From bath bombs to the courtroom – my route into law – Zoe Allen

“I don’t come from a family of university graduates, and at the time, I thought of law as a niche subject. I hadn’t considered studying it at all,” says Zoe Allen, who qualifies as a Legal Executive in 2024.

“But while I was doing my A-Levels at Wakefield College I was given the opportunity to apply for a work placement at Chadwick Lawrence. Initially I just wanted to see what it was like.”

Zoe’s placement saw her paired with our Partner and inclusion and equality champion Asma Iqbal. “I loved every minute from day 1,” says Zoe. “I shadowed Asma and her team and got to experience the life of a lawyer which I found exciting and fascinating. So, I asked Asma if I could come back in the summer holidays to get some more experience and I stayed all summer!”

Trading textbooks for real world experience

Zoe began a Law degree at Sheffield University, which she says was inspired by her time with the firm. “I knew straight away I wanted to be a lawyer” says Zoe who was also working part time at cosmetics retainer Lush, known for their hand made ‘bath bombs’, but 12 months in she was missing the hands-on experience she gained during her work experience and reached out to Asma for some advice. Shortly after she traded the textbooks for an Apprenticeship at Chadwick Lawrence. “I just knew that I wanted to learn from the best. Asma was so helpful and encouraging and I was so happy when I joined her team in 2016.”

Life in litigation is interesting, challenging and demanding, says Zoe. “What I’ve learned here is invaluable, working alongside the phenomenally talented and getting to be really hands on this early in my career is a huge benefit that definitely set me up for success from the start.”

Head of HR Lisa Bailey says: “Zoe’s background in customer service served her well she had great transferrable skills from the start. She’s very personable and bubbly and fit in with the team. She’s excelled since joining us and is a great example of how our Apprenticeship scheme works.”

Zoe is the first to admit she initially found the prospect of being surrounded by a company of lawyers daunting. “I thought it might be quite intimidating at first, but it wasn’t. The team has given me a lot of support and confidence. So, something I thought was out of my reach was possible because of the amazing people at Chadwick Lawrence. I’m so glad I took that work placement all those years ago,” says Zoe.

“Nowhere else I’d rather be”

During her training Zoe has worked across multiple departments, gaining experience across the corporate legal landscape, and has found her work home in the Corporate Recovery & Insolvency team. She represents clients involved in commercial disputes and is now responsible for her own caseload as well as assisting partners with bigger case files.

Her CILEX studies involve a combination of exams and completing a portfolio of work that she will submit a year after her final exam in January 2023. She will become fully qualified in March 2024.

“I love being a part of this incredible firm,” says Zoe. “My favourite part of the job is being in court representing clients and seeing all the hard work we do pay off for them. There’s also a real sense of family here, and I don’t mean that in a cheesy way, it’s very professional and supportive. Asma is my boss and my inspiration and I’m thankful for her. I feel valued and supported and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

What advice does Zoe have for students considering a legal career? “Grab any opportunity that you are offered. Whether it’s at a law firm, or a local courthouse. Talk to people who are doing the job about what it’s really like and get some experience for yourself. Even if you don’t think you have the right background or qualifications it’s well worth asking – there are a lot of transferrable skills.”

About CILEX

CILEX Training Scheme (Chartered Institute of Legal Executives)

CILEX is the professional association and governing body for Chartered Legal Executive Lawyers, other legal practitioners, and paralegals. It offers people a route to a legal career and becoming a qualified lawyer, without having to have a law degree. But law graduates and graduates with non-law degrees can also qualify as a lawyer through this route.

The CILEX Training Scheme is an alternative route to doing a law degree. This is a legal Apprenticeship, which is a structured Government-run Apprenticeship program which, once completed, qualifies the Apprentice as a Legal Executive.

The training scheme ends with completing CILEX Levels 3 and 6, which consists of various legal modules and examinations. Timescales are flexible according to personal and professional needs. However, on a part-time basis the course usually takes 4 years to complete.