Change in direction led to legal career with law firm

A SOLICITOR in the making didn’t give up on her dream of forging a career in law – even if it meant following a different route.

Holly Moxon, 24, had signed up to study law at the University of Liverpool along with 300 other students but even when she figured that the course wasn’t a right fit, she refused to give up on her goal of training to become a solicitor.

Instead, Holly had spotted an opening for an 18-month apprenticeship in business administration at her local law firm, Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, and identified it as a great way of getting started in the industry.

During the apprenticeship, Holly impressed with her willingness to find out more about the industry and she made it clear that it was her intention to stay in law and work towards becoming a qualified solicitor.

She is currently four years into a six-year solicitors’ apprenticeship with Cartmell Shepherd after her enthusiasm and hard work in her initial training programme convinced the firm she would be a great fit for the profession.

Holly said: “The business administration apprenticeship saw me working on reception and dealing with clients, which gave me a real insight into the services offered by the legal firm and the variety of sectors of law available. That time on the reception was what made me decide that this industry was something I really wanted to work in.
“When I started the business apprenticeship, I told the team that my long-term ambition was to work towards a legal apprenticeship, and I’m delighted that my work ethic and commitment were rewarded.

“The team at Cartmells knew how hard I would work towards my goal and, because I was already working in the business, I think that helped create the opportunity for the solicitors’ apprenticeship.”

After completing the business administration apprenticeship, Holly began the solicitors’ apprenticeship.

As part of the training programme, Holly will spend time working within all of Cartmell Shepherd’s departments to experience different aspects of the legal firm’s work. She will also work across the firm’s offices in Cumbria, including the Penrith base.

Her course involves one day of online study each week through a programme run by the BPP University in Manchester, with the other four days spent getting hands-on, practical experience with the law firm.

Holly said: “It’s definitely the best of both worlds combining work and study, and it’s great to be able to put the theory that we learn into practice during the week.

“There have been so many instances where I have been working on a particular sector and then I learn about it at university, and vice versa, and it feels like I’m a step ahead because of that.

“What I like so much about the apprenticeship is that I get practical and in-depth experience across all sectors, whether that be litigation, private client, family law or property, whereas you would normally just dip in and out of each area when at university. The variety of the work at Cartmell Shepherd is definitely something that excites me, and I’m looking forward to learning more over the next two years.

“Cartmell Shepherd has been so supportive and helpful during the apprenticeship and I can’t thank them enough for giving me this opportunity and continuing to help me develop.”

Peter Stafford, Managing Director of Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, said: “Legal apprenticeships offer great opportunities to identify and nurture talent.

“They combine work and study and provide an excellent foundation through on-the-job training and experience.

“Holly is a great asset to Cartmell Shepherd and we were delighted to be able to offer her the opportunity to pursue her ambition of becoming a solicitor through our apprenticeship programme.”

Cartmell Shepherd has offices in Rosehill Carlisle, Carlisle city centre, Brampton, Penrith, Cockermouth, and Haltwhistle.

The firm’s full range of legal services is available from all of its offices, delivered by its team of more than 40 solicitors based across Cumbria and Northumberland.

Cartmell Shepherd is the only legal firm in Cumbria to be a member of the innovative UK200Group, and offers specialist expertise to individuals and businesses across a wide range of sectors.