Hear from Wilson Browne Solicitors‘ Olivia Sullivan, Paralegal, about her journey to career success and her experience with online learning.
What inspired you to pursue a career in law?
“My journey into law started when I assisted an unaccompanied asylum seeking child during a work experience opportunity. This sparked my interest in law as I realised the power legal professionals hold over an individual in their day to day lives. This led me to choose law at my A-levels and I then went on to study law at university.”
What are your top tips for getting ahead in your legal career?
“My top tip and the best tip that I could give is to put yourself forward for any opportunity that you’re given. For example, if you’re invited to attend a particular event, say yes to it. If you’re asked to do a piece of work that might be out of your comfort zone, say yes to it. I think the best thing to do when you’re starting out in your career is just to say yes to as many opportunities as possible. Get your name out there. You’re not only making yourself known, but you’re also representing the company that you work for.”
What benefits have you found to studying online?
“Online studying is great if something unexpectedly crops up. For example, not too long ago, I broke down on the side of the M18, meaning that I was left on the side of the road for over 5 hours in the dark, waiting for a recovery vehicle to pick me up. Rather than having the pressure of thinking, I’ve got to attend a class at this place the next day, instead, I could actually give myself some time to rest and I could then pick up my studying online later on in the day when it suited me and I was ready to pick it up again.”
How do you keep on top of your studies?
“I remember to get my studying done by keeping lots and lots of to do lists. I find that by colour coding it into subject order it helps me stay on top of it so I know what I’ve got to do. I then look at my week as a whole and see where I can factor each task into my my schedule.”
How do you fit life around your studies?
“So the way that I make sure that I have time to do the things that make me, me, is by allocating one day a week where I take that completely off of working, thinking about working and studying. For me, this is a Sunday. I make sure that I always spend a Sunday with my friends or my family or running errands or doing anything that I need to do. And that’s the way that I stay organised and do everything that I want to.”
What does your typical study routine look like?
“My typical study routine is maybe not something that other people may choose to do, but I personally choose to get up early in the morning and study before I come into work. I’m a morning person rather than an evening person, and I find that I’m more switched on and ready to learn at the at the start of the day. So I wake up at six and I study until half seven. That gives me an hour and a half of studying done before I come into work. I then get ready and do my 9 to 5 day and then when I get home in the evening, I know that the evening is mine to do what I want with it. Whether that be seeing friends, family or other things that I want to do.”
How does offering training set Wilson Browne apart from other firms?
“Wilson Browne offering training courses sets them apart because it shows that they’re invested in the people that they hire and that they’re committed to training them to allow them to do their best whilst they work there.”
Interested in an online course? Find out more about online learning and some of our legal courses by downloading our Course Comparison Guide.
