Law Graduate Jobs – Training the firm’s future lawyers
Senior Partner, Tim Bishop, and 3 recent members of our Accelerated Development Programme
Here at Bonallack & Bishop, we are really proud of our programme for trainee law graduate paralegals.
In general we have two levels of paralegals.
- New law graduate paralegals – these entry level law degree or LPC graduates automatically form part of our Accelerated Development Programme. The purpose of the programme is to provide more structured training and development for our paralegals, with the intention of bringing them on as our future lawyers, and to do so quickly.
- More experienced paralegals – we are always interested in talking to you, if you are an existing paralegal with some good experience who feels frustrated by a lack of likely career progression at your current law firm
When selecting paralegals for either of these two positions, wherever possible, we choose candidates who live near to our 4 offices in Wiltshire and Hampshire.
Bonallack & Bishop | Salisbury | Fordingbridge | Andover | Amesbury
Click here to visit our legal jobs page with up-to-date details of any current paralegal vacancies
Why did we design this Programme?
Simple. We decided we needed a strong drive for new local talent through excellence because we are growing so rapidly and want to get the right people on board.
Our law graduate scheme is designed to identify, assess and train the firm’s next generation of lawyers.
We strongly believe that the right people are our most important asset. As a result, provided provided you have a law degree or LPC qualification, when recruiting we put greater weight on values, character and talent – and that, in contrast, skills and knowledge can be taught.
Too few real opportunities for a legal career – too many McJobs
According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, over 80,000 students enrolled to study a law degree in the UK each year. In contrast, for example, the annual number of training contracts offered vary between 5,000 and 6,000.
As a result, far too many of those lawn graduates who want a legal job, end up with a paralegal position offering no realistic chance of progression. We don’t think that’s fair.
Our Accelerated Development Programme for Graduate Paralegals
Here is a summary of some aspects of the scheme which should give you an idea of how seriously we take the Accelerated Development Programme. In short, we do not see paralegals as cheap staff – but as a stepping stone in training our future lawyers;
- Tim Bishop, as senior partner and the only equity partner of a firm with 65 staff, is personally responsible for the programme
- When you join us, you will recaeive a personalised training plan – setting out appropriate key stages for your development as a paralegal
- We are about to introduce regular 3 monthly lunch meetings for all of those on the Accelerated Development Programme – an opportunity to mix with paralegals from other offices – and each lunch will involve the attendance of a senior lawyer who will be throughout lunch for informal Q&A
- Tim personally run a series of interactive workshops which he has prepared.
These workshops last 90 – 120 minutes and result in each attendee leaving with their own personal development action plan – a list of up to 5 actions, arising out of ideas in the workshop, which they can immediately implement to improve their performance.
Each action plan is individual – with each action chosen by the paralegal themselves to reflect where they see scope for them to improve personally.
These workshops are based on a format that Tim and Jane Bishop developed as part of a highly successful peer support entrepreneurs group they ran in Salisbury some years ago.
The individual workshops cover areas which are not covered in University or Law School and most of which are not dealt with in any external training.
Although more are being developed, currently there are 5 workshops in the programme as follows;
1. Maximising Costs
2. Time Management
3. Client Care
4. Communication For Lawyers
5. Introduction to Marketing For Lawyers
In addition, the programme also involves planned rapid legal education – provided by MBL
It’s worth noting that paralegals are only taken on in those specialties where the team leaders have proven ability of bringing on paralegals. Some of our lawyers are great lawyers but poor trainers – and they don’t get paralegals.
Future professional training?
Although we welcome candidates with practical experience, these entry level jobs are suitable for law graduates with no substantive law firm experience. And here’s how we support our graduate paralegals in their growth into our next generation of lawyers.
- Those who succeed on the programme will be supported by us in further education. This could mean paying for their College Of Law education (if they choose to do this course while continuing working with us) or CILEX.
- Equally if candidates choose to conduct their solicitors qualifying exams full-time, for the successful candidate, we are happy to discuss the possibility of keeping a job open for their return at the end of the course – we have just done that with one of those on the programme.
- Trainee contracts and trainee legal executive contracts are also potentially available for those who succeed on the scheme. In the last 12 months, for example, we have offered 3 training contracts.
But don’t just take our word for it.
Here’s what Jake, 1 of our 1st intake on the programme in our 2018 intake, and who qualified as a solicitor in 2022, remaining with us post qualification says:
“The Accelerated Development Programme is a sure-fire way for graduates to kick start their legal career in a truly meaningful role.
The firm are really supportive and passionate about developing their junior staff from your first day. The firm allows paralegals to develop and grow in their role as far as their ambition takes them.
Within 8 months I was already taking on files in my own name and have now developed my own case load; this is a great credit to both the training the firm provides as well as the faith they place in their junior members of staff. The firm also offered me a training contract within 8 months of me starting, which I am looking forward to starting this year.
The continued personal involvement of Tim, the senior partner of the firm, really shows the important the firm places on paralegals”
JAKE HOLMES