Commercial Awareness for Solicitor Apprentices Week 4

Introduction: 

Hello,

Welcome to the 4th edition of CASA; in other words, a very successful starting month for us. I strongly hope you are finding this useful and are inspired to go into interviews confident in yourself and your commercial awareness. This week we interview Ann Welch from Pinsent Masons, discuss the importance of financial dispute resolution, and consider the legal questions around the Chagos islands accession to Mauritius. One month down, many more to look forward to,I know you will enjoy this week's newsletter. 

Interview:

This week we interviewed Anna Welch who is a solicitor apprentice at Pinsent Masons. She discusses the pindrop moment that made her realise the law is for her, which is certainly inspirational. 

Tell us about your background:

I went to an all girls secondary school in Hertfordshire, which became a mixed sixth form.

Tell us about how you found school:

I did find it quite hard, because although I am academic i’m not quite as academic as my peers. I always did pretty well at school,but certainly not all A* by any means. I have always been a very practical learner, so for me the solicitor apprenticeship was a no brainer. I could pick things up in school, but I did find the experience of academics quite draining. 

When was your pindrop moment that made you decide to become a solicitor apprentice?

In year 12, my school asked an alumni to speak to a group of us who was a solicitor apprentice herself. She introduced me to the route I'd never heard of before and I had been all for university until I heard what she had to say. I then decided that with my way of learning and things I enjoy about learning the apprenticeship route was best for me. 

What, if anything, needs to be done for current apprentices?

 I think there is a huge community of us, but we sometimes aren’t all aware of each other. There is a big London community but regional offices have less apprentice interaction. So, building the community a bit further would be brilliant. And I think the reputation of solicitor apprenticeships is really growing, certainly much more than a couple of years ago. I’m looking forward to the future and in a couple of years who knows where we will be. 

What does your future hold?

I think it’s hard to say what my future looks like, I'm currently in year 2 of my apprenticeship. I will qualify as a solicitor in 2029, and am currently sat in the employment department, but will gain lots of experience in other departments throughout my apprenticeship. Therefore, it's hard to say where I will end up but I am excited to find out. 

Interview takeaway: Anna clearly enjoys her work, and her pindrop moment shows just how important it is to reach out and engage with what current apprentices have to say. 6 years is a very long time, and one of the key things that Anna rightly exemplified was that focusing on what you are doing now will lead to happiness. The future is great, but we can only live a full life as apprentices if we enjoy the here and now. 

Commercial legal explainer: In recent political news, the rights of all renters is in the process of being strengthened. The second reading led to questions from the opposition which focused on the already overburdened civil law systems. The courts are already inundated with landlords going to court to fight an eviction order, and the principal concern among legislators is that with more renters feeling confident of fighting unjust evictions there will be a breaking point of our civil justice system. Many lawmakers are hoping that with the improved renters rights there will be improved funding to ensure all the cases can be heard in a timely manner, ie not having to wait over a year to have their case heard while living an uncertain life. 

*Interview tip: There are issues that are seemingly entrenched in the civil justice system, and just knowing about them is half the battle. Thinking about how you can overcome them demonstrates analytical thinking and could help you prepare for a scenario on assessment day at your chosen law firm. The future will only change for the better if we as young people think of the solutions to creating a more equal society. 

Worldwide commercial law news:This week we will take a broader legal view and look at the Chagos islands gaining independence from the UK. This has been hotly contested for nearly a century, and started when the UK government displaced 1000+ chagossians from the island to make way for a military base. In the deal, the military base that has mostly US personnel stationed there will be protected for 99 years to protect military assets in a key geopolitical position. The law focus here is predominantly on international law, specifically sovereignty and treaties; the treaty will state that Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos archipelago, meaning it has the right to rule and govern the Chagos archipelago. 

 However, there has been discontent from the people who were displaced originally or their descendants over the lack of engagement of their own future. While there is near universal agreement that it is a positive step for reducing the effects of colonisation, the human rights of the chagossians has been brought to the forefront of discussion. The fact that they were displaced without their consent raises numerous human rights concerns in itself, and now there are claims that their human rights in relation to citizenship and democracy are not being adequately protected. 

*interview tip: When discussing international law, it is important to remember the complex political ramifications it has alongside the legal questions it may raise. You can use this case study to show an interest in history and empathy for all affected people who perhaps have not been fully heard and discuss how you would approach these discussions as a lawyer to show critical thinking and geopolitical awareness. 

Advice from someone in the same boat:

When it comes to explaining to parents what we want to do as aspiring solicitor apprentices, it can be hard to judge what their reaction may be. Some may be concerned about ‘not getting a degree’, while others may be concerned about cost, and others may just be concerned about getting into a competitive and niche market. The first two concerns are not real causes for concern because you get a degree fully paid for, and you don’t pay a penny for your degree, only your accommodation; in fact, you get a very good salary for your work. As regards getting onto an apprenticeship, being confident and being commercially aware are two of the best things you can do, in fact some might say reading newsletters like this is a great way to improve commercial awareness.