Anna's Route to becoming a Qualified Solicitor
Recently qualified solicitor Anna Woodcock looks at her unusual route into the law and encourages others to explore their options, never underestimate the power of people and connections, and not give up.
“I was told by a careers advisor not to do law at university as I was not confident enough, and it was a competitive field. I had done law at A level and got an A – I was interested in it, but put off by the careers advisors comments, and felt like I didn’t want it enough. I did find criminal law fascinating, but was unsure as to what career I wanted. I completed an undergraduate degree in Criminology at Lancaster University back in 2010 and absolutely loved it.
“I graduated into a recession and was told there were no jobs. I did not have enough money to continue onto post-grad study and I wouldn’t have known what to pick anyway. I thought about joining the police, but most forces had a recruitment freeze due to the economic climate. I had worked as a waitress, hotel housekeeper and bar staff all through college and Uni, and had several volunteer and university society roles on my CV which was a good start. Although it was hard to find something, I managed to get a job as a barista in a coffee shop. This was my first full time job, and I worked there for a few months until I cycled across Europe – a cheap and green way to go travelling and would highly recommend!
“When I got back to the UK, I volunteered as a Police station custody visitor and then managed to secure my first office-based role as an office administrator for an engineering firm. It wasn’t really what I wanted to do, but it was good experience, and I saved up and bought a ticket to Australia. I travelled around and worked for a year before coming back home. I did all sorts of jobs, including a bicycle taxi rider, factory worker and door to door sales, as well as having a lot of fun.
“I flew back to the UK and went straight to Cornwall. I still had no idea what I wanted to do, but I knew I needed a job and somewhere to live...so I got 2 in 1. Within a week I had secured a live-in-job at a hotel for the summer season and ended up staying 6 months.
“I then moved to Belfast and joined a temping agency. It was a great way to get temporary jobs quickly and gain a lot of experience doing different things. I mostly worked in office administration. In 2015 I then joined the British Army as a Royal Military Police (RMP) Non-Commissioned Officer where I served for about 4.5 years and lived in places including Canada, Kenya, and the UK. The responsibility, teamwork, resilience, and confidence I gained through my experiences in the RMP truly are unparalleled to anything else I have done.
“I made the decision to leave the Army for a lot of reasons. One was that I wanted to train to be a solicitor. I was finally ready to settle down and had enough money saved for the GDL and LPC. I initially wanted to be a criminal solicitor. I began my GDL (conversion course) part time in my last six months in the Army, as I couldn’t be deployed, I knew I could attend the lectures.
“I left the Army in January 2020… excellent timing to start a career change, however the pandemic didn’t stop me. Due to my Army experience, and the fact that I chatted a lot about cycle touring (never underestimate the power of common interests with your interviewer!), I landed my first role in the “traditional” legal sector as a paralegal in the PI low costs team for a large national firm.
“They utilised my investigation experience from the RMP and I was basically the investigator on hit and run claims. That was my foot in the door, and my official title was Paralegal. The job was 100% remote due to lock down, and I worked and completed my GDL at the same time. This first role was for 18 months. I completed my GDL in June 2021, then started my LPC Jan 2022. In that time, I left my PI paralegal role and secured a job as a Commercial Property paralegal with a smaller firm in Sheffield. I had zero Commercial property experience at the time, but a bucket load of transferable skills, and again connected well with my interviewers.
“I then applied for a training contract at Wake Smith Solicitors. I did really well at my interview. A few weeks later, I received a call from them saying that I hadn’t been offered a training contract as they had already filled the 2 posts...however they were creating a new one so I could join them.
“They convinced me to join them early as a paralegal in their Comm Prop team, where I stayed for 17 months until I began my training contract with them in Sept 2023. I worked full time whilst studying for the LPC and masters part time – full-on but doable.
“My second seat of my training contract was in Private Client and it just clicked. The type of work, the clients, I loved it. Private client is the one and am excited to see where my career takes me. It is 15 years since I graduated from my undergraduate degree to my qualification as a solicitor.
“Although the route to qualification has changed, it is still difficult to gain experience and secure a role you are happy with. There is always pressure to get on the career ladder straight away, but by taking a little time and exploring alternatives, you can stand out from other applicants, and have a great time along the way! It may just be that the alternative route leads you to your dream job that you had never even thought of.
“The skills I learnt from my varied jobs put me in good stead. I became resilient and adaptable, and can attend networking events confidently and interview well.
“You will be working for the majority of your life – so my advice would be to explore your options and you will eventually find your place!”
Applications for our 2027 intake are now open. Click here to find out more
To hear more from Anna and our previous trainees watch our webinar 'Insights to Wake Smith Training Contracts' click below.
Published 15/09/25