Award-Winning Apprenticeships

Ellie Brookes recently won the award for Apprentice of the Year at the Birmingham Law Society Legal Awards. She is a member our Managed Legal Services offering and has taken what some people would consider to be an “unconventional” route into the legal profession by becoming an apprentice paralegal.

We recently sat down with her to reflect on her experience doing an apprenticeship, working alongside other paralegals and with the firm’s clients.

Why did you choose an apprenticeship over University?

I wanted to quickly get hands-on experience working in a legal team and doing an apprenticeship would allow me this balance of working and learning at the same time. Although University is the “normal” route into law, apprenticeships have evolved and allow post A-Level students the chance to develop legal experience in a way that University does not.

Upon competition of your apprenticeship, you have the knowledge, as well as the experience, which is something that University does not offer. An apprenticeship gives you the opportunity to form friendships within the workplace and offers support from colleagues, supervisors, managers etc. As well as this, your colleagues push you to do your best by giving you challenging work, giving you independence to complete the work to keep trying to better yourself.

What does a typical day look like for an apprentice paralegal?

I work within the Employment team and have the opportunity to assist lawyers with a wide range of tasks. To name a few, I get to draft documents for the Employment Tribunal, prepare fee estimates, liaise with counsel for hearings and chase the Tribunal for updates throughout claims. I’m a dedicated point of contact for two of the firm’s key clients so no two days are the same. You just have to prioritise tasks well and be open about your capacity at team meetings.

To help me to manage this, I create and follow a to do list. It sounds simple, but it allows me to prioritise the urgent work that I need to complete first. You get out what you put in so having the clarity and organisation in your work will help you to benefit as much as possible.

How does the apprenticeship work compared to University?

Unlike University, the apprenticeship doesn’t have exams throughout or at the end of the programme. Instead, you are assessed at “End-Points” where you do two timed assessments and an interview based on your portfolio. I’m at the end of my apprenticeship so I’ve been preparing for this recently.

Throughout the apprenticeship, there are 12 modules to work through, covering everything from “Working with Others” to “Legal Research”. For each module, there is a main work project to complete where you can enhance your understanding of the topic, as well as evidence to complete for it. For example, for the Legal Drafting work, some pieces of evidence that I used were: draft witness statements and settlement agreements as well as drafting emails to the Tribunal, Client, and Witnesses.

What do you enjoy about working at Pinsent Masons Vario?

During my apprenticeship, I’ve been hugely supported by my line manager, which has allowed me to grow in confidence and competence in my role. I work with her, I have my 1-2-1 progress reviews with her, I run my apprenticeship work through her, and she also attends all of my apprenticeship meetings with me. Aside from all this she is also only a team’s message away for any queries that I have, no matter how small, and she will always be happy to explain and run things through with me if I am uncertain.

I’m also encouraged to really consider how I’m feeling because sometimes it’s hard to do that independently when you have a busy workload. This support has allowed me to relax more into my role and made me realize that help is there for me should I ever need it. The firm has been really encouraging of me taking part in non-legal matters, whether that’s charitable through The Prince’s Trust, or socially. It’s given me a well-rounded experience during my time working here: I’ve been guided through the study aspect and thoroughly enjoyed the social aspects.