For Trish Coutts, becoming a Licensed Conveyancer has been the result of decades of dedication, steady progression and the right support at the right time.
“When I left school, university just wasn’t an option for me. I wasn’t sure what career path I wanted to take,” Trish explains. “I started off as an office junior straight out of school, then I moved to a junior secretarial role, then on to legal secretary and then I was a legal assistant to the head of conveyancing. I was then promoted to fee earner, a conveyancer in my own right, whilst I was finishing my studies. I passed my final CLC exams and now I’m a fully qualified Licensed Conveyancer and an associate of my current firm.”
After more than 27 years working in the same firm, Trish decided it was time to finally achieve her professional qualification. Initially studying through CILEX before taking a break to have her children, she later chose to switch to the CLC (Council for Licensed Conveyancers) route, which suited her conveyancing expertise and busy lifestyle.
“When I decided it was time to finish my qualifications, the CILEX route had changed quite a lot. As I’d only ever worked in conveyancing, I knew I didn’t want to practise anything else, so it made sense for me to finish with the CLC pathway because I could finish off the last few exams that I needed to do and then qualify that way.”
With a full-time job and children to care for, flexibility was essential. And Trish found that flexibility at Law Training Centre.
Studying online whilst working allowed her to combine theory with practical experience: “It was really important because I was still learning on the job every day. The theory that I was learning on the course tied in really well with my practical experience.”
Trish was recommended to Law Training Centre by a colleague and immediately felt confident with her choice. “Both of my tutors were really great, really responsive, really good in their communication and how they were explaining things to me,” she says. “The manuals were really clear, really set out well. I thought it was all clear and concise.”
The ability to study at her own pace was a huge advantage: “Being able to pick it up and put it down when I could and do it at my own pace was brilliant. You had to be really disciplined, but the flexibility with the course was great and at the end of the day, it was worth it.”
Now a qualified Licensed Conveyancer, it’s clear that Trish’s hard work paid off – and her career has progressed as a result. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. Since I’ve qualified, I’ve also been promoted to Associate,” Trish tells us. “Hopefully at some point I’ll take on more responsibilities within my team, supporting others perhaps thinking about also taking this sort of qualification.”
To anyone considering taking the same route, Trish gives her advice: “Go for it. You won’t regret it. It’s hard work and you need to be patient and disciplined, but it’s 100% worth it.”
She also encourages employers to support their teams: “They’re only investing in the future of the firm. At the end of the day, those people taking the qualifications are only going to go on to do better work for the firm.”
Looking back, she reflects on how far she’s come, telling us, “I wish I could have said to myself all those years back, you can do it! Even though it just seemed unachievable, you can do it.”
