Talbots Law has marked the next stage of its 150-strong recruitment campaign in 2022 by setting 10 members of the team on their pathways to becoming qualified solicitors.
Adeela Ali, Cindy La, Denielle Chatta-Sandhu, Dominic Bowen, Emma McIntosh, Sharon Garcha, Shaye McInnis and Zara Rafiq became trainee solicitors earlier this month, each undertaking a training contract that will see them specialise in their chosen area of law, with the end goal of qualifying and joining the national roll of solicitors.
This is the second intake this year at the employee-owned Midlands law firm and brings the total number of current trainee solicitors to 17, with a commitment to offering a further 20 positions to other colleagues in 2023 and 2024.
The new trainees are joined by Abbie Danks and Ethan Davis, who both started their highly sought-after solicitor apprenticeships. This will see them progress through a work-based degree pathway while working at Talbots, earning the qualifications and experience required to become solicitors.
Rachel Pardoe, HR director at Talbots Law, said: “We are really pleased to have so many colleagues starting their training contracts and solicitor apprenticeships. This is testament to the commitment, quality and ability of the amazing people that are part of our employee-owned business.
“Investment in staff is so important to our business; we want to support and encourage them to be the best they can be, and our track-record of career development and high retention rates speak for themselves.
“Our new trainees and solicitor apprentices should all be incredibly proud of themselves, and we hope they’re enjoying the well-deserved celebrations that mark the start of the next chapter of their exciting journey.”
Back in 2018, Talbots pioneered a new SRA-approved approach to training contracts which allowed trainees to undertake thorough training in their chosen area of specialism pre-qualification.
The company, which invested £400,000 into a new HQ at the Waterfront earlier this year, builds its approach to career development focused on the individual; professional qualifications such as training contracts, SQE, apprenticeships, CILEx and CLC are factored into career progression plans for existing employees alongside workplace learning and what the firm refers to as “role-related progression”.
In addition to professional qualifications, it has celebrated role-related promotions for more than 150 of its 375 staff in 2022 alone.
The philosophy underlines part of Talbot’s “train to retain” approach, ensuring trainees are specialised and experienced enough to take on a NQ solicitor role on their qualification and to move forward on the next step of their career progression journey.
Denielle Chatta-Sandhu, a new trainee solicitor with Talbots, said: “It has long been my dream to become a solicitor and I feel incredibly grateful to Talbots for giving me an opportunity to achieve it.
“Through my legal work today, I have found a real passion for residential conveyancing and knowing I’ll now have the opportunity to specialise, build experience and, ultimately, qualify in this field has given me so much motivation to crack on and make my career everything I believe it can be.”
Abbie Danks, an apprentice solicitor with Talbots, said: “I got good A-levels, but the traditional university lifestyle and pathway just never appealed to me, despite the fact I knew I wanted to be a lawyer and that going to university was the widely accepted route to achieving that.
“At Talbots, I’ve been told since day one that I can make my career what I want it to be, and it feels incredible to have that promise fulfilled, enabling me to earn my degree and qualify as a solicitor in a way that feels so much better for me as a person. I’ve been given a unique opportunity and I’m so grateful for it.”
Talbots will continue to recruit aspiring solicitors into permanent legal assistant and paralegal roles with a view to them undertaking their training contracts or SQE qualifications.
The company is also actively recruiting for new positions in four of its eight offices, with opportunities becoming available throughout the year.
Rachel added: “A lot has happened in 2022 and this includes the launch of the prestigious new Talbots Training Academy, offering aspiring property lawyers the opportunity to join an initial intensive six-week work-based training programme before joining our national conveyancing department in a legal assistant role.”
