and saying “I am positive “100 times. It requires the use of positivity techniques and more importantly these positivity techniques require practise.
There are various positive psychology techniques which include; writing a gratitude journal and doing random acts of kindness. One simple technique is each day, for at least 21 consecutive days, to think of three positive things that day and reflect for a few moments on those positive things. This is not as easy as it might appear due to the negativity bias we all have. Negativity bias is a psychological concept where we tend to pay more attention to and give more weight to negative experiences or information compared to positive ones. For example, if you get three exam results -two are very good and one is poor, you will focus much more on the poor result. However, the evidence shows that this daily practice increases positivity and helps to automatically shift the focus to favourable outcomes or circumstances.
Solicitor apprenticeships have many benefits. For example, no student debt and six years of legal experience and are one of the best ways to qualify as a solicitor. I have the privilege of working with amazing solicitor apprentices. Their passion, enthusiasm and professionalism blow me away. I am so impressed by their commitment. So, it does not matter whether you are Kim Kardashian, a school leaver or you’ve been working in a firm for a number of years, a solicitor apprenticeship is a credible and exciting way to qualify and become a superstar solicitor! ■
Elizabeth Ajagbe-Ajagbe
Skills Coach - Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme at University of Law
Positivity Coach and Trainer for solicitor apprentices –Inversely Paranoid Lawyers Ltd https:// www.linkedin/in/elizabethajagbe/
