I did an LLB in my mid-twenties. In fact, I started at 18, but I left after a year because it was just the wrong time for me; I don`t think I really knew the commitment that a legal career requires. I think at this point I thought you were graduating, leaving and becoming a lawyer and of course you are not! When I started my studies in 2008, I had my eldest daughter, who was just a little girl. I did it full time alongside working in bars and really relied on my mom and nanny. At that time, I wanted to become a lawyer and received a scholarship from Lincoln`s Inn, but then I changed my mind. In any case, at the time of graduation, I was pregnant with my son, who is now 8 years old. I couldn`t afford to do CAP, and I`ve been working mainly in the funeral industry for a few years, which I really enjoyed. In 2016, SLC credit was introduced for master`s programs. I was pregnant with my third child at the time, but I thought, what harm can it do to try it? I started the LLM LPC part-time during a high pregnancy in September and got it in November. I then had a year of maternity leave before returning to work part-time for the second year.
It was really hard, but my husband and I moved in together to get through it. I then spent some time in criminal defense before becoming a paralegal at Shoosmiths on the regulatory team and then securing a place at CPC as an intern in 2020. However, this is not the first time that the LaunchPad system – which claims to be “six times faster than phone interviews” – has encountered technical difficulties. The CPA will soon announce its inclusion for 2021. How did you find the application process and what advice could you give to those considering applying to the legal clerkship program? Siobhan sat down with me to talk about her experience working at CPC and how she managed to advance her legal career while juggling competing demands. What has been the most difficult obstacle you have faced in your legal journey so far, and how have you overcome it? Sit upright It may sound silly, but don`t shoot the video lying down, on your hand or standing; These can all be very distracting. Attract the party you are interviewing to be a court lawyer. Wear a suit. It`s easier to convince someone that you can be a court attorney when you look at the role. You will never be blamed for looking “too smart.” Unfortunately, it was reported on this occasion that some of the 900 graduates who applied for only 25 training places were not able to submit their video response or were informed that it had been completely removed. It was a little more difficult for me because I really only had a paid legal role to tap into, and the rest was either legal work experience or other unrelated roles like the funeral trade.
So I had to think about how I could make these skills transferable. For example, dealing with a family in the rest chapel or at the funeral – this is a difficult conversation. You can have difficult conversations in criminal law, whether with a client, a family or an aggrieved party. They also talk to a variety of people in the funeral industry. One minute it can be a family doctor, a coroner or a nurse, and the next minute it can be someone`s nurse or minister. This is a useful skill that can be transferred. I made a chart of the roles I used to prove my skills and listed the homework, what I did, how and what I learned. This obviously had to come from memory; I couldn`t understand it during the interview, but it helped me sit back and think about it: “Again, I can only speak for myself, because it can vary depending on the intern and whether or not they occupy certain seats and detachments. I started in March 2020 and we are all starting in the trial court team where you qualify. We were in lockdown after two days.
Since then, I have started a seat in the Department of Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO). I have organised my own MFF, but it is obviously funded. I am also obliged to accept a position, like all interns, and this is also regulated by myself. One of the advantages of this is that you can choose it as long as it is able to meet the SRA requirements.