Georgina Schofield
Brewer, Harding & Rowe are extremely proud to present a series of articles written by 8 of our current staff which show the different routes into qualification as a fee earner within our firm.
Some of the articles explain that law was their first choice of career. For others, it was not the obvious choice, but one that was achieved regardless.
We are able to support those with a keen attitude to learn and progress within their careers at the firm. You shall read that of the 8 staff, 3 are now qualified solicitors, 1 a licensed conveyancer, 1 a CILEx and 2 are trainee solicitors, all of which we have trained and supported within the firm. All of these 8 individuals remain supported by us as their careers progress and successful careers are forecast.
Upon leaving college, and being truthfully honest, I did not know what I wanted to do; this led me to pursue my favourite A-level subject and studying a degree in Geography and Environmental Management with a placement year in industry. Following graduation, and with no clear direction on what I wanted to do, I was offered a management role in a trampoline park. I worked for the company for the next 5 years, progressing to operations and customer experience manager overseeing 3 sites with around 100 staff.
Then, whilst on maternity leave with my first child in 2019, and with COVID forcing temporarily closure of the leisure sites which I was managing, I found myself reassessing my career ambitions. Law was never an option for me to study at school or college, and so I had never explored the idea prior to this. My Husband and I discussed what I wanted from my career, and after speaking with his sister - a practising Solicitor, I set my sights on a future in Law. I initially looked at the Solicitor route, but as this required me to go back to university to complete a conversion course, I felt that it was not a feasible option; not only did I have my daughter to consider, but the practicality of funding this route without being able to work full-time meant it was ultimately not possible. On further research I discovered the option of qualifying through CILEx - this route provided a more economical and flexible alternative, that allowed me to work full-time whilst only needing to attend a local college one afternoon per week and studying in my spare time. I was offered a role in a large Law Firm in Exeter and spent the next 2 years there whilst completing my Level 3 qualification before going on maternity leave again.
During my leave, we relocated back to North Devon to build our new home. As commuting to Exeter was no longer possible with a young family, I started looking for a local firm and that’s when I started at Brewer Harding & Rowe. I continued my studies remotely via an online law school and now, 5 years down the line, I have successfully completed the academic stage and achieved my Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice. I am now in the final stages, which in order to obtain Fellow status and practice rights, require me to prepare two separate portfolios for submission in Summer 2026; all being well, I will be fully qualified by the end of next year.
The options via CILEx are now different to when I started my qualification as the Legacy route has been withdrawn with a new CPQ qualification taking its place. Whilst I am required to complete a separate portfolio to apply for practice rights, I understand that these are automatically included with the new route. With so many routes into Law, it can be difficult to know which one is right for you; however, I feel that the CILEx path allowed me to balance the demands of a busy life with studying. It has certainly been a challenging period, and something 18-year-old me would never have predicted, but I am extremely proud to be where I am now.