We’re delighted to welcome newly-graduated, Paralegal, Anna Bisby to our James Legal ‘family’.
Securing your first job after graduating can be a daunting prospect and, in today’s world of employment, where roles are limited and hundreds of CVs cross managers’ desks every week, it’s important to go that extra mile to ensure you stand out.
Which is exactly what Anna, who has recently joined the commercial team to train as a paralegal after studying Law, did.
After finishing her LLB Law degree at Sheffield University with a 2:1, Anna, from Hull, was looking for her first opportunity to properly try out her new-found skills, and decided to put that little bit of extra effort into writing a personal letter enquiring about roles here.
“I came across the James Legal website and was really impressed. It was really refreshing to find a law firm that seemed so forward-thinking and innovative, I knew that it was exactly the kind of place I wanted to work,” she said.
“After doing a bit of research, I decided to send in a cover letter and CV, explaining that I have an interest in business law. I included some examples of what I’d learned from my university modules and shared my views on employment cases that were in the news at the time.
“To my delight, shortly after I sent in the material, the firm’s Managing Director, Simon Young, got in touch with me to arrange an interview and we went from there.”
While this might be her first professional role, it’s certainly not Anna’s first job, and her CV clearly showed her persistence and work ethic, having done a number of jobs while studying to help pay her way and gain as much experience in the legal sphere as possible.
A great opportunity to learn
So far, Anna has been working alongside Simon and our Senior Solicitor Byron Swarbrick, and learning all about commercial litigation, corporate and commercial, and employment law.
Her role as a paralegal involves shadowing our more senior solicitors as they manage cases, and looking after some of the admin involved, so that she can learn to eventually handle matters like them herself. It gives her ample chance to see how the theory she has learned over recent years is applied in practice.
Anna shared her favourite parts of the role so far: “I’ve really enjoyed seeing cases progress, and even though I’ve only been here a matter of months, I’ve seen some through from start to finish. Despite completing my degree, I’ve realised that practicing law is very different from learning about it. So, it’s made me realise how valuable this experience is.
“I’m also really grateful to have such a great team of people around me. Everyone is so supportive, and they really go out of their way to help me learn.”
James Legal’s MD and solicitor, Simon Young, also had a few words to say about Anna’s appointment:
“We recognised Anna’s strong work ethic as soon as she applied to work for us. What particularly stood out to me was the fact that she continued to work through COVID, and through the final year of her degree, and I can appreciate what a commitment that must have been.
“We can already tell she’s bright and hardworking; she’s making tremendous progress with us and learning things really quickly.
“Well done Anna, keep up the great work.
