Many of our readers are studying in London, and a good proportion of those have their sights set on remaining here within the City for their early career. However, this isn’t for everyone, and indeed looking further afield can hold huge benefits. Here we have a piece from Alexandra McVean, Solicitor in the Contentious Trust and Probate team at Wilsons Solicitors to tell us why no-one should rule out working in a regional firm.

Many budding and newly-qualified lawyers would be forgiven in thinking that large London law firms are the only option for those looking to pursue an ambitious career, with the weight given to this by law schools, legal culture and the headlines.  In reality, this assumption could not be further from the truth.

Unfortunately, there are still misconceptions about legal careers outside of London, particularly in rural areas.  Many of my peers gravitated to London in search of opportunities they believed regional firms did not offer.  Just like me, they wanted the opportunity to work on exciting and challenging matters which would act as a springboard for a successful legal career, but they did not think this was achievable outside London.

I have found that regional law firms offer plenty of opportunities to work on varied, interesting and complex cases with the added benefit of, arguably, faster career progression which attracts some of the most ambitious lawyers.

I work in the contentious trust and probate department at Wilsons in Salisbury.  It is a regional law firm with an office in London.  I work near to the New Forest and within an hour’s drive of the beach.  However, contrary to assumptions about non-London firms, we work with some of the biggest names across the country, and internationally too.  Some of our contentious trusts and probate clients are the largest charities in the country, and London firms tend to be on the opposing side.  Regional firms also tend to attract diverse work with plenty of local and rurally-based clients.  Wilsons works on substantial landed and historic estates, farms and on cases involving high net worth individuals who prefer to instruct a law firm that is local to them.  This means that we can build close working relationships with our clients, and we are well-positioned to assist them with their intriguing cases.

There is no doubt that London has a lot to offer a junior lawyer, such as a wide choice of activities, plenty of people to meet and things to do.  London also offers lots of exciting job opportunities but with this comes considerable competition.  Working at Wilsons has given me the opportunity to work with leading lawyers who have trained all over the country, including in London.  I am part of a specialist team of experts, and I work directly with partners which enables me to engage in complex cases that I otherwise would not get the opportunity to as a junior lawyer.  As regional firms tend to be smaller than the London firms, junior lawyers are given a greater level of responsibility than they otherwise would get. 

The partners at Wilsons have an open-door policy which means I am supported and mentored by experienced lawyers who are always available to answer a question that may feel “silly” or to bounce ideas off.  Junior lawyers are closely supervised by partners meaning that they can engage with their cases by speaking with clients and drafting advice.  It is common that, at larger, London-based firms, many junior lawyers are saddled with administrative tasks, and do not get as much hands-on experience in these areas.  This greater sense of autonomy means that I have the opportunity to stand out and make a good impression on the partners.  I am encouraged to take the initiative, and apply my knowledge and experience by suggesting solutions to client issues with support from senior solicitors, rather than just following their lead. I am encouraged to take responsibility for the cases I work on and put forward suggestions to progress cases.

From my experience, working at a regional law firm means being in a supportive, encouraging, and progressive environment with ambitious and likeminded colleagues.  It has been easy to develop close and positive working relationships due to the smaller headcount in the firm.  Wilsons has a welcoming and friendly environment where you feel like a contributor to their success and growth rather than just a “number”.  In my first week at Wilsons, the managing partner introduced himself and personally welcomed me to the firm.

The work in the contentious trusts and probate department at Wilsons is strategic and uses my problem-solving skills.  I enjoy the research and investigative element of the work, and then carefully curating a persuasive letter.  The rewarding and satisfactory feeling you get when the other party decides to drop their case because of your hard work and evidence-gathering is like no other.  For example, I’ve worked on cases where elderly people have been defrauded out of their money by their carers, children have taken advantage of their elderly parents by unduly influencing them to change their Will, and people have forged Wills.

Working at a regional law firm is great for ambitious lawyers who are keen to work in a progressive environment where they can build strong long-term working relationships, with a greater level of responsibility. Career progression up to partnership can also be quicker, given your greater visibility in the business and practical experience from day one.  If you are an ambitious aspiring lawyer who wants to progress in a law career outside of London then it is worth taking another look at regional firms.

Many thanks to Alexandra for this insightful piece into life as a solicitor in a regional firm.