Emily Clark’s NLS Journey

Emily Clark’s NLS Journey

Let’s travel back in time to April 2019. Doesn’t that feel a lifetime ago? Nobody had heard of Covid-19, and we were all still in the office 5 days a week. For me, April 2019 was a pivotal month because it was when my journey began as a family paralegal here at NLS. I had interviewed the month prior and headed down to our London office for some new starter training.

Even though the firm said I could expense my travel, I didn’t want to seem like I was taking advantage so instead of taking the train, I decided to take a coach which was the cheapest option – a decision that I bitterly regret. My coach home blew a tyre on the M1 outside of Milton Keynes, leaving us stranded on the hard shoulder then later at a random bus station in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t get home until around 2am, with my first day in the Sheffield office just hours later.

This was my first real legal job, and I was so excited and nervous at the same time. I had some experience from university law clinics and a graduate job giving telephone legal advice too but looking back, I knew so little. Luckily, my supervisor Lindy, took me under her wing and taught me everything that there is to know about non-molestation orders. Over time, she added occupation orders and child arrangements proceedings into the mix.

I still remember doing advocacy at a hearing for the first time. It was an ex parte hearing at Sheffield Court and I was absolutely terrified. Although I shadowed Lindy many times before, this was my first time taking the lead and she believed I was ready and she was right because I secured the order. I got back to the office feeling absolutely elated and found that Lindy had left a millionaire’s shortbread on my desk and a little note saying ‘well done’. In time my advocacy skills expanded to including on notice and return non-molestation hearings as well.

Then March 2020 happened, and the world went into lockdown. Thankfully, NLS’s cloud-based systems made the transition to remote working relatively smooth, but those early days of virtual hearings were surreal and judges came out of retirement to help with the unprecedented caseload. I remember one such Judge having to conclude a hearing on his mobile, as he could not get a Respondent off the line as he was shouting, loudly, about how the Judge, the social worker and I were all going to be smited.

It was during lockdown that I decided I wanted to pursue LPC studies. I think this is where I was truly blessed by working at NLS, as the firm offered to pay my study costs. You know when you have one of those, “pinch me, is this real?” moments? That’s what this moment felt like to me.

I did my LPC part time whilst continuing to work full time and raise my daughter. There were moments where I questioned my sanity. Yet somehow, I completed the LPC with a commendation and my sanity still intact.

During the LPC studies, I interviewed for a training contract with the firm. Despite my progress, I was absolutely terrified at the prospect of this interview. I told our training principle, and head of family, Kirsty, about my fear as we started the interview. I can still picture it clear as day when Kirsty suggested that she had a solution for my nerves and donned a pair of minnie mouse ears.

To my absolute delight, I was offered a training contract with NLS commencing in 2022. Over the course of the next two years, my supervisor started to give me more complex cases and pushed me to develop my own style as a lawyer and advocate.

On 13 March 2024, I achieved one of the proudest milestones of my life: I was admitted to the roll of solicitors. And just 9 months later, on 12 November 2024, I earned my Family Law Advanced Accreditation.

The past six years have been transformative. I started at NLS as a fresh graduate with so much to learn. Today, I am proud to call myself an expert in my field. None of this would have been possible without the incredible support of my colleagues at NLS. Working alongside such a wonderful team has truly been a privilege.

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