Level 2 Legal Secretary and Level 3 Legal Administration Apprenticeship
"I am forever grateful to have done this course otherwise I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today!"
Paige Dunbar - Team Executive – Real Estate at Bird & Bird LLP, London
How long have you worked there?
I have worked at Bird & Bird since September 2017.
What are your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities in your current position?
My responsibilities vary daily however, my usual tasks include:
- Managing different diaries
- Liaising with different teams in the office (i.e. billers, accounts, compliance team)
- Setting up conflict checks and matter openings
- Engagement Letters
- Arranging external and internal meetings
- Research
- Companies House filings
- Land Registry applications
- Compile different documents
- Amending documents
- Liaising with the fee earners clients (i.e. arranging documents to be sent, sorting meetings, payment details, expected funds etc.)
- Uploading invoices onto our system
- Creating and submitting Local Authority searches
- Creating different forms (i.e. client account payment, etc)
How many people do you provide support to?
I currently have 1 partner, 2 senior associates and a junior associate who I look after in Real Estate. I am also on hand to assist the fee earners in the Banking and Aviation team.
Is there anything interesting you have done in your role that is not a typical admin or secretarial task?
We have a search supplier called, Search Acumen, whereby I map different plans out onto their portal from a lease we may be dealing with and so our client needs to obtain Local Authority searches to check around the area. Once I map the area out, I can then obtain a quote from different suppliers on the portal before we submit the searches.
I have recently undertaken training with our Paralegal where I can now file Land Registry Applications. These include, registering different Leases, Transfer forms, Discharges, etc.
I can now also submit SDLT applications to HMRC Shipley, as well as register Charges to Companies House.
I really enjoy this part of my role as it is very different to the average PA job, it makes me feel more involved with my fee earners and I get to learn the different leases/work we are currently dealing with.
What do you like most about your role?
I love how friendly my department is, but not just that the whole office. Everyone is very supportive of one another and teamwork is a major part of why I love this firm. There is always something to learn and achieve.
The sky is your limit!
What personal qualities and/or skills have you developed in your role?
I have developed great communication skills within my time at Bird & Bird LLP. When I first started, I was so worried about being on the phone to clients or external suppliers (sometimes I used to go in a meeting room, so no one could hear me). However, once the first few phone calls are over with, it is now my daily job to call people and I feel it just comes naturally to me.
I feel I have become much better at multitasking. The PA duties can sometimes be very long on a busy day, so being organised and adaptable is key for this.
What is your future career aspiration?
My future aspiration is to become a Business Support Manager, where I can show and pass on everything I have achieved to the new trainee/apprentice Pas. I would also like to become more involved with recruiting new Pas and provide/arrange different types of training to assist the new apprentices. The PA role is forever evolving, so must we.
Academic year(s) at North Kent College?
2017-2018 Level 3 Legal Administration Apprenticeship
2016-2017 Level 2 Legal Secretary
Why did you choose to take the Legal Secretarial course?
I have always been interested in Law, and this is something I knew I wanted to get into so when I came to North Kent College I just knew this course was for me.
How did the Level 3 Legal Admin Apprenticeship differ from the Level 3 Legal Secretary course? What did you enjoy? What was difficult?
So, I went to work at Bird & Bird 4 days in the week and then 1 full day at college. I love the fact that at 17, I was going up town to work as it made me feel like an adult and that is exactly how I was being treated.
Trying to cram 3/4 days at college into 1 full day, you would think would be stressful but to me that is what I enjoyed. It was a challenge but with all the support from my college teachers and my manager at Bird & Bird, I was able to complete the apprenticeship easier than what I thought I would. I would just put my head down in college for the 1 full day and make sure all my work was completed, but also some days in work my manager would let me get on with college work if I was a little behind but she would also help me with it so I was never alone.
I also met some girls at Bird & Bird, which I am still good friends with, who had just finished the Level 3 Legal Secretary course at North Kent College. I remember them telling me how lucky I was to be able to work whilst still getting my qualifications. They were all very helpful to me and if I ever needed assistance, they were there and still are!
I must say, from what I remember, I don’t think anything was difficult! If I could go back now, there would be nothing that I would change.
How well did the Apprenticeship and the CILEx Level 3 Diploma for Legal Secretaries qualification prepare you for your first role (following the apprenticeship)?
Once I finished my apprenticeship in the Commercial department, I then went on to become a Trainee Personal Assistant. This meant, I would spend a few months in different departments in the office, these included:
- Real Estate
- Dispute Resolution
- Employment
- Intellectual Property
I loved all the departments and being able to see how different people worked was great. After 1 year of being a Trainee PA, I then become a Junior PA in the Real Estate department for 2 years. I was given my own people to work for and felt right at home! July 2020, I was promoted to a Team Executive for the Real Estate department, as well as the Banking and Aviation team.
My apprenticeship definitely prepared me for the Trainee PA role, as I already knew quite a few people in the firm and I was able to bring my different skills learnt to the different departments.
Would you recommend the course?
One hundred percent. I am forever grateful to have done this course otherwise I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today!