Weekly Newsletter #6

Here’s what to expect this week…

Let’s get into it 👇

📍 Work experience and insight days

💼 Trainee Roles

📍 Paralegal/Entry Level Roles

My response:

Firstly, congratulations! Starting a training contract is a huge achievement.

One thing I'd encourage you to remember is that a training contract is exactly that: training. You're not expected to know everything from day one and nobody is expecting you to perform at the level of a newly qualified solicitor. Honestly, the first month of my training contract was spent meeting people, mastering new computer systems, doing online training modules and learning how to use the printer. Your first seat will fly by.

If you're looking to make a good impression, focus on the basics. Be enthusiastic, regardless of the task. Show an interest in the work you're given, even if it's an area of law you're less interested in pursuing. Be nice to everyone you meet, especially the support staff. Proofread your work. Ask thoughtful questions and be proactive when opportunities come up.

Remember that your supervisor is a person too, with interests, hobbies and a life outside of law. Some of the best working relationships are built through finding common ground and getting to know each other beyond the work itself. After all, it's a much more enjoyable experience for everyone when you genuinely get along, and you’re likely to perform better when you’re less nervous.

Finally, making mistakes and receiving constructive feedback is part of the process. In my experience, the trainees who get the most out of their seats aren't the ones who know the most at the start, they're the ones who are willing to listen and learn and put themselves out there.

This week, we're sitting down with Claire Liddy, Associate Solicitor at mfg Solicitors LLP. Claire's route into law began with an Access to Higher Education course in 2004 - no GCSEs, no safety net, just a stubborn refusal to let her starting point define her potential. We hope you enjoy her story. 🌟

But I knew I wanted to push myself, to learn, and to find out what I was actually capable of.

When I went on to study Law at the University of Wolverhampton, it felt like stepping into an entirely different world. I didn’t understand how the system worked, the unwritten rules of education and the legal profession, or how to navigate them and I didn’t have a family safety net to guide me. Everything was unfamiliar, and at times, overwhelming.

What I couldn’t have anticipated was just how long the journey would take, or how many moments there would be where I’d question whether I would ever make it. But I kept going, one step at a time, driven by a stubborn refusal to let my starting point define my potential.

Q: You spent around a decade working as a conveyancer before securing your training contract. What advice would you give to those navigating non-traditional routes into law?

There’s a common misconception that the legal profession has one “correct” path. A straight, uninterrupted line from university to qualification. When your journey doesn’t follow that route, it’s easy to feel behind, or as though you’re stuck in a waiting room.

But I would challenge that completely.

Whether you’re working as a paralegal, legal assistant, or conveyancer, you are not “waiting”, you are building. You’re gaining experience, developing resilience, and learning how the profession really works. 

During my ten years in conveyancing, I was already doing much of what a solicitor does. I was managing files, working closely with clients, handling pressure, and understanding the commercial realities of legal practice. By the time I qualified, I didn’t just have academic knowledge. I had practical confidence.

My advice is simple: don’t underestimate where you are right now. Every file, every challenge, every difficult conversation is shaping you into a stronger, more capable lawyer.

Q: You are now specialising in property litigation. Was that always the plan, or did it develop over time?

That move was very deliberate.

My long-term ambition has always been to sit on the bench as a judge. With that in mind, I knew I needed meaningful exposure to contentious work and the courtroom environment. Moving into litigation was a strategic step in that direction.

Property litigation felt like the natural bridge. It allowed me to take the technical knowledge I had built over a decade in conveyancing and apply it in a more strategic, adversarial context.

It also suits my personality. Litigation is fast-paced, analytical, and requires you to think clearly under pressure. It pushes you to assess risk, build arguments, and see issues from multiple angles, all of which are essential for where I want to get to.

I would encourage anyone coming through the profession to think beyond their next role. Consider where you want to be in ten or fifteen years, and start making decisions now that move you closer to that goal. Careers aren’t built overnight. They’re shaped through consistent, intentional steps.

Q: And finally, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve received during your career?

“Stop trying to blend in.”

When you come from a non-traditional background, the pressure to conform can be overwhelming. You start to believe you need to change how you speak, soften your personality, or fit a certain mould to be taken seriously.

I spent a long time trying to do exactly that. The turning point came when I stopped.

Your background, your lived experience, and the perspective you bring are not things to hide, they are your superpower. They shape how you connect with people, how you understand clients, and how you approach problems.

For a profession that serves such a diverse society, we need more people who reflect that diversity.

True social mobility isn’t about forcing individuals to change who they are to fit the profession. It’s about the profession evolving to recognise and value talent in all its forms. If my journey shows anything, it’s that there is no single route into law and no fixed definition of who belongs in it. 

Claire's story is a reminder that the years you spend building experience before qualification aren't time lost, they're time invested, even if becoming a qualified lawyer is your goal. Wherever you are in your journey, you are already building vital skills (and remember to keep a record of your achievements, as I mentioned in Newsletter #3).

If Claire's journey resonates with you, you can connect with her on LinkedIn here 💛

A law firm partner once shared with me that, when they're meeting candidates for the first time, they're often trying to answer two simple questions:

When preparing for interviews, it’s easy to get caught up in trying to understand a particular area of law or trying to have the “perfect” answer to every commercial awareness question.

In fact, in one of my vacation scheme interviews, I was asked a technical question about financing an acquisition. I went bright red (I was already super nervous) and had absolutely no idea what the answer was. When I admitted that, the interviewers encouraged me to talk through how I'd go about finding the answer instead. Explaining my reasoning, and being honest rather than trying to blag my way through it, is one of the reasons I got the offer.

The technical stuff is easier for an employer to teach than curiosity, enthusiasm, an engaged mindset and being someone others genuinely enjoy working with.

So yes, do your research about the firm or company, but don't forget to let your personality come through in interviews too. The goal isn't to prove that you already know everything. It's to show that you're someone who is excited to learn, can think through problems and would be a great addition to the team.

That’s all for now. See you next week!

^{The careers advice shared in this newsletter is intended as general guidance and should not be treated as formal legal or recruitment advice. I do my best to keep all opportunities and deadlines accurate and up-to-date at the time of writing, but always double-check the employer’s website before applying.}