H L Willis and Associates

HERRICIA has been working for five years as a legal executive in a large firm within the financial service sector whose role is to regulate the financial service industry. She started work as a secretary and has gradually worked her way up the ladder. In order to further her career she embarked on a part-time training course.

“At 30, I wanted a change in career so 1 decided to study to qualify as a solicitor, but due to family commitments, I could not do this full time. I took the long route of firstly qualifying as a Legal Executive through part-time evening study.”

Herricia is now a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives. In order to become a fellow she had to take the Institute’s membership course, which takes four year to complete. The course was divided into two two-year sections. One covered major areas of law and practice related studies, while the other included specialist subjects, like civil litigation.

She then worked under the supervision of a qualified lawyer for another two years. Which brought her studentship to a total of six years before gaining her fellowship.

It was a very lengthy route, some argue, Herricia might but encouraged by the flexibility of her bosses and their willingness to understand her training needs. As a mature student, Herricia was exempted from the pre-qualification stage of the course because she had previously gained adequate experience as a legal secretary.

She chose the distant learning method which accommodated her family and at the same time enabled her to hold her full-time job. This method of study enabled her to study at her own pace, in her own time.

Herricia failed her examinations at the first attempt, but she was not discouraged. She was rewarded with a pass at her second attempt In order to achieve her goal of becoming a qualified solicitor, she has ahead of her another four years of study. She believes that the financial benefits and added responsibilities associated with the role of a solicitor are not the only incentives that have motivated her to continue studying.

“I find the work very rewarding, interesting and a challenge.” Enthuses Herricia. “Studying gives me a broader understanding and outlook on life. It’s a really great feeling of self-achievement; I have more self-esteem now. I have gained promotion and some respectability.”

Herricia finds studying as a mature student a better option. She says she is more focused and determined to succeed than when she was at school. She has a more responsible and flexible attitude and would also encourage everyone who has not taken up any form of studying to so.