About me

• Trainee Solicitor at BLM
• Studied: LLB (Hons) Law (2020)
• Contact me on LinkedIn

About my career

After graduating from Manchester Met, I was successful in obtaining a training contract at BLM, which will commence in September 2022. In the meantime, whilst I wait for this role to start, one of the partners who had interviewed me, offered me a job as a paralegal in BLM’s Catastrophic Injury team. This was my first job after completing my studies and I am working in this role until my training contract begins.

Within my current position as a paralegal in the Catastrophic Injury team, I assist a Legal 500 partner with her complex case load. My daily tasks include drafting legal documents such as applications to the court and instructions to counsel and arranging meetings with clients and conferences with medical experts.

I gained a variety of skills from my time at Manchester Met and I believe that they have assisted me hugely in obtaining my job and within my career. Whilst completing my degree, I volunteered at Support Through Court. Here, I accompanied clients in court, completed technical paperwork and provided emotional support to clients who were experiencing extremely difficult situations and cases. This role allowed me to develop my emotional intelligence and learn the correct balance between being an empathetic and emotionally involved listener, whilst providing professional and pragmatic advice.

Manchester Met offers a wide variety of optional modules. This allows students to pursue areas of interest and develop their experience and knowledge within these areas. For example, I was able to select modules that I had an interest in and discuss these within job/training contract interviews, showing my dedication to particular areas of my chosen industry.

After completing my undergraduate studies, I returned to the university to complete my Legal Practice Course. I was awarded an academic scholarship by the university, in recognition of my motivation, achievements and commitment to developing a career in law.

My top tip for students is

To succeed in law, resilience is key. It is highly unlikely that you will secure the first job you apply for and I know that this was not the case for me. When I received rejection, the following quote always helped me: “what is meant for me will never pass me, and that which passes me was never meant for me”. It is important to pick yourself back up after rejection and remind yourself that you are capable. Other than this, I encourage you to be yourself. It sounds cliché, but I believe this is the reason I got my training contract. You must be confident in your own ability and what you can offer the organisation that you are applying to. Once you have passed the initial application stages, what a business wants to see is that you are someone they can see themselves working with. This means showing a firm who you are as a person and what makes you the right fit.

I’m inspired by

The core stimulus for me, in pursuing a career in law, is my belief that a good solicitor will have the opportunity to make a positive impact in people’s lives and in the wider community. I have had the opportunity to experience a little of this through my volunteering at Support Through Court, where we are often paired with the most vulnerable individuals in society, requiring our assistance. I have been able to see first-hand the effect that our help has on the clients, and this has motivated me still further.

Why I love Manchester Met

Throughout my undergraduate degree, I directly benefitted from a huge level of support, on both an academic and personal level. The diverse supports available convinced me to return to undertake my LPC, which is a high-intensity post-graduate course. I knew there would be some very challenging moments and I wanted to be sure that I would be studying at a university where I might rely on such support, and that, for me, was Manchester Metropolitan University.

I have not always had the easiest route to academic success. As a consequence of losing my best friend suddenly whilst at sixth form, my A-level grades suffered significantly. Despite the impact in many areas of my life, I did not allow my grades to discourage me from a pursuing career and Manchester Met welcomed me and encouraged me to succeed. The university allowed my confidence in my ability to return, and I was able to succeed what I had always set out to. I do not think I would have received the same support, or achieved the way I did, if I was at another university.

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