Trainee Talks: From Paralegal to Trainee Solicitor
Joining the Personal Injury and Medical Negligence team as a paralegal in 2024 marked the beginning of my legal career, fresh from completing my LLM and LPC at the University of Law. From day one, I felt welcomed and ready to make an impact.
From the outset, I was given the support and training I needed to understand my role, the responsibilities it brings and the work I would be doing, as I was only just beginning my legal career.
Personal Injury and Medical Negligence wasn’t an area I originally planned to qualify into. However, after spending a year working as a paralegal in the team, it has quickly become one of the areas of law I am most interested in.
This is one of the many benefits of taking on the role of a paralegal before progressing on to be a trainee solicitor, as I might not have realised this otherwise.
My role as a paralegal
Working as a paralegal has been incredibly helpful in preparing me for my training contract, and I would highly recommend anyone considering a career in law to gain experience if you can. Not only has it taught me key skills and provided invaluable experience, but being a paralegal has shown me the type of solicitor I want to be.
As a paralegal, I was responsible for tasks that required strong research and drafting abilities, as well as excellent time management and organisational skills. These are skills I continue to rely on every day as a trainee solicitor. The role provided a solid foundation for understanding legal processes and managing cases effectively.
During my role as a paralegal, I took every opportunity that was presented to me to attend client meetings, conferences, court hearings, and shadow my senior colleagues on complex matters. These experiences gave me valuable insight, boosted my confidence and prepared me to hit the ground running as a Trainee.
In August 2025, I had the opportunity to volunteer on the Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) helpline. This experience was similar to handling new client enquiries and taught me how to ask the right questions and identify relevant information quickly. I’ve continued volunteering during my training contract, and it remains an invaluable learning experience.
My training contract so far
My new role as trainee solicitor commenced in September 2025, and I am now nearing the end of my first seat. The complexity of the work has increased, but I am enjoying the new challenges this brings. Mistakes are an inevitable part of learning and growth and no one expects absolute perfection. The key is clear communication when mistakes are made to ensure that it is rectified as quickly as possible.
One key piece of advice I would give to aspiring trainees is to keep a detailed task list, both at work and in day-to-day life. Getting into this habit makes completing your training log feel much more natural and prevents it from becoming overwhelming later on.
My experience as a paralegal has been instrumental in helping me transition smoothly into my role as a trainee solicitor. I would encourage anyone seeking a training contract to gain some prior legal experience as it offers invaluable, hands‑on insight that academic study alone might not provide.