Donna Carr is a CILEX Paralegal at the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors. She's training to be a CILEX Lawyer. Read more to find out how her journey started and how it's going so far...
Why did you take the CILEX route?
I decided that the CILEX route was the right one for me because of the flexibility that it allows to work around family time. I'm a mum of two and I also work full time. So being able to manage my study and manage my own time – and work at my own pace through those qualifications – was really important.
I first found out about CILEX when I was working for a law firm called Keoghs in a Paralegal role. I had a conversation with my director, and he encouraged me to enrol with CILEX and take my journey from there – I had graduated from De Montfort University in Leicester in 2008 with a law degree and worked in various paralegal and casework roles up to that point.
What difference will qualification make?
The biggest difference that qualifying will make, apart from being able to call myself a CILEX Lawyer, is that it will allow me to work more independently, increase my responsibility, and it will also increase earning potential. Currently my direct line manager supervises my work.
How hard is combining working and studying?
Working around family with study and full time is difficult but it's not impossible. It takes organisation and it takes commitment. Over and above work time, I think I comfortably study 10 hours a week, additional study time. I tend to prefer to study in the evenings, once the children have gone to bed, and then try and put aside a couple of hours at the weekend to work on studying as well.
How did you find preparing for exams?
When I studied with CILEX Law School, it was all through distance learning so most of my learning was done at home through the online portal and with the resources that are sent to you. However, at the end of the module there are various revision sessions dotted around the country. I attended the Salford day and was able to spend the day with my tutor and other students working through the module material in preparation for the exam.
How is specialising early helping you?
Studying with CILEX, we have a range of modules to choose from. I chose to do both Civil Litigation and Criminal Litigation because they both relate to the work that I was doing at the time. That really helped build my experience and knowledge and I've been able to apply that to work on a day-to-day basis.
When I qualify as a regulatory lawyer, at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, I’ll be responsible for enforcing any potential breaches of the rules, regulations or bylaws and that deep knowledge of litigation will be really valuable.
What are the benefits of being a CILEX member?
There are a range of benefits available to you as a CILEX member – from the webinars that you can access and the journal that's full of useful information and articles to the CPD courses that are available. There are also member benefits and discounts that you can access in everyday life – student discounts, gym memberships and experience days. But for me, having already done a law degree, the biggest benefit was being able to study flexibly whilst working full time and managing other family commitments on my route to qualification.
What’s next for you?
I've always wanted to qualify as a lawyer and studying with CILEX has enabled me to reach that goal. I really, really enjoy advocacy and speaking on behalf of people, so having this qualification will allow me to move to that next stage in my career and give me some flexibility about being able to advocate on behalf of others. I’m also looking at cross-qualifying as a solicitor, which, thanks to my CILEX qualification I’ll be able to do without a training contract. That just means that I'll be able to keep my options open in terms of employment opportunities as my career progresses.