The day I interviewed for Addleshaw Goddard’s apprenticeship program I brought a suitcase with me. It was packed with running spikes and all my other race equipment. My interview was on a Friday in Leeds, and immediately after that I went on to Birmingham to compete in the 800 and 1500 metres at the English Schools National Championship.

I knew University was not for me. A lot of my friends were keen for the experience and the social life, but that mindset did not sit right with me. I was training six days a week for athletics and I knew that I was at a different point in life to a lot of other people my age. My older brother had started an accounting apprenticeship and that opened the door for me to start looking to see if there were apprenticeships in law, which was what I wanted to do.

I looked at apprenticeships because the number of practising lawyers was very different to the number of people who had the degree. I was very nervous that I would not be able to compete with people who were privately educated and had prior experience with lots of different law firms.

Honestly, you expect lawyers to be from a certain background, with a certain accent, with a certain education and probably some connections to go along with it all too. 

For me, choosing the apprenticeship route was a way to base the process entirely on my merit as a person, rather than all the other stuff that I did not get to choose.

I started in the Leeds office, and that was great because I saw there were a lot of people in the legal field who were just like me. Similar accent, similar background. From there I went to Qatar on international secondment (and saw the World Cup) and I am now in the London office. I am pleased to say I got a first in my degree and I am hopeful that last Christmas (2024) will be the last where I have my head in the books as I prepare for my SQE.

My experience of the program has been so positive, that’s why I’m such an advocate for it. The benefits are incomparable to what I would have got from university. I have worked in three different locations, met so many people in the firm and benefitted from their skills as I have learned the profession. I am also debt free.

It was a big commitment to make as an 18-year-old, but all those laps on the track had prepared me for the opportunity. It was hard work but good work, and I’m so pleased with where I am now.