Stephens Scown has a diverse, dynamic apprentice scheme; in this article, Becky Pickford shares her experiences as a Paralegal.
I joined Stephens Scown in 2013 as a receptionist, and after 18 months in reception, I joined the Intellectual Property and Information Technology (IP/IT) team as a legal secretary. Within six months, I became the team paralegal.
I’ve had quite a steep learning curve at the firm, but becoming an Apprentice with the firm has given me a great grasp of a wide variety of work, and made it much easier to study – read on to find out more.
The studying begins…
In 2016, I decided to take up studies alongside my full time job with the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx). The only method of study available at the time was distance learning; this meant having to complete all my studies in my own time outside of work hours, which involved a lot of weekends with my head in a law book!
My studying was completely self-motivated, and I had very little communication or interaction with any tutors.
Although I have a degree, it is not in law so I had to begin with a CILEx Level 3 Diploma in Law and Practice, which I completed in May 2019.
Introducing the apprenticeship…
When it came to beginning the next stage of my qualifications, I was informed that CILEx qualifications would now be conducted through an apprenticeship scheme.
I admit that at first I thought that I couldn’t be an apprentice, because I had a degree already. Having completed my Level 3 qualification completely outside of work, I was also reluctant to change how I had been studying. However having started my apprenticeship and completed my first module, I have come to understand that apprenticeships at Stephens Scown come with great benefits.
In addition there has been no change to my salary or benefits, I am treated exactly the same as previously the only difference is the support received which is amazing. Firstly, 20% of your time at work is allocated to studying and development, meaning that you can train “on the job”. I no longer have to dedicate all of my free time to studying, and can use my time at work to put what I’ve learned into practice.
The apprenticeship also means that I have more structured support, including a one-to-one tutor who meets with me regularly to make sure I am on track and am not struggling with my workload or study balance. My supervisor at work is also involved in my studies, so I can ensure that I am getting the exposure to work that will help with my development, and my workload is manageable.
Having studied in a number of ways in the past, I can safely say that it is much easier when you have the support, interaction and feedback that you get through an apprenticeship.
Once I have completed all my studies I will be a Chartered Legal Executive, and the apprenticeship means that I can continue to build my experience in the area of law I will qualify in to, whilst studying.