I really enjoyed my time at College and just how different it was to secondary school. Being able to choose subjects I was genuinely interested in made a real difference, as everyone else in the class was in the same position. As someone with a creative streak, I wanted at least one of my subjects to serve as a creative outlet and I am firm advocate for choosing subjects that you genuinely enjoy and will thrive in, rather than those you feel obliged to take.

When I decided to go to university, it quickly became apparent that you must be self-disciplined with your coursework and study. College helped me to gain those skills in independence, and these proved valuable not only at university but in my subsequent career.

As a first-generation university student, the path to Higher Education was not straightforward. During my time at College, there were times when I wrestled with the decision of whether to go at all. It was unchartered territory for my family and at the time there was little information about alternative routes into law. Several trips to the University of Portsmouth helped to turn this uncertainty into genuine excitement and as clichéd as it may sound, motivated me to turn my goals into a reality.

I went on to study for the Law (LLB) for three years, covering a variety of areas in law alongside practical skills such as advocacy. One element I particularly valued was the option to undertake a placement at a law firm instead of a traditional dissertation. Making this choice gave me an early – and invaluable – window into legal practice. It was something I found particularly beneficial as someone with no ‘connections’ in the legal industry.

Like many law graduates, securing a training contract was a significant challenge, particularly as I graduated during the pandemic, which left with me limited work experience in an already competitive market. I had originally planned to begin my Legal Practice Course and Master of Laws in September 2020, but without a training contract secured, I would have had to self-fund a portion of my postgraduate studies. When the hospitality industry reopened in the summer of 2020, I landed myself a job working in a restaurant to financially support myself and deferred my postgraduate studies to January 2021.

Once I completed my studies at the start of 2022, my focus turned to Paralegal and Legal Assistant positions, recognising their value as a foundation for the skills I would need in practice and as a trainee solicitor. I joined DMH Stallard at the end of August 2022 as a Paralegal in Private Client team in one of the firms’ regional offices, before transitioning to the Family team in the London office. The firm really values career development and following an assessment process, I was successful in securing a Training Contact for September 2023, and subsequently qualified as a Solicitor in September 2025.

Upon reflection, I wish I’d known that connections in the industry and A Level results are not the be-all-and-end-all. Whilst some universities and/or firms favour the traditional A-Levels or impose grade requirements, if you are unsure on where you want your career to take you, I would always recommend that you study subjects you have a genuine interest in.

Having entered the legal industry with limited legal work experience, I also wish I had known sooner how much the skills I developed in my part-time jobs since the age of 16 would be recognised as genuinely transferable in the legal profession. When interviewing for the Paralegal role, I was surprised at how easy it was to link the skills I learnt in retail, food and beverage, and hospitality, to the basic skills I needed as a solicitor.

Comparison is the thief of joy – while it can be easy to compare yourself to your peers who may be on a different trajectory or timeline to you, it’s important to recognise that the destination is the end goal, regardless of the journey you need to take. With hindsight, I can see now that my previous rejections were redirection, and that entering the legal profession as a Paralegal rather than as a Trainee Solicitor allowed me to develop those essential client care skills and gain a practical understanding of how a law firm operates in practice.

Courtney Cummins
Reigate College: 2015-2017
Higher Education: BA Law LLB, University of Portsmouth and LPC LLM, University of Law
Currently: Solicitor, DMH Stallard LLP