Paralegal Apprentice Review

Helping fee earners across the business to progress their files through drafting letters and emails, creating bundles, searching for experts or helping on long term projects as part of a larger case. Being a paralegal I am essentially a support for the fee earners files and so on a day to day tasks can vary.

I have further developed my knowledge of the systems used at DWF and I have learnt a lot more about legal terminology and how to correctly draft letters according to the recipient, I have also learnt how a case is progressed from start to finish within different areas of law. I have also learnt how to best communicate with others in the business through the use of teams and emails as well as creating good relationships with colleagues and team leaders.

I have enjoyed learning much more about legal work and how cases are progressed within different areas of law and I am extremely happy that I made the choice to join the Apprenticeship , although at times the programme can get intense and hard especially around exam periods. Consequently I have learnt more about time management and how best to overcome the busyness that surrounds exam season.

The programme is structured really well, with Mondays as a study day and 4 days of full time work which is one day working from home and 3 days in the office. The study day allows for me to focus on my studies for the entire day and the live lectures help me to understand the topics for each module.

Throughout the apprenticeship our team leaders and colleagues are a major part of our day to day. They are our support and go to whenever we find a situation difficult or simply need some advice. My colleagues can help me complete tasks and offer advice of the best ways of working for a particular task. DWF makes sure that each person is trained in the system and ways of working before they take on something new which is a great way for me to learn in detail.

At BPP we have a range of ways we can receive support from our tutors especially using the BPP hub. We can get support through the online forums or simply sending emails to our tutors. As well as this at the end of every lecture the tutors will always ask if we need any further support or have any questions. We also have email addresses for the general support team which we can use throughout the apprenticeship. Overall there is always help readily available with the training provider.

My qualification is helping me to better understand my role and the legal aspect is allowing me to be able to use legal principles and terminology to better complete my tasks. I feel that the modules that I have studied has coincided with work that I am carrying out at DWF which allows me to see how principles would work in a real life situation

At DWF Community Social Responsibility is encouraged and so you are able to volunteer to help out with charity events and educational speaker sessions. As well as this within your own teams events and lunches are organised for team bonding throughout the year as well as the annual Christmas and Summer parties.

Yes

I feel that DWF is fantastic place to work for its development opportunities and the work life balance. DWF encourages a Hybrid working pattern and has a great friendly atmosphere in its offices. As well as this it has a detailed training induction programme and values each employee at the same level.

I would advise others who want to apply for DWF to use all the experiences they have gained in life and work to make their application shine and relate to the job role specifications. As well as this showing your personality during the interview process is a great way to stand out. Researching the DWF Values, history and aims and bringing these up during your interview process will make for a great interview.