As Dapika Rall completes her training contract to become a solicitor, she reflects on how she started in law, her career journey so far and her thoughts to help other law graduates just starting out.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career path so far.
I grew up Leeds, and studied Spanish, English Literature, and Psychology for my A-Levels. I then went on to study Law with Spanish and Spanish Law at the University of Nottingham, during which time I also completed a year abroad in Spain. After graduating from university, I went on to complete the LPC with an integrated Masters at the University of Law in Leeds.
When did you know you wanted to become a lawyer?
I had always been unsure about what I wanted to do as a career but knew I would enjoy something that involved helping others. Being a lawyer seemed like an interesting career path to achieve this, and I decided I would study law when I started to apply for university. I didn’t know what type of law I wanted to go into until after studying the LPC, where I really enjoyed my Private Client and Employment Law modules and could see myself working in one of these areas of law.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be doing now?
If I wasn’t a lawyer, I would be doing something creative. Maybe with dance or theatre, or something to do with languages as I love learning new languages and would learn every language in the world if I could. I have always found the concept of a year abroad teaching English as a foreign language to be very exciting and would have absolutely considered this. Currently I am practising my Spanish skills, developing my Italian further, and learning Thai in my spare time.
Alternatively, I would be travelling around the world and working at each stop along the way to keep me going. I do still plan to travel around the world at some stage in life.
How did you find your LPC course?
The LPC course was a lot different to my undergraduate degree. It was much more focused on gaining an understanding of concepts independently and consolidating that understanding in workshops with the teachers, rather than being lectured and actively taught before going into more depth. It was an interesting course, and I think it prepared me a lot for how working in the legal industry really is (which is something you do not get taught during a law degree). I really enjoyed learning about Employment Law and the different cases that can arise in connection with a person’s employment and how these can be dealt with.
What tips would you share for finding a training contract?
I found my training contract by researching local firms, attending careers fairs at university, and using my university’s employability portal to check for opportunities. I think it is important to understand what type of work you are looking for and the type of firm you want to apply to. Then to prepare yourself for the different types of application/interview processes you will encounter.
Coming to Hartlaw for your training contract, what’s been your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge was adjusting to life when fully employed; I was not prepared for how exhausting it can be. I also think I found it challenging at first to balance all the tasks that needed to be completed, but I managed to overcome this by staying organised and keeping lots of lists to work through.
What have you really enjoyed?
I have really enjoyed getting to know the people I work with and being able to reach out for help when I need it. As well as meeting clients and getting to know them, as I think it has helped me to develop my ability to connect with people. I have become a more confident person overall.
For someone who is not sure if law is a career for them, what would you say?
If you are not sure if law is a career for you, that’s okay! I think everyone will always have doubts about whether they are making the right decision, and it is important to do what is best for you.
Some key skills to have as a lawyer are communication, time and stress management, and listening skills. It is imperative that you are able to communicate well with all clients and adapt how you approach different clients to their needs. Working in law is inevitably stressful and, at times, overwhelming and for this reason it is essential to be able to manage your time effectively and be able to manage your stress to avoid becoming burnt out. Listening to your clients is how you are able to deliver a great service; it is important to be able to listen and understand what a client needs when they come to you for advice.
Moving forward, what would be your best advice for a newly qualified solicitor?
Remember that it is okay to ask for help when you need it. While you might be officially a solicitor, you will still be very new to the career and will have a lot still left to learn. I think it is equally important to take every learning opportunity you can to make sure your knowledge and understanding of your practice area continues to develop.
You qualify shortly; what are your long-term career goals?
My long-term career goals involve becoming STEP qualified after a few years of working as a solicitor and to continue climbing the career ladder. I would like to develop myself professionally as much as possible.
If you take yourself back to graduating from uni, what would you like Dapika to have known then that you know now?
I would like Dapika to know that it’s okay to be unsure about what she is doing, even as she is graduating, and eventually, she will feel more certain in her decisions.
Dapika finishes her training contract and becomes a newly qualified solicitor later this month.
We are proud that Dapika is staying on as a permanent member of the Hartlaw Private Client Team and will be with us at the Yorkshire Legal Careers Fair next month to chat to other graduates looking to get into law. You can also find out more about working here at Hartlaw and the job opportunities available here.
