When I was growing up, my parents always told me that I should be a detective because I asked so many questions (much to their annoyance!) I think my inquisitiveness is what attracted me to a career in law. I have always loved to binge watch crime documentaries and could always see myself working in this field. So, in year 11 when I was required to undertake a week’s work placement, I decided to try and get some work experience in a law firm. It was daunting at first as like many, my parents or family members do not work in law. However, with much perseverance, I managed to secure a placement at a criminal law firm in the city centre. During this week, I clerked a high-profile murder trial, I was engrossed. This was a pivotal moment for me, and I knew I wanted to pursue a career in law.
Following from this, I suppose my route into law has been rather traditional. I completed my Alevels and went to study the LLB at LJMU. I had not studied law at Alevel and being the first in my family to attend university I was nervous. However, I settled quickly and thoroughly enjoyed my time at LJMU. I completed a variety of work experience throughout my undergraduate degree; I volunteered at citizens advice, completed a mini-pupillage and completed placements in a variety of local firms. I think it is important to get as much work experience as possible, it helps you to decide what fields of law you enjoy (and hate!) I graduated with a first-class law degree in 2019 and commenced the LPC and LLM shortly after.
The LPC is very intense, I was told by a lecturer that it is a full-time job and they were not lying! I had always worked part-time whilst studying but I decided to take 3 months off work during stage one of the LPC. For me, this was the most challenging part as we completed all core modules during this time. Stage 2 was much easier to manage as you study your 3 electives and dissertation (if completing the LLM) Unfortunately, as we commenced stage 2 of the LPC, coronavirus hit. As for all, this was a very tough time, it was difficult to move to remote learning, but I had no choice but to adapt, a skill which has become invaluable, especially in more recent times. Overall, I found the LPC to be quite tricky, it is very different from the LLB and took some time to get used to. I would constantly tell my tutors “I don’t get it” but each time I was told “eventually it will all click”. Truthfully, I don’t feel that it ever did “click” but with a lot of hard work, I managed to obtain a distinction in both the LPC and LLM. I would tell anyone who is studying the LPC to complete the prep, start revising early and most importantly, read!
I finished the LPC and LLM in 2020 and decided to have a couple of months to myself before looking for a job in January 2021. As I was always interested in criminal law, I decided to look for criminal paralegal roles in Liverpool. This proved difficult and my job search fell flat during the pandemic. One evening, I liked (my now colleagues) post on LinkedIn. She contacted me to ask if I was still looking for a job, I confirmed I was and forwarded my CV. The following day, her manager invited me to interview for a family paralegal. I was in two minds at first as I was so set on a career in criminal law, but with the encouragement from my family and friends, I decided to go for it. This was the best decision I ever made, I was offered the job as a family paralegal at Canter Levin & Berg and started in March 2021. Fast forward to almost a year later and I am still at CLB and about to commence my training contact on 1st March 2022. I knew from the first couple of weeks that I wanted to pursue a career in family law, I could not imagine doing anything else now. I look forward to my future with the firm.
To anyone who is considering a career in law, do it! Take every opportunity, work hard, and don’t give up.