Understand Your Rights. Solve Your Legal Problems
Add the lack of legal aid, and more and more consumers will be turning to alternative professions to assist with their legal problems especially at the lower end of the scale.
But according to Amanda Hamilton, National Association of Licenced Paralegals (NALP), the profession still remains an unknown quantity to all but the professional paralegals themselves. Even solicitors and barristers are confused, since most believe that ‘paralegal’ is a by-word for a law-graduate-would-be-solicitor.
This is not necessarily the case[1]: many individuals are qualifying as paralegals independently. Since this is happening exponentially, the conventional professions should recognise paralegal qualifications, especially if they are bespoke and regulated by a government body on a national basis. Unfortunately, this is not happening since they appear to be rejected out of hand.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Paralegals will play a key role in the future of legal services - especially in assisting consumers with everyday matters. These professionals will sit alongside solicitors and barristers within the legal sector – filling a gap, and a need, that is currently being underserved. Paralegals are already an important, if not very visible, section of the legal services industry – and this will only increase. Solicitors and barristers should recognise the opportunities this brings them and the sector as a whole and embrace Paralegals as one of the ways consumers can have access to legal advice and support.
As part of this, it is important that Paralegals are robustly trained and qualified in order to build trust with consumers, and for the sector generally[2]. Currently, the lack of respect towards individuals who have qualified by alternative routes is not adding to the trust-building process nor the credibility of the profession…and it is indeed a ‘profession’.
Organisations such as NALP are offering robust, fit-for-purpose paralegal qualifications regulated by Ofqual[3]. Ofqual is the government body that accredits nationally recognised qualifications such as GCSEs and A Levels. If these qualifications are an acceptable part of the academic training and qualifications process, then why are the Paralegal Qualifications offered through Ofqual not accepted in the same way?
[ymal]
The Paralegal Profession has come a long way in thirty years. Admittedly, there is no statutory regulation as there is for solicitors and barristers, but that is not its choice. The Government has expressed its intention not to statutorily regulate paralegals because it believes that: 1) there is far too much regulation within the legal sector already and 2) there is no need for it.
If this remains the viewpoint of Government, then in order to ensure synergy with the other legal services providers, there needs to be an acceptance of the Paralegal Profession by the sector generally, the role they play, and a recognition of the paralegal self-regulatory body, NALP.
In future, anyone wishing to embark on a career as a Professional Paralegal should have some specifically recognisable qualification, in the same way that solicitors or barristers have, as well as being part of a respected professional membership body, in the same way as solicitors and barristers are. This will give confidence to anyone utilising their services that they’re properly vetted and trained. It also ensures that each paralegal member understands their role in the sector in relation to other legal services providers, as well as the services to consumers that they can and cannot undertake.
The future of legal services must depend on synergy, trust and acknowledgment between legal service providers, and only then can there be clear and transparent information imparted to consumers.
Sources: [1] https://www.nationalparalegals.co.uk/licence-to-practice [2] https://www.nationalparalegals.co.uk/nalp-approved-centres [3] https://www.nationalparalegals.co.uk/regulated-qualifications-vs-unregulated-qualifications
From wanting to uphold court as a judge to helping people with medical negligence claims, there are all kinds of jobs within the sector. Whatever your dream job is, you’ll be helping so many people from so many walks of life.
Of course, you’ll need a plan of action to get there. Keep reading to find out how to attain a career in law.
The earlier you start planning, the better your chances. GCSEs will be the foundations of everything and will allow you to progress and climb higher on the law ladder. Achieving good grades at GCSE level will show your determination and work ethic, making you more likely to benefit when deciding which next path to go down: A-Levels or an apprenticeship scheme.
With your GCSEs done, you can either progress with you’re A-Levels or seek an apprenticeship programme. This can be a tough decision to make once you’ve received your results – and if you’ve followed our first stage and gained incredible grades, your doors are wide open with opportunity.
If you opt for A-Levels, you’ll need to continue to aim for the top grades. Usually those who study A-Levels progress onto university to advance themselves for their career in law.If you choose this route, there are some top tips that you should know. Some universities prefer that you study traditional subjects at A-Level such as history, languages or literature – studying law at this level is not always a requirement for doing this subject at university but it might put you in a better position than other applicants as you’re already familiar with the subject – so make sure that you meet the university’s requirements.
If you don’t want to pursue A-Levels, you can go for an apprenticeship. This route to a career in law is seemingly becoming more popular among young people. Although there are specific requirements for you to take this path, anyone looking to do an intermediate apprenticeship must have the minimum of five GCSEs (although more may be required depending on the firm) that are graded from A*-C or anything equivalent. The benefit of apprenticeships in this field is that students are able to work in the real environment with qualified professionals, whether this is assisting on cases in administration or meeting with different clients. Intermediate Apprenticeships usually run for two years and will help develop the skills of those who gain their place in the office.
Upon finishing you’re A-Levels, there are a few different routes you can go down. These include university, a paralegal apprenticeship or a solicitor apprenticeship. There is no right option, picking one of the three should be down to the personal preference of the budding law learner.
At university, you can start to narrow down on your specific field of interest. Depending on the preference of the student, to have a career in law, you can either study a law degree or non-law degree – although those who decide to study a non-law degree will face the hurdle of studying the seven foundations of legal practices, a GDL, so when it’s combined with a non-law degree, it’s equivalent to a law degree.
You aren’t limited to just university after your A-Levels. After completing your A-Levels, this 23-30-month course could be the perfect route for you. Although this is a brilliant opportunity as it is, it can then lead you onto training to become a Chartered Legal Executive. To participate in this type of scheme, usually you are required to have the minimum of five GCSEs grading A*-C and three A-Levels that are graded C or above – or the equivalent. You will be able to learn law, legal practice, legal skills, commercial skills and professional conduct by entering this type of apprenticeship. It is also worth knowing that you can do a paralegal apprenticeship after your intermediate apprenticeship if you decide not to go down the A-Level route after completing your GCSE studies.
If you’re itching to get into the working world, this one is for you. A solicitor apprenticeship is a paid six-year course which will enable you to gain on the job training which you will later receive a qualification to become a solicitor and at the end of the fourth year, you will receive a law degree. To be in a chance of winning a place on this sort of scheme, you usually need the minimum of five GCSEs graded A*-C and three A-Levels (graded C or above). Work experience always plays in favour with candidates that apply for this type of apprenticeship. Once this apprenticeship has ended, you are a qualified solicitor, legal executive and paralegal.
Let’s look at the academic route now. Once you’ve completed your law degree (or equivalent with GDL), there are three different routes that you can go down depending on what position you want to have: Barrister, Solicitor or Legal Executive.
This one of a number of routes to becoming a barrister. Although, once you have completed this course, you can proceed to become either a solicitor or a legal executive. To become a barrister, you will then need to complete a ‘pupillage’ which is a one-year apprenticeship before you qualify as a barrister. You will be working with a pupil supervisor. To become a solicitor, after completing your BPTC you will need a training contract, which is basically a two-year paid employment contract with a law firm before gaining your qualification as a solicitor. For those wanting to become a legal executive, you are required to carry out three years of qualifying employment.
The vocational stage for a solicitor is to complete an LPC. This will allow you to become a legal executive, although once you’ve finished your LPC, you will need to carry out three years of qualifying employment.
Did you attain a law degree in the last seven years? If so, CILEx Fast Track offers a graduate diploma as opposed to a Level 3 or 6. This usually takes around nine months to do at a part-time rate. Once you’ve finished this, you will then need to complete three years of qualifying employment and you will be qualified as a chartered legal executive lawyer.
It’s over to you to decide. Which path will you be travelling down to become one of the top lawyers in the country? Remember that all of your grades count – so make the most of your education and you will have a career in law in no time.
Source: https://www.lawcareers.net/Courses/LegalCareerPaths
Michael Shapiro had never really thought about becoming a lawyer. He left school with only one O-level and decided to find work instead of academically progressing. When he was first hired as an office junior at GSC Solicitors in 1988, he had little idea of what career he wanted.
30 years later, Michael is now an equity partner at the very same firm, but how did he get there without going back to school to get those O-levels he needed for university?
What was your main motivation for specialising in law? What 'turned' you?
My role as an office junior progressed and I was soon acting as an outdoor clerk, issuing and reading documents which gave me a better insight into what the legal industry was like. That, coupled with all the addictive legal TV programmes, made me wonder if this industry was for me. I have also always been stubborn and argumentative which works well to a lawyer’s advantage. Maybe it was always destined for me, but my initial role at the firm was what gave me the insights for me to decide that this is what I wanted to do.
Choosing to become a legal executive, enabled me to kill two birds with one stone, which is why I think it put me in better stead.
Putting in the hours during the day and studying at night; did this prepare you for the life of law after qualifying?
It does prepare you for the masses of workload the legal industry throws at you. By choosing this path, you are not only learning the law and the practice behind the law at college, but also simultaneously applying it to real life, fully immersing yourself in the practicality of it all; there is a connection to what you are being taught and how it applies.
I do find that those who come to do their training contract with us, don’t always understand how to practically apply what they have learnt, regardless of how they flourished academically. Choosing to become a legal executive, enabled me to kill two birds with one stone, which is why I think it put me in better stead.
Who do you think should opt for the legal executive route?
If you are very academic and you have your A-levels and you can afford university, then chose the conventional route. When you take the path that I have taken, there is a slight stigma to it. Even though I was just as capable as the person who read law at university and had completed their LPC to become a solicitor, I was merely a ‘legal executive’ in some people’s eyes. You often feel second class, and although this negativity has changed over time, the stigma is still underlined until they are fully aware of your ability. However, there will always be people, like myself, that may not do well in school, or cannot go to university; I would advise them to go about it this way, they can become a paralegal and do the job, earn some money on the side and be exposed to the industry. For people in such a situation, becoming a legal executive is the perfect route.
What challenges did you face, going from having no A-levels, to advancing your legal career?
It was the stigma behind being a legal executive, which was the biggest hurdle; a lot of my peers went to university, whereas I chose to work. I don’t regret that decision at all, but a big hurdle you have to overcome is the fact that you are competing in the market with those who went to Oxford or Cambridge and those that went to university. On paper, they are the people that employers are looking for and want to hire. Employers look at legal executives and won't want to pay them the same and may not treat them the same, regardless of them being just as qualified and able as those who followed the more conventional route. You have to accept that these hurdles will come your way and you have to battle them.
For people in such a situation, becoming a legal executive is the perfect route.
How do you think your path into the legal sphere works towards your advantage?
From the day I started my course and working in an office, my experience in the legal sector had started. I had been in employment for a lot longer than most people. I have now been at this firm just over 30 years and I think that the path that I took taught me the ways of the world and how the business environment works; you can’t get that experience when you go to law school for four years.
You qualified law in an unconventional way, can you share tips for the younger generation who may be intrigued in following a similar path?
The best tip I can give: if you have the opportunity to go down the legal executive route, take it, but be prepared for having to deal with hurdles and the aforementioned stigmas. Fight your corner, be tough and keep battling on no matter what. Don’t let anyone treat you any less than those who have entered the legal sector in the conventional manner. Don't be discouraged; I hated studying in school, but I chose this path because it was my decision, so go for it, if you think it is what you want.
Never settle too early and if you are going to bluff, be prepared to have your bluff called.
How did you get over the stigma and negativity you faced?
By standing up for myself. It is as simple as that. Don’t let alone tell you that you are incapable of doing something. In all honesty, whenever someone would underestimate me, it would motivate me to try even harder to prove them wrong.
Nonetheless, I would hope that in today’s world, where we are more accepting and are a more multicultural society, that people are more accepting and treat them with the respect they deserve. With legal executives being able to progress to partner and shareholders, this route into the industry is now the third arm of the law.
Finally, what way is best, for you to ‘complete the deal’ for your clients?
It is a question of standing tough when you need to. Never settle too early and if you are going to bluff, be prepared to have your bluff called. I always find that there comes a time in any negotiation where you have to stick to your guns and make the other side think that the offer on the table is the best it will ever be.
Michael Shapiro FCILEx, Chartered Legal Executive, Partner
mshapiro@gscsolicitors.com
www.gscsolicitors.com
If you have a litigation issue, please contact Michael Shapiro on 0207 822 2222.
Michael started at GSC in 1988 as an office junior. He commenced studying for the legal executive exams in 1990 and qualified as a fellow in 1997, during which time he became an established member of GSC’s litigation team. In 2004 Michael was appointed Head of GSC’s Commercial Litigation Team.
GSC Solicitors is a Legal 500 recommended London City-based commercial law firm with 12 partners and over 40 staff. They advise companies of all sizes and private individuals on their business and personal legal and commercial issues. Their clients include entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized family and privately owned businesses, publicly quoted companies, major institutions, significant families and private individuals in the UK and overseas.
Today’s global legal landscape is one that affords attorneys enormous opportunity early in their careers. Meaningful work, career growth, international casework, and financial stability are well within reach for committed associates. But with any opportunities comes challenges. As part of this week’s Law School & Careers features, Lawyer Monthly discusses with Angela Ferrante, Senior Vice President at GCG, the particular challenges women can often encounter, especially in the early stages of their legal career.
The challenges women face early in their law careers are distinct from their male colleagues. Despite progress, there still exists an unconscious bias in many law firms. These preconceptions that involuntarily influence attitude, behavior, and decision-making may be responsible for the inequitable division of opportunities among men and women, particularly in the early years of practice. It may also contribute to the fact that there are significantly fewer women in law firm leadership. In fact, a 2016 report by the National Association for Law Placement, Inc. (NALP) found that representation by women in private practice falls from 49% at the summer associate level to just 22% at the partnership level.
The following is a review of some of the most ubiquitous early career challenges women will face as well as strategies for overcoming them in the early years of practice.
Choose the Right Firm Structure
There is no one-size-fits-all law firm structure, so it is important that law students and recent graduates carefully weigh their options when determining what structure is the best fit: boutique or biglaw.
While boutique firms may offer more flexibility and opportunities for client interaction out of the gate, biglaw affords young lawyers impeccable training that may outweigh short-term sacrifices. No matter the type of firm or direction one chooses to go in, it is critical to leverage the employment interview to ask pointed questions that illuminate the firm’s decision-making structure and uncover unconscious bias.
Ask how decisions are made, how assignments are delegated, and how bonuses are awarded. Request details on the configuration of the management committee and what the firm is doing to promote and retain women. The responses will help women make more informed employment decisions, and the questions themselves will convey the candidate’s expectations to firm leadership.
Establish a Relationship with a Mentor
Mentorship is critical for the development of young professionals and remains a chief driver of employee loyalty. According to a 2016 Deloitte report, Millennial professionals who have a mentor are twice as likely to stay with their current employer for five or more years.
Unfortunately, many firms do not have formalized mentoring programs, and lower representation by women in law firm leadership may make it difficult for women to find a mentor within their firms. Those hurdles, however, should not be deterrents. Women can look to law school professors, former classmates, successful colleagues in other fields, even family or neighbors for advice and guidance. The key is to find someone they respect and admire, whose opinion they value, and who is equally committed to fostering the relationship over the long term.
Get a Seat at the Table
With a significant%age of women leaving the field of law prior to partnership, leadership may – intentionally or not – see male attorneys as better long-term investments and, consequently, award them more challenging work. If this happens, women should ask why.
It is incumbent upon women to be their own advocates, proactively seeking out opportunities to represent their firms. Challenge unconscious bias by requesting to participate in client meetings, hold speaking roles on conference calls, and attend conferences or events on behalf of the firm. When faced with these opportunities, women should confidently voice their position and insights, recognizing that their firm and clients will benefit measurably if they embrace, rather than minimize, their unique and diverse perspectives.
Work-life Balance
A 2016 Gallup poll found that nearly 60% of Millennials believe work-life balance is ‘very important.’ While the challenge of achieving work-life balance is not unique to women in law, some may find it more difficult to achieve, believing they must prioritize work demands over personal obligations to overcome unconscious bias.
A work-life imbalance can be a catalyst for burnout, so it’s crucial that women find balance early in their law careers. First, they should define personal expectations, review those with firm supervisors, and evaluate their progress regularly. They should also actively engage their colleagues, men and women, in conversations about work-life balance and the procedural or structural obstacles that inhibit its achievement by all members of the team. Collectively, positive and concrete suggestions for structuring or restructuring how work is done should be well received as work-life balance is a goal almost everyone has struggled with at one point or another in their career.
Though female representation in firm leadership remains low, women attorneys – now more than ever – are empowered and uniquely positioned to spur a course correction in the broader law firm environment. By advocating for more inclusive policies for all attorneys, hosting panel discussions on unconscious bias, celebrating the achievements by women in the firm, speaking openly about policies that perpetuate stereotypes, and refusing to compromise who they are, women can thrive in law firms, as first-year associations, partners and at every stage in between.
Barclays recently launched a new law-tech incubator in partnership with the Law Society. The venture is backed by major law firms, as well as leading universities UCL and The University of Liverpool.
Together, they aim to turbo-charge the UK’s law-tech sector, helping companies start up and scale up, and become international leaders in their field – matching the UK’s reputation as a leader in the legal services sector.
The law-tech Eagle Lab will open soon in Notting Hill, London, and create a centre of excellence. It will provide co-working space and support for up to 100 individuals, with events and meet-up space expected to be confirmed soon.
Ashok Vaswani, Chief Executive of Barclays UK, said: “Law-tech is an area where the UK has every reason to be a world leader. It is home to some of the greatest law firms in the world and we want to help build on the success of its legal sector, and play a leading role in transforming law-tech in the future. The impressive range of partners supporting this initiative shows just how important this is.
“Our Eagle Labs are supporting thriving new businesses up and down the country, and our Notting Hill lab will lead the way as an industry centre of excellence for law-tech.”
Stephanie Pagni, General Counsel for Barclays UK, said: "This initiative will help trigger a transformation in law-tech with significant potential, addressing not just commercial but also societal legal problems, and drawing on the expertise of data scientists, engineers and a range of other graduates and contributors from our university partners."
The new incubator will provide access to mentoring and workshops. It will be supported by a dedicated Ecosystem Manager and Barclays’ colleagues who will provide on-site advice for entrepreneurs on areas including business and personal finance, as well as connections into Barclays’ international networks.
Legal Geek, a start-up community, will also play a vital role in organising events to encourage the sharing of ideas, and help entrepreneurs network and collaborate.
Partnering law firms will provide feedback and guidance to help entrepreneurs develop, test and refine their products, with the potential to implement new technology into their firms. Academic support will come from UCL and The University of Liverpool, which have valuable expertise in artificial intelligence and law-tech.
Christina Blacklaws, vice president of the Law Society of England and Wales, said: “As new technologies continue to be developed, they are changing the way solicitors and their clients approach legal issues. Law-tech is an important area of focus for us as we seek to help solicitors and law firms keep pace with evolving client expectations. We want to ensure the profession is promoting and adopting new ideas and technologies to provide the best possible service to their clients. This collaboration will create a forum for solicitors to learn and innovate with entrepreneurs and developers for the common good of the legal sector. We encourage all our members to get involved.”
Jimmy Vestbirk, Founder of Legal Geek, said: “The launch of this new law-tech incubator marks an exciting time for the legal profession. Technology is transforming how legal services are delivered and the market is starting to sit up and take notice, with the number of start-ups and investment in the sector rising. London is emerging as a global leader in law-tech, with an increasing number of high growth international legal start-ups choosing the city as their second market. The law-tech space has huge potential for growth, and with initiatives like this, I wholeheartedly believe that the same success we have seen in the UK’s thriving fintech scene can be replicated.”
The law-tech Eagle Lab is the latest in a growing network of 15 Labs set up by Barclays to help start-up and scale up businesses to create, innovate and grow. Eagle Labs originally converted under-utilised bank spaces to create thriving ecosystems at the heart of their community. They have developed into a UK-wide network, partnering with organisations that share Barclays’ vision to empower businesses and communities to drive the UK economy. Many of the Labs have a specific industry focus on technology areas such as artificial intelligence and home automation.
The new incubator will be modelled on the highly successful technology incubator at the Barclays Eagle Lab in Cambridge, which since its launch nearly two years ago, has become an important contributor to the Silicon Fen ecosystem. Today it hosts companies including the following law-tech firms that have proved the value of the Eagle Lab approach in the field:
The success of the Cambridge Eagle Lab in supporting law-tech and other technology start-ups, along with the willingness to collaborate pan-industry for the benefit of the sector, were key factors in persuading law firms, which visited it, to back the new incubator.
(Source: Barclays)
Six steps to starting a paralegal business.
Law firms are increasingly recruiting paralegals as they offer strong, unparalleled support to barristers and solicitors, especially during busy working periods. Here, Amanda Hamilton from NALP, speaks on how you can open your own paralegal business and its benefits.
Now is a good time to start your own paralegal practice, as more and more people are turning to paralegals to help them with a variety of legal issues.
Here are six steps to help you get started:
Paralegals are not statutorily regulated, so you have been told that it is not necessary to gain any training or qualification to carry out paralegal services.
This is technically true, but in practice, it’s not accurate; remember that you are up against a mountain of competitors who will probably be far more qualified than you.
Also, bear in mind that you will be handling delicate legal matters for your clients and therefore you will have to consider the possible consequences if something were to go wrong. Gaining knowledge of academic aw and practice is essential to give you and your client confidence.
Therefore, the very first thing you need to do is gain a paralegal or legal qualification or at the very least get some paralegal training and then, as much experience as possible. This does not have to be with a solicitor or barrister; nowadays you can gain the relevant legal experience by working in a variety of different employment environments: local authorities, national health service, charities, housing associations, HMRC, Crown Prosecution Service and company in-house legal departments.
Once you have gained some knowledge of law and legal procedure and have three or more years’ relevant legal experience, you need to decide whether you wish to specialise in one area of law or be a general practitioner.
For example, you may have worked in a human resource department of a company and have studied Employment Law – this then may well be the area of law in which you wish to practise.
Clients need to have confidence that you are qualified and competent to offer legal services, therefore consider joining a membership body such as NALP which has been a Paralegal organisation for thirty years and is well established in the legal sector.
Membership of such a body will give your potential client confidence that you know what you are doing. Membership is also confirmation that you have been vetted by the organisation and have to abide by its rules, and can be subject to being sanctioned if not.
Being a member of NALP entitles you, subject to the requisite qualifications and/or experience and fulfillment of eligibility criteria, to apply for a licence to practise in the areas of law in which you can provide evidence of experience. Again, this means that NALP has done its due diligence on you and thoroughly vetted you and your credentials.
Eligibility Criteria to gain a licence to practise:
1) Qualifications: a minimum Level 3 qualification and a minimum of three years’ experience.
2) Experience only: can provide evidence of a minimum of five years’ experience.
3) Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII): covering you for the work that you do.
Apart from the ‘reserved activities’, you can operate in much the same way as a solicitor, e.g. you can operate as a paralegal firm and have partners.
Sole practitioner, partnership or company?
This is entirely up to you, but whatever you choose it’s important to understand the responsibilities and legal duties of each. For example, if you are a company you need to submit company accounts each year. As a sole practitioner, you would need to submit your annual tax return each year and be subject to income tax on your earnings.
Setting up your own paralegal practice can be very rewarding – but do make sure you follow the advice above to give both your clients and yourself the expertise, confidence and protection that you and they deserve.
Amanda Hamilton
CEO
NALP
http://www.nationalparalegals.co.uk
http://www.nalptraining.co.uk/nalp_training
Amanda Hamilton is Chief Executive of the National Association of Licenced Paralegals (NALP), a non-profit Membership Body and the only Paralegal body that is recognised as an awarding organisation by Ofqual (the regulator of qualifications in England & Wales). Through its training arm, NALP Training, accredited recognised professional paralegal qualifications are offered for a career as a paralegal professional.
NALP is the longest running UK Membership Body for Paralegals. They have dedicated over 30 years to promoting the status of Paralegal Professionals.
You just nailed the perfect position and it’s day one, but you’re not really sure what the etiquette is, so naturally you’re nervous and likely don’t know where to start. As part of our Law School & Careers series, Lawyer Monthly hears from experts across the world about key questions and considerations in the legal sphere. Today we hear from Andrea Hall, Founder and Principle of US based The Hall Law Office, LLC, on the crucial steps to take when you first walk in to your new job as a lawyer.
This can be a very exciting time as you just spent the last three years in school, studied hard to pass the bar and you are now a licensed attorney. You know the feeling all your hard work has finally paid off. Unfortunately, you are a student once again. You will have to start the learning process all over again. Take what you learned in school yet be open to things being totally different. Come to your new location with an open mind and ready to listen to what is being presented.
Coming into a new firm right out of law school is very exciting. Yet know that everything you learned in law school will more than likely go out the door. Law school doesn’t necessarily give you the tools for the everyday processes of a law firm. Things like meeting with a client for the first time, what information is gathered at the intake of the client, how to sell the client on you and your firm being the best fit and closing the deal. Be willing to start the coffee maker and make copies things you didn’t technically go to school for those things are not beneath you. Remember that you are no better than the janitor who cleans up after you. You both put your pants on the same way everyday one leg at a time.
The most important thing I can tell you is that your secretary and the court clerks will be your best friend and you need to treat them as your best friend. Create the best relationship you can with them. You might have a law license yet those people will either make or break your life as a lawyer. Your secretary will do things for you when you are in a pinch, they will talk your client off the cliff when you are too busy or just no longer able to deal with the client. The court clerk will bend over backwards for you if they like you. When you have an emergency motion that needs to be addressed your file will get moved to the top of the pile. When you need a continuance, they will go to bat for you and will help you when you are in a bind. This is the first thing I was told and I will never forget it.
Learn and watch everything you can. Follow all the lawyers around and watch what they do and say. Ask questions and be curious about why the lawyers do the things they do. Take notes, read the statues and on your down time re-read the rules of civil or criminal procedure and the rules of evidence. If you want to be a trial lawyer those rules will make you great one day and when you get busy you won’t have the time yet now before your career is starting to take off you will have the time.
Relax and know you will make mistakes it is ok. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Practice makes perfect. It takes 10,000 hours to be a master at something enjoy the journey and be prepared to be a student for a while.
As part of our law school & careers features, for paralegals, newly graduates, and those simply hoping to jump into an exciting world of law, here Andrea Hall, Founder and Principle of US based The Hall Law Office, LLC, talks to Lawyer Monthly about choosing a legal career path that will satisfy your needs, challenge your expertise, and suit your personality best.
Your personality is what will help you determine what type of law you should practice. This is something you should really consider before you pick an area of practice. If you are a litigator sitting in a corporate office writing contracts isn’t going to make you happy. If you are someone who likes to be alone working on projects then working a trial case that is high profile will scare the be Jesus out of you. Here are some things to think about before picking an area of expertise.
Where do you put your energy and how do you renew your energy? Do you prefer to spend time with other people (Extroversion), or are you happier spending time alone (Introversion)? Everyone has tendencies of both, yet most people have a tendency to lean strongly one way or the other. Let’s look at them more in-depth:
Extroversion
Being an extrovert means you get most of your energy from being active and spending time with people. If being in a large group of friends energizes you, you probably lean more towards being an extrovert. Extroverts also tend to feel confident and comfortable when speaking to large groups of people, being a team leader, and giving direction. See if these statements fit your personality:
These are all traits of strongly extroverted people. Can you relate?
Introversion
Introverts gain their energy from within; they like to think through ideas, plan responses in their head, and live in an inner world. They are more comfortable on their own or with only one or two friends. They like to think a project or idea through and make a plan before getting started, taking time to formulate a clear picture of the result they want. Do these sound like you:
If you can relate to these statements, you probably lean more towards being an introvert.
Are you a logical thinker and process all the facts or do you tend to make “gut instinct” decisions? Do you rely on facts and principles or do you think about the people involved and make heart-felt decisions?
Thinking
Thinking means that you like to review all the facts, find the bottom-line truth of a situation, and make a logical, well thought out decision. You tend to analyze the pros and cons of a situation, even making a list of them. And you don’t let other people’s desires influence your decision. See if this sounds like you:
If you can relate to most or all of these, then you lean more towards being a thinker than a feeler.
Feeling
If you are concerned about other people, how they feel and their points-of-view, then you are more of a Feeling person. You tend to be concerned with values and how your decisions will affect other people. You like to create harmony and you are a warm, caring, and considerate person. These probably sound a lot like you:
If you’re saying “that’s me” then you are definitely a feeler.
Really determine who you are naturally not who someone else wants you to be. This will help determine your area of expertise and how you choose to practice law throughout your career. Have fun exploring different areas of law and your personality. Not every person is cut out for litigation and not everyone wants to work in an office without contact to the outside world. The truth is every position is needed just make sure it is the best fit for you.
Nailing your first paralegal position was difficult enough, now you’re having a real hard time moving upward. So how do you make Partner? Catherine Thomas, Partner and Co-Head of the London team at JMW Solicitors, talks Lawyer Monthly through the plan.
Elbowing your way into a law partnership requires a plan. Very few will stumble into partnership without thinking about it, but instead will actively chase it down, often over the course of several years. The earlier you start to plan, the better. Each legal partnership has its own particular personality, which will require careful studying if you want to join its ranks, but much of the key preparation for that promotion is common to all firms.
Start behaving as if you are already a partner. The advice I give to even the most junior fee earners in my law firm is always behave as if you are one promotion ahead of your current role. Projecting a more senior image will allow management to imagine you in that next role. If you are not perceived to be partnership material, you won’t get very far. This doesn’t mean starting to boss around your peers (this is unlikely to help with your popularity!) but rather conduct yourself as you believe a partner should. Undertake a critical appraisal of yourself. Think about how you communicate with your colleagues, with clients and everyone else with whom you interact in a professional context. Consider whether you should be putting more effort into training and developing the more junior members of the team; invest in the people around you in the way senior people should. Never underestimate the impact of your clothes on other’s perception of you. If you don’t look the part, you are unlikely to get it. Ditch the saggy cardigans or frayed ties and invest in a wardrobe upgrade. When in work always, without exception, dress like a partner.
A common distinction between partners and more junior fee earners is the extent to which they consider the wider needs and ambitions of the business. Non-partners will often focus their energies on their client work and billable targets without volunteering much, if any, of their time to the development of the business. A good partner will consider and juggle both. Managing clients and a business can often feel as though you have two jobs, with prioritisation of work becoming even more complicated. Show the law firm you are up to the challenge.
Prove your commitment to the partnership by showing you understand what it is trying to achieve and spend time thinking about how you can contribute to that joint effort. If the firm’s ambitions aren’t clear to you, speak to a partner and ask them to enlighten you. There may be detail they can’t share with you, but they should be able to give you the headlines. Make suggestions as to what you could do to help. If they don’t take to your ideas, explain how keen you are and ask them what you can do to help. Get this message out to as many of the decision-makers as you can.
If you are going to make partner, you will need internal support both from your own legal team and the wider firm. Unless you are in a small firm, you will need to become more visible. Extract yourself from your desk. Get to know more of your colleagues, be that through work events or just chatting to someone new at the coffee machine. Email less, step away from your computer and seek people out (this is good advice in life generally); speak to actual human beings face-to-face.
Create your own business plan setting out what you will achieve for the business and how. The process of putting this together is not only good discipline in itself, as it will allow you critically to assess the quality of your ideas, but it is the best way of ensuring you remain focussed over time and achieve your goals. It will also form an important record of what you have been doing. Many partnerships will expect you to submit a business plan as part of your partnership application. You will end up with a higher quality submission if you have been thinking along these lines already and have a record of your own achievements on which to draw.
Having said all of the above, before investing your time executing your plan, consider whether you are currently at the right firm for your ambitions. If it is going to take the retirement or untimely demise of an existing partner before there is even the chance of a promotion, consider a move now. If your law firm is stagnant, get yourself into a dynamic, growing firm where the opportunities for progression will be more plentiful.
DLA Piper Trainee Solicitor, Jenn Griffin, talks about a day in the life of a trainee at one of the world's leading law firms.
