As part of Apprenticeship Week, we caught up with some Jacksons apprentices to find out how they were enjoying their roles and courses.
Today, Oliver McPartland, 19, from Nunthorpe, tells us what it’s like to be an apprentice solicitor at Jacksons.
When Oliver McPartland first heard about solicitor apprenticeships around Christmas of 2022, his mind was made up about the route he wanted to take to become a solicitor.
The Yarm School pupil, who did A-Levels in History, Psychology and PE, immediately started looking around at local law firms in the area who offered the apprenticeships.
“The reason I chose the apprenticeship route was because of the experience I knew it would give me,” he said.
“I think it will put me at an advantage compared to people who go down the university route as when you’re fresh out of university, you have to look for a training contract or paralegal role.
“You also get to earn while you learn, which is quite appealing to me as well.”
Oliver admits he prefers “hands-on learning” to books and theory.
“I prefer to come into work and get the experience handling my own caseload and speaking to clients.
“I have definitely grown in confidence since I started the apprenticeship last September because of the hands-on learning experience I have had.”
Oliver is currently based in the Jacksons Stockton office in the litigation department.
He is involved in debt recovery, contract disputes and evictions.
“I find it interesting,” he says, adding that he prefers the challenge of cases where there is no set procedure to go through.
Oliver says he has already been made to feel like part of the team and has immense support from partner Toby Joel, who he works closely with.
He also works closely with recently qualified solicitor Jack Farrow.
Oliver says: “Because I’m working in a department with two partners, I can go up to them and ask them a question when I need help or advice.
“It’s definitely better to learn from more experienced people.
“On the one hand, I’m working with Toby who has more than 30 years’ experience and on the other hand, I’m also working with Jack who has just qualified – and both are very helpful.”
Oliver completes one day per week of study from home, listening to lectures from the University of Law online.
“At University, we have all been assigned a skills coach and recently she came in to talk to Toby about how I was doing,” Oliver says.
“If I’m ever unsure of something, I can send her an e-mail and she is always happy to help.”
While he is enjoying working in the litigation team, Oliver is looking forward to moving around the different departments at Jacksons as part of his apprenticeship programme.
“I was initially interested in litigation, which is why I’ve started here,” he says.
“The plan is to pick your favourite one to qualify into and settle there.”
Oliver believes the advantage of completing an apprenticeship over the University route is that it takes five years to graduate in law and you then have to look for a training contract or paralegal role.
In comparison, he will already have five years’ experience at a prestigious law firm under his belt, when his peers who went to University are looking for their first role.
“It could take me about the same length of time to become a qualified solicitor as it can take someone who goes down the University route and then gets a training contract, but obviously, the way I’m doing it, I’m learning on the job,” Oliver says.
“I’ve read that the average age to qualify as a solicitor is 29 but when I qualify I will be around 24 to 25.
“Trying to get a training contract when you come out of University is quite competitive, so that’s why it can take longer to qualify than if you go down the apprenticeship route.”
Oliver says the best thing about being an apprentice at Jacksons is the support he gets from the rest of the team.
“They’ve been brilliant,” he says.
“I came in with no legal experience – my college didn’t even do Law as an A-Level so I had no legal experience or knowledge – and they’ve definitely helped me.
“When I do my client work, I will draft it and it will be checked and I will be given feedback on any improvements that need to be made.
“The team also provide me with precedents that I can work from.”
Another benefit for Oliver is that he has been able to stay in his hometown of Teesside while training to become a solicitor.
“It’s the area I grew up in and quite a few of my friends have stayed here, so I can still see them on the weekend or catch up with people who have gone to University when they come home,” he says.
Looking to the future, Oliver is keen to develop his career with Jacksons and wouldn’t rule out doing something in sport, having done an EPQ at College, which involved an extended writing project around ethical issues in sport.
“I am interested in sports law, but I’m not sure if it’s something I’d specialise in,” he says.
“As a whole I find the legal sector so interesting – it’s turned out to be even better than I expected it to be.”
