My apprenticeship journey at Shoosmiths

Paris Lombardi, a CILEX level 3 apprentice, works in residential conveyancing in our Milton Keynes office. Paris joined the firm from sixth form with limited working experience. Read how Paris has found the journey from study into an apprenticeship in a professional environment.

Why did you apply for an apprenticeship at Shoosmiths?

For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to pursue a career within Law. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of University, as I am a very practical person, and therefore a legal apprenticeship really appealed to me – studying law and applying it on a day to day basis, what more could I want? After completing my Government & Politics, Philosophy & Ethics, Communication & Culture and my Extended Project Qualification at A-Level, I was keen to enrol onto an apprenticeship as soon as possible.

I had already heard of Shoosmiths due it its impressive reputation so when the apprenticeship vacancy went live, I had no doubt in my mind and applied straight away! Although I didn’t know anyone that worked at the firm, I was pleased to read the positive comments online from both employees at Shoosmiths as well as clients of Shoosmiths.

How has your career progressed since starting your apprenticeship?

I am a year and a half into my apprenticeship and I could not be happier with the progress I have made. Considering I only had 2 weeks work experience in an office and having an eight-hour part time job as a waitress previous to this, I settled quickly into working full time in an office, thanks to my supportive team. I have gone from having very limited knowledge of the conveyancing process to being able to work on a freehold file from start to finish.

Working alongside studying has been beneficial for me as I am able to apply my knowledge in practice. This has been reflected in my first law exam where I achieved a Distinction (and only one mark off of full marks!)

How did you find it to balance working and studying?

As part of my apprenticeship, I am entitled to one day a week where I attend webinars, complete past exam papers and study. This time is crucial to me and allows me to keep on top of my studies. My team members are very supportive of my apprenticeship and understand the important of this time for me to manage my studies. Providing you have good organisational skills and motivation there will not be any issues in managing the balance between work and studying.

What’s the best thing about working at Shoosmiths?

My team – actually everyone at Shoosmiths! As a small team of eight, I am supported by each member of the team, and each of them are happy to offer me advice and support. I believe it’s important to have a good relationship with the people you work with – you are spending everyday with them after all! In my experience, Shoosmiths really look after their employees extremely well – we received a little popcorn and film treat on the ‘bluest’ and ‘dullest’ day of the year ‘blue Monday’ as part of a wellbeing initiative, just to make the day a little better!

What’s next for you?

Upon completing my CILEX Level 3 Apprenticeship in October 2019 (after two years), I am hoping I will be able to enrol on the Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeship or Solicitor Apprenticeship. My goal is to qualify as a Solicitor here at Shoosmiths in the Residential Conveyancing Team. Once I am qualified I would have over 7 years’ experience within the firm (along with accredited qualifications) which would allow me to provide a very high and in-depth service to clients.

Want to read more?

If you’re interested in learning more about apprenticeships have a look online to see what type of firm you'd be suited to working in. Then research how the path into law will work for you.

If you think it will, then have a look at these websites for more information:

LawCareers.net Apprenticeship Guide

Shoosmiths vacancies

CILEx Legal Apprenticeships

You may also like to read about Jessica’s apprenticeship in the commercial recoveries team in Manchester.

For any questions, please contact our recruitment team by emailing [email protected] and following us on twitter at @ShoosmithsJobs.