Your careers questions answered

 Q. I am under pressure at work to bring in more business. Before the pandemic, I picked up most of my new clients through regular contacts and networking events but have struggled without face-to-face events and meetings. Even as restrictions lift, I realise that I need to build up my personal profile online, but where do I start?

Emma: Many networking organisations have been running events online, and there are still lots to choose from. Go ahead and sign up to get involved. With everyone in the same position, it is possible to make new contacts and generate business in this way. Don’t be afraid to ask for video call meetings rather than voice calls as this can be a better way to make a connection with a prospective client or referrer.

Be active on LinkedIn and make sure you have a comprehensive profile detailing what you can offer. Follow organisations and individuals who might refer to you and post and comment on topical articles or other relevant content that will raise your profile in a positive way.

You might want to write your own blog for your firm’s website – it could be an advice Q&A, give top tips or be an opinion based on your knowledge of trends or new developments in your area of practice.

You can use the blog as a reason to get in touch with your contacts directly and post on LinkedIn (or other social media) to generate interest in your skills and experience. If you begin to have these online conversations now, you can follow up in person as we return to normal.

Lisa: Transitioning to building virtual professional networks and continuing business development at home can seem challenging but the removal of geographical boundaries can actually work to your advantage, giving you access to a wider contact pool.

Continue to build your knowledge of market trends in your area of expertise and consider the challenges your future clients are facing – you could start a conversation over LinkedIn by suggesting solutions to challenges their business is likely to be tackling.

Ensure you are allocating time to work on building your virtual network each week and share your ideas with colleagues – it is highly likely you are not alone in finding virtual business development a challenge.

Look for opportunities to learn how best to build virtual networks and utilise online platforms by signing up to webinars and training sessions – there is a wealth of resources to support this online.

You could also look at joining up your networks (both internal and external). Sharing a useful contact with a colleague or peer and identifying linkages is a great way to build rapport and you will often find others will help in a similar way by returning the favour. 

Louise: Since the pandemic began, law firms and lawyers have had to enhance their virtual shop windows, especially those who work for high street firms who may well have been used to clients stepping in off the street to make enquiries. Similarly, those who would usually attend court in person and receive instructions from new clients who approach them in the court waiting areas have had to adjust.

We have all had to adapt to communicating in a different way and presenting to prospective clients in a virtual environment can be really challenging. In person, we rely on reading cues from a client’s body language to gauge whether they are comfortable and feel confident in your representation but when everything is on screen it is more difficult to make an impact.

You many find CILEX’s webinar ‘Presenting with Impact’ helpful. You can find the recording in the MyCILEX Webinars tile in myCareer which can be accessed via your myCILEX account.

Q. I work as a legal secretary and am currently studying towards my CILEX qualification in the student grade of membership. At the moment, my role is almost entirely administrative but if I am going to qualify with CILEX I need to build up more experience undertaking wholly legal work, taking on at least 20 hours a week, far more than I am doing now. How should I approach this?

Louise: Assuming that your employer is aware that you are studying towards your CILEX qualification, you are going to need to broach this subject with them. It is important you highlight the benefits for them of actively supporting you to achieve qualification as a CILEX Lawyer. Explain that, by progressing your studies, you are going to be able to undertake far more detailed and complex work for your employer and that some of your work, as long as it is supervised, could be chargeable to the client.

Be clear on why progression is important to you and that you are committed to becoming a CILEX Lawyer. You could also take some time to show them the exact requirements as set out by CILEx Regulation, so that they understand what type of work they will need to allow you to undertake in order for you to be assessed as being in qualifying employment.

Lisa: Well done on taking the next step in your career. In my experience, law firms are generally very supportive of legal secretaries who want to progress their careers and open up new opportunities through CILEX, so your firm is likely to be receptive to your request.

At my firm, some legal secretaries undertake hybrid roles, combining administrative tasks with paralegal tasks to gain legal experience. Dawn Gowland, a paralegal in our construction and engineering team who has worked in a hybrid role, suggested letting your team know when you have any capacity for extra tasks. Making sure your team are aware that you are available and keen to carry out wholly legal work will mean you are likely to get work from a variety of sources and can show what you are capable of, meaning you are likely to be sought after for further help in the future.

She also suggested asking if you might have a senior mentor to support your learning and requirement to undertake additional legal work – Dawn’s experience was that this proved invaluable, helping her to identify any gaps in her knowledge and improving her personal development and confidence.

Emma: Explain to your line manager why this could be a win-win arrangement and proactively come up with suggestions on how it might work. If you are able to, offer extra hours for a short period of time, allowing you to shadow someone so that you can get you up to speed.

Ultimately, if your firm is not able to offer you the experience you need, it may be time to look elsewhere, exploring the alternative positions that are out there or speaking to a recruitment agency about roles that could give you more legal work experience. That said, these roles are not easy to find – law firms generally want experienced paralegals – so I would advise doing as much as you can to agree work experience with your current firm.

For more information on qualifying employment, you can visit the CILEX Regulation website: Making an application for Qualifying Employment - CILEx Regulation. If you are worried about having a career conversation with your employer, the learning content on myCareer may help to ease any anxiety.

If you have any career questions for our panel please email editor@cilex.org.uk