Christmas grotto elf, haunted house scarer, life drawing model and even a bouncer!
The path to legal practice isn’t always smooth sailing, with some lawyers pursuing very unconventional routes before eventually finding their way into the profession.
Legal Twitter has exploded with tales of lawyers’ unique paths into law. Using the hashtag #5JobsIHad, solicitors and barristers last night revealed the five jobs they held prior to their current post, and Legal Cheek has rounded up some of the best.
It wasn’t all paralegals and legal assistants as you might think. Rachel Law, criminal barrister at Goldsmiths Chambers, is a case in point. Proving that varied life experience is just as important as having stellar academic credentials to bag a career in law, Law revealed she held posts as a “medieval wench”, “Christmas grotto elf” and “haunted house scarer” before finding her place at the bar.
Interesting threads showing law (and other) students that varied life experience is just as important as good grades.
Five jobs I've had on my way to the bar:
1. Mobile phone sales
2. Mediaeval Wench
3. Christmas Grotto elf
4. Haunted House scarer
5. Mental Health paralegal https://t.co/LKHrXrZr9o— Rachel Law (@crimcounsel) April 23, 2019
This was something fellow barrister Emmanuel Goldstein knows too well. “It’s vitally important, imho [in my humble opinion], for people entering the practice of law to have practical, real world experience outside of it,” he tweeted, before revealing his experience extends to “bouncer”, “book store clerk” and even “maître d’”!
It’s vitally important, imho, for people entering the practice of law to have practical, real world experience outside of it.
#5JobsIHad before law school:
1. Horse Show maintenance staff
2. Bouncer
3. Book store clerk
4. Communications manager
5. Maître d’— Emmanuel Goldstein ? (@ExitedBritain) April 23, 2019
Also sharing their top five unique career journeys were Dan Herman, partner and Leeds office head of litigation outfit Stewarts, and Ceri-Ann Taylor, solicitor at specialist medical negligence firm Enable Law.
5 jobs I’ve had:
1. Deli counter assistant at Gateway
2. Trolley boy at Safeway
3. Barman in a jazz club
4. Crew member at McDonald’s
5. Paralegal/Trainee Solicitor/Solicitor/PartnerHow about you? https://t.co/y7zqEkn56K
— Dan Herman (@DanielJHerman) April 23, 2019
5 jobs I've had:
1. Washing up in local restaurant (for £2 per hour!)
2. Care assistant in nursing home 3. Bar worker 4. Carer for disabled in the community. 5. Trainee/solicitor— Ceri-Ann Taylor (@ceri_cat) April 24, 2019
Laywers LegallyShort and CrimeGirl, who both tweet under an alias, shared their particularly unsual pathways to the profession:
5 jobs I've had:
1) supermarket checkout assistant
2)playworker
3) receptionist for the probation service
4) life drawing model
5) note taker for students with additional needs https://t.co/hIHAavmZHq— LegallyShort (@LegallyShort) April 24, 2019
Five jobs I’ve had on the way to the Bar
1. Barmaid (handling drunk people)
2. Sales assistant @ luxury property developer (handling rich people)
3. Paralegal
4. Forensic MH worker
5. Solicitor https://t.co/SKCrXTdJp1— CrimeGirl (@CrimeGirI) April 23, 2019
Chris Bowman, an associate at personal injury firm Minster Law tweeted he had previously worked as a fireman
Car park attendant
Care assistant
Warehouse operative
Fireman
Solicitor— Chris Bowman (@bo20154709) April 23, 2019
While Kate Murray, a solicitor specialising in medical negligence at Minton Morrill Solicitors revealed her five includes working at the checkout at supermarket chain Asda. “I still hear the beeping now ?”, she quipped.
5 jobs I’ve had:
1. Worked on the sweet / cigarette counter in a post office
2. Kindergarten Assistant in Germany
3. Checkout at Asda – I still hear the beeping now ?
4. Call Centre for store card company
5. Solicitor https://t.co/ARi0si09pK— Kate Murray (Eccles) (@kate_the_lawyer) April 23, 2019
Barman/barmaid, shop assistant, singer, waiter/waitress, sports coach and even “glass picker” made an appearance on some lawyers’ extraordinary CVs:
1. Barman
2. Bouncer
3. Waiter
4. Restaurant Manager
5. Costs Lawyer— John Plunkett (@JohnPlunks) April 24, 2019
Jobs I had on my way to law firm owner:
1) Ceramics salesperson
2) Barmaid
3) Receptionist at caravan company
4) Spud-u-like
5) Barrister& within 3 weeks of qualifying as a Solicitor I became joint owner of a criminal law firm which exists to this day (22 years later)
— Keima Payton (@KeimaPayton) April 24, 2019
5 jobs I have had:
1. Shop assistant in a clothes shop
2. Admin Assistant at the CPS
3. Admin Assistant at a Magistrates Court
4. Singer in a band
5. Solicitor at DLA— Natalie Rodgers (@Natalie_Scala) April 23, 2019
1. Fast food chain worker
2. Waitress
3. Mobile phone salesperson
4. Sports coach
5. Solicitor— Ashleigh Jane (@LittleMissRolo) April 23, 2019
5 jobs I've had:
1. Glass picker @ recycling plant (removing broken glass from conveyor belt of waste)
2. Waitress/ bar staff at the races
3. Supply teacher
4. Trainee solicitor/ solicitor/ associate
5. Mamma to my 10month oldI could list a lot more!
— Jenny Bowden (@JennyBowden) April 23, 2019
Summing up the series of tweets, Owen Franks, commercial property solicitor at Ashtons Legal, commented that “they show how varied the legal profession has become”, whereas before, “solicitor” and “partner” would be the only roles featured.
What I like about these lists is they show how varied the legal profession has become. Back in the day, the list for solicitors would have read:
1. Solicitor
2. Partner.End of list.
— Owen Franks (@OwenComProp) April 24, 2019
Feel free to share your #5JobsIHad in the comments section below.