He says: “I’m aiming to complete the academic studies with Law Training Centre by June or July. Because I have an English Law degree, I only need to do three professional notary modules with Law Training Centre. Once I pass these, which I aim to do by the summer, I can start the two-year practice course at UCL in September. I will then hopefully qualify as a notary in 2025.” 

Because Roman is completing his studies in such a short timeframe, he is adding significant pressure to himself. He says: “It is very intense to do it so quickly, especially working full-time. I study pretty much every weekday and at least five or six hours every day over the weekend. It’s hard, but I don’t want to miss another year. If I can’t start the practice course* in September, I won’t be able to enrol until September 2024, so I would prefer to push myself more over the next couple of months to get where I want to be.” 

The route to scrivener notary

Roman’s long-term ambition is to become a scrivener notary, so he is also considering which language to take as his third to become a scrivener notary. Roman already speaks his native language, Russian, as well as English. He came to the UK from Tatarstan, Russia, in September 2015 and completed a foundation year studying humanities and social science at Queen Mary University of London. He went on to study his LLB (Hons) at Anglia Ruskin University and completed this in January 2020, just one month before the pandemic hit.  

He says: “Thankfully, as I had been working in retail to fund my studies and life here in the UK, I was furloughed and able to stay here to consider the next steps in my legal career. In January 2021, I got a job as an intern at a small one-person law firm to gain some work experience.” 

A love for law and problem-solving

When Roman saw an advertisement for a notary trainee role with Saville and Co in the summer 2022, he jumped at the opportunity to become qualified in a profession that would combine his love for the law as well as his problem solving and language skills. Roman joined the scrivener notary firm in October 2022, immediately starting his notary training with Law Training Centre.  

He says: “I really love law. It’s always been my favourite subject and I wanted to work in the legal sector. But the role of notary has a greater appeal for me than a solicitor because of its greater international element and it being very transactional and procedural. You have a structure to follow and specific systems in place, and there’s a lot of problem solving. I love using these skills so combining these with law is perfect.” 

Roman is enjoying learning with Law Training Centre. “It’s very good. I like the topics and the fact you can choose your own assessment dates. The online materials are good too. The tutor, Steven, is very responsive, even on weekends.” 

Law Training Centre wishes Roman all the best in his endeavours to qualify by 2025.  

Law Training Centre offers learners unique flexibility through our online learning platform. All course materials are available on demand along with responsive tutor support. This means learners can complete the course at their own pace, whether that be full-time or part-time. The time needed will vary based on the learner’s knowledge, experience, and time available to study.  

* To become a notary there are three stages: the Notarial Academic Training Course delivered by Law Training Centre; stage 2 is the Notarial Practice course run by University College of London; then stage 3 is appointment by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Read more in this Guide for Law Graduates.