Blog » How I became a Solicitor

How I became a Solicitor

5th October 2020

Excellent people skills and good business acumen are central to Andrea McCann’s role as a Solicitor at McKees.

Find out how she became a Solicitor at McKees

Give a brief outline of your career to date.

I started at McKees as a trainee Solicitor in September 1996. I qualified in September 1998 and have been a Partner since 2008.

What was your favourite subject at school?

Geography. I really enjoyed human geography about people, cultures, economies and their interaction with the environment.

Did you go on to further/ higher education, if so what did you study and where?

I went to Queen’s University Belfast and graduated with a LLB (Hons) Law. After this I undertook a MPhil in Law by research. I then sat the admissions exam for the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at Queen’s which provides Solicitor and Barrister professional training in Northern Ireland. This was a two-year course which covered all the different areas of law that you might come in to contact with in practice.

You need to have a training contract with a law firm before you can take up your place with the Institute. During this time, you will go to the Institute and maintain contact with your firm and work there during holiday times.

How did you get into your area of work?

During my two-year training, I initially covered litigation matters but also spent time working with the banking team. After I qualified, I worked in litigation for a number of years and it was when the banking world took off that I moved into this area. This was the growth area within the firm at the time and I enjoyed immersing myself in banking and property. When a colleague went on maternity leave, I stepped in and covered the employment law side of the business and have remained here ever since. I currently head up the employment team and the pension property team.

Is this what you always wanted to do?

No, I always wanted to be a Geography Teacher. I applied for Geography and Law degrees and was accepted for both. I picked Law.

Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?

Yes, you have to have the required A-level entry for Law. After your degree, if you want to go on to practice in Northern Ireland, you have to go to the Institute at Queen’s and when applying you have to select the barrister or the solicitor course.

Are there alternative routes into the job?

 No. Years ago, there used to be a Law Clerk route, but not anymore.

What are the main personal skills your job requires?

You need good people and communication skills as you’re always dealing with people – clients, colleagues and individuals from an array of sectors. Working in a professional service industry, you also need good business acumen, it’s a very competitive industry. I also manage teams, so you need to have good management skills – something you aren’t taught during your law degree or training at the Institute.

What does a typical day entail?

I start with checking emails and daily post. Once a week we have a team meeting for all staff. Recently, this has been done remotely but we have a lot of the team back working in the office so it’s been good to have socially distanced in-person meetings.

I am in constant contact with my clients throughout the day depending on their current requirements. The courts are slowly reopening and I have an employment tribunal case listed at the end of October so I am currently preparing for that.

The commercial property work has remained steady during lockdown and in fact we have seen increased instructions in recent months. As part of this, I could be reading title deeds and reporting to clients, raising queries with a vendor’s solicitor or drafting a commercial lease.

I manage McKees Pathway, an employment consultancy scheme we offer clients that is tailored to suit the specific needs of their organisation, providing clear, expert advice. As part of this in any one day I could be auditing a client’s employment policies, procedures and contracts and making sure everything is up to date.

I also tutor trainee Solicitors on a number of courses at the Institute including employment tribunals, property, business, and judicial review so part of my day can be spent planning for this or delivering the tutorials. I enjoy working with the up and coming solicitors of tomorrow and being able to help guide them on their path into the industry.

What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?

I’ve got really good clients and being able to help them is definitely the best part. There is nothing better than getting a good result for the client. I specialise in different areas and I also love the variety of the work I carry out. The balance between the day-to-day client work and the management roll in terms of being staff partner can be a challenge to ensure I am getting the balance right.

Why is what you do important?

Being able to help people with personal and business issues means you’re helping them solve their problems and getting things done.

How has COVID-19 impacted your business/ role?

The closure of the courts and the employment tribunal means very few cases are going ahead. Reviews aren’t being heard, however this is starting to change as the courts are slowly reopening. Business wise, McKees has remained open throughout, albeit working from home during the first few months. The firm continued to operate as normal and business has remained positive. There were challenges at the start, for example the Land Registry closure temporarily stopped property transactions, but they did reopen.

What adjustments have you had to make?

At the beginning, we implemented our Business Continuity Plan to work from home. This was done seamlessly and all our systems and procedures remained the same. We are now in the process of bringing more of our teams back to working in the office.

What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?

Be prepared for a lot of hard work. It’s a competitive industry and unfortunately there is no guarantee that you will be a solicitor at the end of your degree if you don’t get into the Institute.

If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?

A Geography teacher.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?

Learn how to deal with the unknown. Due to the nature of the job, when you come into the office each morning you don’t know what will come across your desk. Don’t think you’ll know everything. Even after 22 years, you’re always researching and learning.

Describe your ideal day off.

Shopping – preferably in London.

And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?

Don’t settle for a career that you are not happy with. If you get the chance to do work experience at school, take it. I would love to see more schools call on their former pupils to come in and give practical advice on careers – I think that would really help provide practical guidance for the younger generation.

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