Mollie
Heslop

Employer name: Praktice Legal Solicitors
Job title: Legal Assistant

Did your placement turn into a graduate role; if not how did you source your graduate role?

My placement turned into part-time employment alongside university studies, and full-time employment over the university holidays. I have also been offered a graduate role, but due to undertaking my LLM LPC, I could not accept it at this stage.

Did you get support from the Employability team during your search for this role? If yes, what support did you get and how did it help you?

The CV service was extremely useful. I had never had a “legal” CV prior to meeting with NTU Employability and they helped me to organise and expand my CV to meet the legal sector's requirements.

What was the recruitment process like for this role?

To be honest, it was hard and at times demoralising. I applied to about 15 placements that NTU had sourced, and I got through to the final stage for only one. I then tried to find my own placement with the help of NTU. I must have sent out around 50 applications and only received responses from around three. Luckily, I managed to secure a placement with my current employer. I had to go through the full process in order to secure this, so I am grateful for the whole experience, both the highs and the lows. I wouldn’t be where I am without the process and it taught me resilience and persistence, which are great skills to have when working in the legal sector.

I sent my CV, together with a covering letter and a briefing sheet from NTU to my employer and was invited for an interview. My interview wasn’t typical and not what I expected or had prepared for. I had a general conversation with my boss, which was followed by a few basic questions about my first- and second-year undergraduate modules. We got along well, and I was invited back for a ten-week placement.

How has the pandemic affected your job search / working experience compared to expectations?

The pandemic cut my placement short, however, I was offered a job that I am still in now, so it benefitted me really. Nothing much changed for our firm other than more social distancing being in place.

Did you do a work experience placement whilst at NTU, if so how has this helped?

I applied to do the 10-week placement in the second year of my LLB Law Degree. Personally, I think that it was the most beneficial part of my degree and it was definitely the part that I enjoyed the most. I would recommend doing a placement to any student. The placement I managed to secure was a client facing position which was extremely hands on. It showed me how the law works in real life. I gained a lot of experience in such a short space of time which will benefit me throughout my future. Experience such as a placement is also appealing to future employers.

What advice would you give to NTU students applying for graduate roles this year?

Apply to as many as you want. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get the job, treat it as a learning curve. It seems so cliché but keep trying, everything happens for a reason and what is meant to will be.

What is a typical working day / week like for you?

I work mainly in conveyancing, so my days don’t change too much. I like to have structure and to fully understand the process, so this works for me.

I do all steps in the conveyancing process, from opening files to raising searches and enquiries; to exchange, completion and registration. I speak with clients and legal colleagues daily via telephone or email and have face to face meetings with people regularly. Sometimes I cover wills, probate, and power of attorney instructions, as well as employment and litigation instructions.

What would you consider the top three transferrable skills acquired in this role?

• The confidence I gained in speaking to clients and other members of the legal profession and how to change how I speak depending on who I speak to.
• Time management! You want to please everyone and say yes to doing things immediately for everyone but this isn’t always possible. If you say yes but discuss and set a realistic deadline, you will still please whoever it is you have promised.
• Teamwork. The firm I work at hugely relies on teamwork. When you work together things tend to get done more efficiently and you also find new and more beneficial approaches to the task at hand.

How would you sum up your job, in only three words?

Busy, logical, rewarding.