At Boyletts Law we believe in helping the next generation of chartered legal executives and solicitors to get some of the experience that they need as they begin their legal careers. Over the last few weeks Emma Fosh joined us for some work experience and she wrote this piece about her time with us.
About me
Having just completed my Law degree at UEA, I am now studying my Legal Practice Course at the University of Law which I hope to complete in June 2022.
As an aspiring solicitor, I am eager to gain work experience which can show me a practical insight to the legal world. After researching local firms, I reached out to Boyletts law around December 2020 to try and obtain some experience; due to the arrival of COVID I was unable to do so at the time, but the firm contacted me in April 2021 to revisit the opportunity. As an up-and-coming modern firm, recently shortlisted in the South of England at the British Wills and Probate Awards, I knew I wanted to learn from the expertise of the firm. Furthermore, the opportunity also provided me with an insight into the growth and development of a new business, as well as the vital marketing that accompanies this.
My experience
Boyletts Law provided experience in each sector of the firm – I was able to shadow Kim and her day-to-day work as a lawyer, gain insight into marketing from Jamie and learn the administrative duties required to run a law firm from Alison.
I greatly enjoyed being able to shadow Kim with clients, including attending home visits. This showed the personable side of being a lawyer and the daily pleasures that come with such client contact. Similarly, Alison allowed me to assist her with some of the administrative tasks that also included client interaction. Whilst answering a phone and collecting post may not seem particularly exciting to some, I greatly enjoyed being able to gain the insight into the letters sent to/from clients as well as communicating with them directly. The experience highlighted the importance of approachability and personability as well as experiencing some of the valued client interactions.
I was also able to undertake tasks that allowed me to gain an insight into life as a trainee legal executive or solicitor. Kim showed me the structure of drafting Wills and explained the Probate process to include how to complete Inheritance tax forms.
Finally, marketing has always been an interest of mine and it was interesting to learn from Jamie how he manages the marketing of the firm. He informed me how the firm gains clients through various marketing methods and gave an insight into marketing strategy and Google.
What I learned
When I first reached out to the firm, I was only hoping for a week of work experience– Boyletts went far beyond what a could hope for and it was a pleasure working with the team. I was disappointed to have the experience cut short due to my falling unwell, but Kim and the rest of the firm have been incredibly generous in offering the possibility of future work experience which I would be privileged to undertake.
I have learned far more than I could have hoped from everyone at Boyletts Law and greatly enjoyed working in such a comfortable environment. Kim is an incredibly knowledgeable lawyer with a wealth of experience from which I was able to gain a broad insight into the world of Wills and Probate. I have since decided that Private Client law is definitely an area of law I wish to pursue.