My journey from apprentice paralegal to senior paralegal

Nicole joined Pinsent Masons as an Apprentice Paralegal and celebrates a recent promotion. Read about Nicole’s chosen career, her thoughts about the apprenticeship route, and her achievements.

I first began my journey as an Apprentice Paralegal in November 2017. I was unsure about going to university when I completed my A-levels in June 2017, so I looked into other routes, which is when I came across the apprenticeship route that Pinsent Masons offers. I liked the fact that an apprenticeship offered the opportunity to ‘earn while you learn,’ essentially gaining hands on experience as well as a qualification in my chosen career path.

I enjoyed my time as an Apprentice Paralegal at Pinsent Masons between November 2017 and November 2019. I undertook a CILEX Level 3 qualification and, upon completing my apprenticeship in November 2019, I was promoted to a Paralegal. I remained as a Paralegal for a further 3 years, and I have recently been promoted to a Senior Paralegal at Pinsent Masons.

I think that the most rewarding part of my apprenticeship was being able to see my personal development across the two years. I gained a wide range of skills, particularly given that the training I was undertaking as part of my apprenticeship enabled me to apply my learning to real life scenarios in the workplace, which greatly helped to grow my confidence within my role. The team at Pinsent Masons were especially supportive of my training and, as my confidence and knowledge of my role grew, the responsibility that I was trusted with also increased.

Throughout my journey at Pinsent Masons, my tasks and level of responsibility varied. My general day to day tasks as an Apprentice Paralegal consisted of undertaking legal research, drafting correspondence, creating and maintaining various trackers, assisting with collating bundles for court, and attending meetings and/or court hearings to take a note. My role now is much more focused on case management, for example, drafting court documents, preparing materials and dealing with logistic requirements for hearings and trials, creating and maintaining extranet sites, drafting client facing documents, and providing support to Junior Paralegals.

I am especially grateful for the opportunity that Pinsent Masons’ apprenticeship programme provided me. It enabled me to gain the necessary experience and qualification to further develop in my chosen career path, and I think it is a great option for anybody interested in a career in the legal field.