Hear from Wilson Browne Solicitors‘ Joe Weston, Employment Law Solicitor, about his journey to a career in law, what inspired him, and how he succeeded in his online training.
What attracted you to law?
“I liked law because it gave me the opportunity to study something and then put it into practise. So, I had initially looked at doing something like languages, but I preferred a route that had a more vocational aspect to it. And particularly with employment law, I like something that has a practical implication in every day. Everybody will encounter employment law, whether they’re an employee or an employer. And it’s just nice to be able to have that insight into everybody’s, sort of, day to day working life.”
What advice would you give to someone looking to study law?
“So I think for anybody looking to study law or particularly employment law, I think it’s really important to get to grips with and sort of research websites like Practical Law. It’s a really fast changing, developing part of law, so it’s important to always be up to date with both current events in the news and legislative changes.”
How did you keep on top of your studies?
“In order to help me remember to get my studying done, I usually relied on the technology that we use in our day to day lives anyway. So there are apps on phones for reminders, notes, things like that. So I’d make sure that something popped up at the right time when I needed to get something done, and then generally just having a routine and keeping to it as much as you can just helps to set in those ways of thinking where you don’t have to actually make a conscious effort to start studying, for example.”
How did you prioritise and keep a work-life balance?
“I tried to keep a balance between work and family and everything else by compartmentalising as much as I could. So when I was studying, I would try to focus as much as I could on that one particular aspect and not allow anything else to distract me. And then likewise, once I’d finished studying and I was spending time doing something else, I would try to make sure that I wasn’t constantly thinking about any assignments I had to do or lectures that I had just done so that I could be fully present in whatever it was I was doing at the time.”
Do you have any tips for staying motivated?
“I think just having whatever end goal that you sort of started the course with. So whether you’re studying a law degree and you want to become a solicitor or whatever it is that you’re studying, you started doing it for a reason, so keep that goal in mind and don’t let any sort of boredoms or distractions get in the way of that.”
How does the firm benefit from supporting training?
“I think it helps people develop a greater sense of job satisfaction. They’re able to pursue their own interests and become a more well rounded or more knowledgeable solicitor, if they’re solicitor, for example. And it also helps to keep staff happy and content in their jobs so that they’re always challenging themselves and looking towards the future and developing their potential.”
Do you have any final words of advice?
“I think the opportunity to study online is something I would encourage anybody to take a hold of. I think it really helps to allow people from all walks of life to fit study around any other commitments that they might have. With everything being digital and online, you can access the resources when it suits you. So if you need to go back over something or if you found something just particularly interesting, you can in your spare time, go and have a look and repeat the course or have a look at the materials when it suits you. And I think just having that flexibility is the primary benefit of online study.”
Interested in an online course? Find out more about online learning and some of our legal courses by downloading our Course Comparison Guide.
