Helen B

Profile:

My route into practising law wasn’t direct. I studied English Literature at University and when graduation approached, decided I would rather work in publishing than be a teacher (those seemed to be my only two options!). I was lucky to land a series of jobs in editorial teams for children’s book publishers and really enjoyed it. After five years, for a variety of reasons, I decided I was ready for a change and enrolled on the GDL course.

Coming from a non-law background with five years’ experience in another, completely different industry, had disadvantages and benefits. I was older than the majority of the other people on my LPC course, and the majority of the other people applying for training contracts, and now I’m the oldest trainee in my cohort. I also found it hard getting back in the routine of studying full-time and reading academic law books rather than children’s fiction!

The benefits however have been numerous both in the application process and now in my day-to-day role. I had a lot to talk about in my training contract applications and solid examples from my previous roles to back up what I was saying in both my written applications and interviews.

Being a lawyer requires the ability to step into the shoes of your client and understand their situation be able to find a solution. Having work experience and generally more life experience can really help with this. Overall, I’m really happy I came to law later in life and think I will be a better lawyer because of it.

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