Holly Walker - Nottingham High School 1990-1997

Trainee Solicitor

I am currently a Trainee Solicitor at a law firm in Newmarket, Suffolk, approximately 10 miles east of Cambridge. The firm is a leading law firm in the equine/bloodstock niche with the Partners being recognised specialists. I will qualify as a Solicitor in March 2004.

I attended Nottingham High School for Girls from September 1990 to July 1997. I studied for my Law LLB (Hons) at De Montfort University, Leicester from September 1997 to July 2000. I really enjoyed the course and decide that a career in law was for me.

I decided to take a year out after the degree and managed to secure a placement in a high street Solicitors firm in Nottinghamshire. Taking a year out before progressing onto the Legal Practice Course (LPC) is something that I would highly recommend. It gave me the opportunity to learn about life as a solicitor and to ensure that I would be happy in my chosen career. There was an added advantage to my year out, as I had worked for one year in a Solicitors office with legal training, I was eligible for a 6 month reduction in my training contract. Which means that I only have to train for 18 months instead of 24 months.

During my year out I worked in the residential conveyancing department. I started at the ‘bottom of the pile’ doing the photocopying, fielding telephone calls and making cups of tea. It sounds boring I know but everyone has to start somewhere and it is amazing how much you learn just watching and listening. After a few months I was allowed to get involved more with client files and eventually I was given my own files to run under the supervision of one of the Partners. Mr first few client files quickly grew to fifty files.

It was during my year out that I applied to hundreds of firms for training contracts. I decided that I wanted to train in a medium size practice, one that had a good reputation and would be able to give me a high standard of training. After all, when you finish your training contract you are more or less on your own, so it is important to pick the right firm for you and ensure that you receive training that will equip you for that day when you finally qualify. I chose the firm I am at now because they were friendly and offered me a training contract that would be varied in work with constant training from a Partner.

I returned to full time education and studied Cardiff Law School, University of Wales, for my LPC from September 2001 to July 2002. I was attracted to Cardiff because it had consistently achieved an excellent rating from the Law Society. It was also a smaller course compared to the other course providers, this meant that there was more one to one tuition. All the lecturers knew your name, regardless whether they taught you. I was also impressed at the contacts the Law School had with various law firms, chambers and respected lawyers. Towards the end of the LPC I attended a lecture by Cherie Booth Q.C. on Human Rights and was given the opportunity to meet her afterwards. This was definitely one of the highlights of the Course.

The course was very intensive and I soon learnt that my year out had given me some good foundations for studying the LPC, I had already learnt a lot of the basics and in particular found the conveyancing module trouble-free. With 19 exams spread across the year, the Course was hard work, but the staff were so supportive that we all got there in the end! My year at Cardiff was the best of all my university years.

During the last few months of the LPC I studied three elective subjects; Commercial Property, Employment Law and Private Client. I chose these subjects as they are the areas of practice I would like to work in once I qualify.

At the moment I am in the middle of my training contract. I am about to complete my litigation seat before transferring to property. With just over a year to go I am looking forward to qualifying and starting my career as a Solicitor.

Should any Minerva member require work experience I would be happy to recommend them to one of the Partners.

If any Minerva member would like any further information about becoming a Solicitor please either email me or contact me via post 19 Arlington Court, Church Lane, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 0HN.