Tag Archives: Talbots Law

Law, Midlands News, News

Talbots Law’s recruitment campaign gathers pace with ten new trainees

Talbots Law has marked the next stage of its 150-strong recruitment campaign in 2022 by setting ten members of the team on their pathways to becoming qualified solicitors.

Adeela Ali, Cindy La, Denielle Chatta-Sandhu, Dominic Bowen, Emma McIntosh, Sharon Garcha, Shaye McInnis and Zara Rafiq became Trainee Solicitors earlier this month, each undertaking a Training Contract which will see them specialise in their chosen area of law, with the end goal of qualifying and joining the national roll of solicitors.

This is the second intake this year at the employee-owned Midlands law firm and brings the total number of current Trainee Solicitors to seventeen, with a commitment to offering a further twenty positions to other colleagues in 2023 and 2024.

The new Trainees are joined by Abbie Danks and Ethan Davis, who both started their highly sought-after Solicitor Apprenticeships. This will see them progress through a work-based degree pathway whilst working at Talbots, earning the qualifications and experience required to become solicitors.

“We are really pleased to have so many colleagues starting their Training Contracts and Solicitor Apprenticeships. This is testament to the commitment, quality and ability of the amazing people that are part of our employee-owned business,” explained Rachel Pardoe, HR Director at Talbots Law.

“Investment in staff is so important to our business; we want to support and encourage them to be the best they can be, and our track-record of career development and high retention rates speak for themselves.”

She continued: “Our new Trainees and Solicitor Apprentices should all be incredibly proud of themselves, and we hope they’re enjoying the well-deserved celebrations that mark the start of the next chapter of their exciting journey.”

Back in 2018, Talbots pioneered a new SRA-approved approach to Training Contracts which allowed Trainees to undertake thorough training in their chosen area of specialism pre-qualification.

The company, which invested £400,000 into a new HQ at The Waterfront earlier this year, builds its approach to career development uniquely focused on the individual; professional qualifications such as Training Contracts, SQE, Apprenticeships, CILEx, CLC are factored into career progression plans for existing employees alongside workplace learning and what the firm refers to as ‘role-related progression’.

In addition to professional qualifications, it has celebrated role-related promotions for over 150 of their 375 staff in 2022 alone.

The philosophy underlines part of Talbot’s ‘train to retain’ approach, ensuring Trainees are specialised and experienced enough to take on a NQ Solicitor role on their qualification and to move forward on the next step of their career progression journey.

Denielle Chatta-Sandhu, a new Trainee Solicitor with Talbots, said: “It has long been my dream to become a Solicitor and I feel incredibly grateful to Talbots for giving me an opportunity to achieve it.

“Through my legal work today, I have found a real passion for residential conveyancing and knowing I’ll now have the opportunity to specialise, build experience and, ultimately, qualify in this field has given me so much motivation to crack on and make my career everything I believe it can be.”

Abbie Danks, an Apprentice Solicitor with Talbots, added her support: “I got good A-levels, but the traditional university lifestyle and pathway just never appealed to me, despite the fact I knew I wanted to be a lawyer and that going to university was the widely accepted route to achieving that.

“At Talbots, I’ve been told since day one that I can make my career what I want it to be, and it feels incredible to have that promise fulfilled, enabling me to earn my degree and qualify as a solicitor in a way that feels so much better for me as a person. I’ve been given a unique opportunity and I’m so grateful for it.”

Going forward, Talbots will continue to recruit aspiring solicitors into permanent Legal Assistant and Paralegal roles with a view to them undertaking their Training Contracts or SQE qualifications.

The company is also actively recruiting for new positions in four of their eight offices, with opportunities becoming available throughout the year.

Rachel concluded: “A lot has happened in 2022 and this includes the launch of the prestigious new Talbots Training Academy, offering aspiring property lawyers the opportunity to join an initial intensive six-week work-based training programme before joining our National Conveyancing Department in a Legal Assistant role.”

Law, Midlands News, News

Talbots Law embarks on 100 jobs drive with new trainee appointments and qualifications

One of the West Midlands fastest growing law firms has announced the next stage of a recruitment push that is creating more than 100 new jobs across its offices in Birmingham, the Black Country and Worcestershire.

Talbots Law, which became an Employee Owned Trust in 2021, is celebrating the qualification of two new solicitors and the start of five new training contracts as the company looks to execute its five-year plan to grow to £25m in annual fees.

Based in the Halesowen and Stourbridge property teams respectively, Terri Keenan and Ben Puplett have both come through the unique training programme that allows trainees to specialise in one area of law for the duration of their contract, as opposed to the traditional rotational model of working across different disciplines.

Hoping to emulate the duo are Amy Steventon, Ella Ward, Parris Williams, Pav Suraj and Shabina Khatoon, who all began their training contracts on April 1st.

Offering a significant number of training contracts is part of Talbots Law’s ‘Train to Retain’ initiative, which ensures that trainees receive extensive experience in the specialism of their choice. This means they are ready to continue in more senior, full-time roles immediately on completion of their training.

Rachel Pardoe, HR Director at Talbots Law, commented: “We’re very proud of all our employees and to have so many trainees both qualifying and starting their training contracts is testament to the hard work and quality of the people we have supporting them.

“We invest heavily to ensure employees are work-ready and a retention rate of 98% speaks for itself.

“They should all be incredibly proud of themselves, and we hope they’re enjoying a well-deserved celebration of their achievements.”

Terri Keenan, a newly qualified solicitor with Talbots, added her support: “I’ve had a fantastic educational experience while learning how to be a solicitor, but for me it’s also the personal development that’s made such a big difference.

“I started as a paralegal and have been able to progress consistently thanks to the support I’ve received, and I’ve seen a huge development in my confidence and self-esteem as a result.

“Being offered a permanent role following the completion of my contract is fantastic. I’m now working full-time as a solicitor alongside friends and colleagues who’ve been with me every step of the way – that is the realisation of my dream.”

Talbots Law will be hosting a Careers Event later this month for students and career-changers who are interested in learning more about the firm’s recruitment drive.

Due to be held on April 27th at the company’s Waterfront offices in Brierley Hill, the open evening will provide an insight into the careers and job opportunities coming up, with existing members of staff on hand to talk about their own experiences and achievements.

Rachel Pardoe concluded: “If we are going to more than double the size of our business by 2027, we need to attract the best aspiring talent and our Heads of Departments have all committed to increasing the number of training contracts we are planning to award.

“Trainee positions are currently available at our Birmingham, Dudley, Stourbridge and Wolverhampton offices, with more set to be announced shortly. There’s never been a better time to be joining Talbots.”