This post was originally featured on North of the Stupid Line, and has been amended to suit Deaf Blawg.
I qualified as a solicitor today, the culmination of nine years of hard work.
At the tender age of 14, I made the decision that I wanted to become a lawyer. A careers adviser at the time said that I couldn’t become a lawyer because it would be too difficult as I was Deaf. That was probably the best thing he could have ever said to me, as it just made me more determined to succeed.
During A Levels, I applied to the customary six universities, but the A Level European History teacher put me off applying to do a Law degree, as her son was a Cambridge University graduate and he couldn’t get a training contract. If that was true, then what chance did I have? This led me to apply to read History instead of Law.
After the first term at University of Wales Swansea during the 1998/1999 academic year, I began to have second thoughts about the History degree (although I was enjoying it), and made enquiries as to whether I could switch courses. The answer was affirmative, but there was a catch; I’d have to start the first year of the Law degree in the academic year 1999/2000, pushing me behind. The parents weren’t too thrilled with the idea, and I didn’t like the idea of having to work from January to August in the meantime. I decided to stick with my History degree, having obtained advice from the university’s Careers Centre, who informed me that I could do a conversion course after my degree, known as the Common Professional Examination or Postgraduate Diploma in Law, for a year. This course is specifically for non-law graduates.
So, having completed my History degree, I applied for a place on the CPE at the University of the West of England, Bristol, which was accepted. The CPE was the hardest thing I’ve ever done – it was non-stop studying for a full academic year, bearing in mind that it’s the equivalent of a three-year Law degree crammed into one year. I managed to pass it, and enrolled on the Legal Practice Course or Diploma in Legal Practice at Cardiff University.
Then came the difficult part, securing a training contract. I applied for over 150 training contracts since 2001, and despite having about 11 interviews, wasn’t offered one. I started work at the Royal Association for Deaf People in June 2003, the week after I completed the LPC, as an Advice Worker, and eventually was able to arrange a secondment to South West London Law Centres to do an 18-month training contract, beginning on 28 November 2005. Wanting to specialise in Employment Law, I arranged an additional secondment to Hugh James Solicitors for the last five months of the training contract, which ended this week.
So, I’ve now reached my goal – I’m a qualified solicitor, due to be admitted to the roll on 1 June 2007.
So, what’s next? After having worked in the public sector for four years, the aim is to obtain a position as an Employment Solicitor in private practice, in the South Wales or South West area. I’d like to get a few years’ experience under my belt, and perhaps get promoted to Associate or Partner level, and then set up my own law firm with some mates.
#1 by John Power on October 4, 2007 - 12:01 am
I like your story. Keep going!
#2 by Katie on October 11, 2007 - 2:17 pm
You are an inspiration. I am on the LPC at the moment. I am working non stop. literally. I work all morning, go into college, come home and work til sometimes 1am. Reading your blog has made me realise that it will all be worth while.
Well done.
#3 by Jonathan on May 31, 2008 - 6:52 pm
Congratulations on qualifying as a solicitor Rob!
#4 by Legal Training Contracts on June 27, 2008 - 12:51 am
I commend and congratulate you on your accomplishment, and I can only hope that the rest of us are just as successful, as I have yet to land a good legal training contract myself, but I am keeping my hopes up. Like you, I believe that hard work and study do pay off in the end.
#5 by Samantha on July 8, 2008 - 1:54 am
Does deaf people suffer with getting wrong advice from professional e.g. mortgage filling forms without interpreter as they said it all correct and then it turn out to be a nightmare due to the incorrect information and they said it your responsible and you knew what you were doing as we didn’t know what we did wrong there?? Then lost everything… Does that happen with a lot of deaf people or not?? As we don’t trust professional anymore due to what happened to us!!! We have lost our home and the council wrong provide us a house as they said we knew what we did wrong etc but we didn’t know what we did wrong and also my husband who is proundly deaf have got the sack from his employer last year that where we got advise to sell the property that we couldn’t keep up with the mortgage and told advice from the mortgage company to sell it and also the protection company cancelled the policy with out informing us as they said that i ask for it to be cancelled thought type talk and i said no I ask for a direct debit form not to have it cancelled as if i want to change bank that all and i decided to stay where it was… and they cancelled it i got all the paperwork as need to go thought it where it wrong… also the solicitor decided to pull out as he didn’t provide an interpreter as he said it too expensive and then he said we got a weak case but not putting in place that the fact that we are deaf different matter it… i don’t understand anymore you are my last hope.
I am very down and upset with it all… my husband did take the employer to court but had a crap rep who mess it up not full deaf awareness and the employer got away with it… we have lost everything our home… then my husband lost his job by got the sack for no reason… and giving wrong advice… I didn’t want to ask my parents for help as i want to learn how to deal with it myself as my parents are not going to be there forever and now this mess… the council wont give us a place to live.. and now we are scared because we are in a private rent accommodation but need the special equipments and lots of landlords can be funny about it as I know due to my friends have problems with it… i cant keep fighting for the rest of our lives all the time.. I got two children one is 2 and another one is 4 months… i had a hell of a pregnancy and still now with it all… I really need help.. the social worker for the deaf wont help and support me… they mess up the form… and they said i signed it and it my responsible but i was told it was all correct etc… as some of the english grammer i dont understand they use strong english etc… we were given wrong advice from mortgage people, solicitors, cab, social services, council, job centre mess up things for my husband job etc as there were going to help him and then they said they cant….
My husband now suffering anxiety after what happened with the employer…he is going counseling now after been waiting for counseling over 1 year…. I am trying to sort out our lives and trying to be strong for the kids… I feel that I am falling apart because of this.. and need someone to help to correct the information’s the council still got incorrect information and wont change it and they said we made ourselves homeless but we never did because of my husband got the sack and explained to them it harder for a deaf people to get a job quickly… etc… they don’t want to know… how come the aboard people get the council place so quick and we are disabled and no to us…. I am very confessed and don’t understand any of this…
I got no where to turn on this… my life is falling apart from this.. seems to be a crazy world we are in now… if you need to see all the paper work that is fine will need to see you face to face you might need to come to my house.
It a lot more as it a very big issue this is and need help to sort this out who have a understanding of deafness etc and other things that needs..
Please help me to sort this matter out.
Samantha