Apprentice Paralegal Review
at Irwin Mitchell
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Legal/Law
Bristol
Review Submitted: March 2024
Overall Rating
4.3 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4/5
-
Overview of Role
5/5
-
Skills Development
4/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
I work in a busy team alongside our team of paralegals, assisting the solicitors with running their cases. I am involved in obtaining records, arranging meetings, drafting letters, sorting Court bundles, attending Court hearings, the list goes on. Every day is different and the variety means it's very interesting.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
I really enjoyed my programme and developed a lot of personal skills and improved my legal knowledge.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
I am constantly developing skills all the time. My communication skills within a team have improved, as well as my oral and written communication on a daily basis and understanding my audience, Court, client, barrister etc. My time management and planning skills have improved balancing a busy case load and meeting Court deadlines is crucial.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
3/5
The programme was quite well structed but there was definitely room for improvement from the external organisation.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
My employer has provided me full support from the moment I started my apprenticeship. From my line manager to the Partner of the team, I have been supported throughout my apprenticeship and even now I have finished. They are keen for me to progress in my career and have given me the opportunities to do just that.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
3/5
I did receive a fair amount of support from the training provider but this was more ad-hoc rather than the employer on a daily basis.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
I think it does massively help with the skills you learn and develop. As stated above, the skills I have developed come through the training but the qualification also improves your legal knowledge.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
5/5
Yes, within our organisation we have various committees like the charity foundation who organise office events to support our national charity partners, social committee who arrange Christmas and end of financial year parties (and adhoc social events), we get 14 hours of volunteering to use per calendar year, we attend networking events with charities and barristers chambers. There are groups like IM Aspiring, IM enable, being even better etc which can be joined. There are also a lot of other paralegals and juniors within each team/office to arrange social events and support each other.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Irwin Mitchell to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Excellent opportunities to progress both as an individual and in your career with promotions. As a market leader, we get interesting and a good quality of work, meaning we can work with the top medical experts, barristers and other external professionals.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Irwin Mitchell?
Be yourself, make sure you prepare and keep your options open to what area of law you are interested in.
