Apprentice Paralegal Review

My role as a paralegal apprentice within the court of protection is very diverse and tasks vary on a day-to-day basis. Currently within the period of my apprenticeship my main duty is to offer support to other team members and para legals by carrying out tasks for their cases/clients. It involves drafting a variety of documents and forms, seeking signatures from higher ranking legal positions, phone calls out to utilities, recording work done on matters in an organised fashion etc.

I would say I have both learnt new skills and developed upon previous skills which i had prior from sixth form studies. My sense of organisation and time management has improved since beginning me apprenticeship . Enrolling into a full time job within the legal sector has also improved my communication skills as a professional with both internal colleagues and clients, written and verbally. My IT skills and knowledge and use of case management applications have also imporved.

I do overall enjoy my role. I am treated with respect within my team despite being an apprentice and notably younger than my colleagues. Sometimes I find it can be challenging maintaining learning with the work set up being currently working from home the vast majority of the time. I enjoy the side where i work directly within the company however the training provider is lesser so.

My manager is excellent in structuring the programme in that they abide to the 20% learning time to a t and time is always regularly allocated for me to take the study time. Most of the training i have received has been from one colleague who i was initially paired with during the induction process. Task delegation is good in that i am given responsibility from the outset, but not too much workload to the point where i feel overwhelmed too quickly. However the Damar external study provider is much less organised and delivered the structure of the duration of the apprenticeship as confusing and disorganised. However my employer endeavor to delegate me tasks which meet the providers' criteria.

I was made to feel that I can approach anyone within my department for help and support for anything within my role. As well as this, there are resources on communal hubs which provided in depth guidance on legal processes and tasks which might be delegated to me. HR is accessible and easy to navigate within the online space and the team are easily contactable by email to deal with any queries. Lat year the company delegated an extra day of AL as a well being day. However there is ;less enthusiasm to approach me with any support or guidance, i have to seek it out.

I would say that i receive a lot less support from the training provider. The coach who delivers my apprenticeship programme is many times hard to reach by email and has missed some of the very few 1 to 1 meetings we have had organised. communication could be imporved

I would say that the main way (at the moment) that the qualification i am gaining helps me perform my role is by providing constant opportunity for reflecting on work which i have completed. moreover, there is modules on professionalism which help guide how to act within the workplace and interact with colleagues.

Yes there is a large variety of extra-curricular's within Irwin Mitchell, there is a charity comitee which host events for holidays in order to raise money for the company's chosen charity of the year. There are sponsored runs for charity at the weekends. The company allow up to 14 hours off per year solely to volunteer for the local community which your line manager approves of. This is in addition to work socials for occasions, but has been limited due to covid restrictions.

Yes

Irwin Micthell are a company which is very passionate about young people's careers and are investing in their employees by providing good standard apprenticeships which enable another route into the legal sector. You are welcomed into a team atmosphere from the very start and are supported throughout, not thrown into the deep end. You are treated as a professional which reflects the good salary which they provide apprentices which reflects the level of work in turn.

The application process can be long but is fair and thorough, the company is very empathetic to the fact apprentices are likely school leavers with little relevant experiences the interview is very catered to that. Preparation is key for the whole process, specifically assessment days. Ask as many questions as possible regarding the role to ease fears of what the responsibilities of your role will be, not just to show enthusiasm