Can you tell us about your background and journey to the legal profession?
I was born and raised in the UK after my family moved from the Philippines. I studied History and Politics for my undergraduate degree and didn’t consider law as a genuine path for the majority of this time. When starting out on my legal journey, I already felt behind due to my decision taking place late in my final year. Questions already dawned on me of whether I was ‘too late’ and how I could build connections within the legal industry.
How has Aspiring Solicitors and our various programmes/initiatives helped you achieve your success?
My journey began with Aspiring Solicitors by attending ASAP. This helped reinforce key skills such as performing legal research and gave me helpful insight into preparing for the Commercial Awareness Competition.
I participated in the 2024 CAC and was fortunate enough to reach the final. This experience was so important for my development as it helped fine-tune how I approach commercial developments and also broadened my interests in a range of sectors and practice areas. More importantly, it gave me confidence that I could make it to the final stages of an application process and definitely prepared me for vacation scheme assessment centres.
I was also fortunate to be part of the Aspire program. Being able to get feedback from AS mentors and break down some of the factors that were hindering my applications was so important. The amount of opportunities Aspire provided with open days, mentoring schemes, insight webinars, and application sessions were so valuable. It gave me the platform to meet other amazing aspiring solicitors, and lawyers who were further on their legal journey and were willing to help. From having initially no connections within the legal industry, Aspiring Solicitors provided me with the pathway to gain the insight I needed into a legal career.
What advice would you give to AS Members?
The key tip I would say firstly is to realise that you are on your own journey. Other applicants may be achieving amazing things and it can be easy to compare yourself to them. However, your path is your own. No matter how long it takes or that you have to take a slightly different path, if you work hard you will get there.
I would emphasise to take the opportunities that AS provides with both hands. I’ve been fortunate to be part of many amazing AS initiatives from ASAP, the CAC, Aspire, Headstart, and the Culture event. These experiences helped me to build connections with great, like-minded individuals and allowed me to connect with a variety of law firms.
I would urge you to remember to think about your circumstances and which programs align with your interests. If you approach it in this way, you will get the most out of your time with AS and target specifically what needs to be addressed in your training contract applications.
