January 15
A Q&A with Mary Bonsor: The vision behind Flex Legal
At Flex Legal, we pride ourselves on driving innovation in the legal industry and creating opportunities for the next generation of legal professionals. But what inspired the journey to create Flex Legal? What challenges has the company overcome, and what does the future hold? To uncover these insights, we recently sat down with our founder, Mary Bonsor, for a candid Q&A. Take a read of the full interview here.
November 22 2024
Top Tips for Scaling a Volume Litigation Team
Navigating the high-volume demands of litigation requires more than just a robust legal strategy – it demands a carefully structured resourcing model that balances efficiency, quality, and scalability.
As specialists in flexible legal support, we’ve seen how the right resourcing approach can make or break a firm’s success. Here are some actionable tips for volume claims law firms to optimise their workforce.
October 31 2024
The Power of Engaging Alumni on a Flexible Working Basis
In today’s dynamic legal landscape, flexibility and adaptability are no longer just buzzwords—they are essential for success. Legal teams are constantly grappling with the challenge of balancing workloads, meeting client demands, and staying ahead of emerging trends. One of the most innovative and effective ways some law firms are meeting these challenges is by tapping into their alumni network. Read on to find out more.
September 19 2024
Paralegal Spotlight: Devon Robinson
There's nothing we love more than highlighting the fantastic work of our paralegals, lawyers and trainees. This month we were thrilled to have a chat with Devon, who has worked through Flex as a Competition Paralegal at Stewarts. Take a read to hear all about her experience!
August 21 2024
Public Inquiries: What are they and why do they matter?
In recent years, public inquiries have become a cornerstone of the UK's legal landscape. But what exactly are they, why do they matter, and do they actually lead to meaningful change? In this blog, we aim to answer these questions, shedding light on how public inquiries work, their impact, and how legal professionals can engage with this type of work.
Junior Lawyer Virtual Lunch Events
Book a place at one of our Junior Lawyer Lunch Events. These monthly sessions offer valuable industry insights, professional tips and networking opportunities.
June 25 2024
Flex Trainee: The easy way for boutique firms to grow their own talent
After three years of growth, Flex Legal’s award-winning Flex Trainee scheme is now launching in the boutique law firm space. Flex Trainee is a unique social mobility scheme, designed to empower legal teams to take on trainees and grow their own talent in-house where they may not previously have had the resources or processes in place to do so.
May 30 2024
How Flex Paralegals support Freshfields' service delivery
7 Years, 60 Projects, 420 Paralegals. Since opening their Manchester Hub in 2017, Flex and Freshfields have worked hand-in-hand to confidently navigate the ever-changing landscape of the legal sector. With the support of Flex Paralegals, the Freshfields' Hub have been able to flexibly scale-up (and down) their legal workforce. Read the full story here.
April 22 2024
How to become a Company Secretary (and why?)
The role of the Company Secretary is on the rise. As a route for those interested in businesses and how they operate, it offers the perfect alternative if you are on the look-out for a career outside of the law. But what is a Company Secretary? Who can follow this career path? And how can you become one through Flex Legal?
January 18 2024
How we helped Tony to diversify his legal experience
Tony, a commercial solicitor with four and a half years' PQE, came to Flex Legal in June on the lookout for a new challenge. Keen to diversify and broaden his legal experience, he's adapted to an entirely new industry whilst on an interim placement at a global automotive company. Take a read to hear all about his experience of using Flex.
September 29 2023
Why interim hires are perfect for litigation projects
The importance of properly resourcing litigation projects cannot be overstated. The challenge confronting litigators, therefore, is how to juggle the two conflicting priorities of quality vs cost. In this report, we explore how interim resourcing solves both problems.
June 15 2023
Paralegal Spotlight: Daniyal Basharat
There's nothing we love more than highlighting the fantastic work of our paralegals, lawyers and trainees. This month we were thrilled to have a chat with Daniyal, a multilingual LLB Law Graduate, who has worked on multiple Flex placements, from Huel to Freshfields. Take a read to hear all about his experience!
April 5 2023
5 Top Tips for Legal Assessment Centres
Law firm assessment centres are notoriously challenging. They are designed to push you and to establish how well you perform under pressure. It can’t be denied that they are incredibly competitive… but they're not impossible. Here are our top 5 tips to give you the edge and help you succeed!
January 27 2023
Paralegal Spotlight: Anastasios Proios Doukas
We absolutely love shining a spotlight on our stand-out paralegals. This time, we were delighted to have a chat with Anastasios, a bilingual paralegal. After flourishing on a law firm placement through Flex, Anastasios is now thriving again at Summize, an innovative legal tech company. Here's what he has to say about working through Flex Legal!
December 5 2022
Paralegal Spotlight: Rhea Kamath
For our final Paralegal Spotlight of the year, we’re absolutely delighted to shine a light on Rhea Kamath. As a future trainee, Rhea was on the lookout for some valuable experience which could help her to hit the ground running for her TC. Here's how it all went!
November 11 2022
Paralegal Spotlight: Amy Hopkins
Our Paralegal Spotlight is being cast again... this time in the direction of the incredible future trainee Amy Hopkins! After coming to us in July on the lookout for some valuable legal experience, Amy has flourished on an in-house placement at leading consumer insights platform, Zappi. Take a read to see what Amy has to say about her Flexperience.
September 14 2022
ESG: How can junior lawyers make a difference?
For our latest Junior Lawyer Lunch, we were joined by ESG experts, Simone Davidson, Head of LexisPSL Environment, and Simon Colvin, Partner at Weightmans. Here's a summary of their valuable insight into why ESG should be important to junior lawyers and how you can make a real difference.
July 25 2022
How we helped Julia find remote real estate legal work
Julia joined the Flex Legal platform towards the end of 2021 on the lookout for a remote, real estate role. Within three days, we found her the perfect position at DWF and since then, she's thrived on a second placement at BCLP. Take a read to see what she has to say about working as an interim lawyer through Flex!
Junior Lawyer Virtual Lunch Event: July '22
Book a place at July's Junior Lawyer Lunch Event. This is a continuation of our Junior Lawyer Virtual Lunches, which offer industry insights, professional tips and networking opportunities.
June 8 2022
What is a legal hackathon?
Legal hackathons are growing in popularity, and more and more legal groups are exploring the problem-solving middleground between law and technology. We wanted to know more about "legal hackathons" so put your questions to the Manchester Legal Hackers. Read what they had to say!
May 20 2022
Paralegal Spotlight: Adilla Jamaludin
We're casting our Paralegal Spotlight on the wonderful Adilla Jamaludin! Adilla has been on the Flex platform since January this year, and was quickly snatched up for a Family Law placement. Learn more about Adilla's Flex journey by watching her spotlight video!
May 17 2022
The ultimate paralegal guide to Document Review
Document review is a bread and butter task within the paralegal world. As a legal professional, the importance of having a good grasp of document review cannot be overstated. Read our comprehensive guide to paralegal-level document review here!
May 10 2022
What to expect from your Flex Legal onboarding interview
Every paralegal who applies to Flex Legal needs to complete an onboarding interview. This post covers what to expect from the interview itself, as well as what you should take care of before and after the interview.
April 28 2022
Life and diversity at the Bar with Oscar Davies
Oscar Davies is a practicing barrister at Lamb Chambers, and was the first barrister in the UK to publicly identify as non-binary. Oscar and Louise have a thought-provoking discussion about the Bar, why legal TV shows aren't representative, and diversity within the law.
April 13 2022
How to be commercial as a lawyer
There's a lot of theories about how to best be commercial as a lawyer, but no uniform agreement. In this Junior Lawyer Lunch follow-up blog post, we cover four of the best theories on how to drive positive commercial outcomes for your organisation.
March 28 2022
Commercial News Roundup: Prices Pandemonium
Welcome to our first ever weekly commercial news roundup. Designed for busy aspiring or qualified lawyers who want to quickly get up to speed with all the latest commercial headlines, without having to search far and wide across a myriad of sources!
March 15 2022
The legal industry's blame culture: what needs to change?
With 'blame culture', unreasonable pressure and impossible deadlines being seen across the legal industry, change is needed now more than ever. But what changes need to be made? For the latest instalment of our Junior Lawyer Lunches we tried to answer this very question.
March 8 2022
International Women's Day: Q&A with Flex's female interim lawyers
For International Women's Day 2022, we had a chat with some of the fabulous female interim lawyers on our platform to ask them why law, why interim and what advice they'd give to any aspiring female legal professionals who wish to progress in the industry.
February 25 2022
Paralegal Spotlight: Shannon Grant
We're delighted to announce that the latest Flex paralegal we'd like to place a spotlight on is the wonderful Shannon Grant! Shannon has made such an incredible impression during her placement with DWF, that she has now transferred permanently to the client. We had a chat with Shannon to hear all about her experience of using Flex.
February 11 2022
How to make the legal industry more human with Dan Kayne
Dan Kayne is Founder of the O Shaped Lawyer, and a GC at Network Rail. In this episode of the podcast, he talks with Louise Anderson about how and why he wants to make the legal industry more human-centric.
February 2 2022
How we've supported Emerald Publishing with interim lawyers
Emerald Publishing is one of the world's leading digital-first publishers. Find out how we've provided them with both mid-level and senior interim commercial lawyers to support their in-house legal team and ease their workload.
January 17 2022
Top 10 LinkedIn tips for Lawyers
LinkedIn is now synonymous with professional life in the legal industry. If you optimise your profile well, you can use it to attract new opportunities, roles, and connections without needing to search for them. Here's our top tips for LinkedIn Lawyers!
Junior Lawyer Virtual Lunch Event: February '22
Book a place at February's Junior Lawyer Lunch Event. This is a continuation of our Junior Lawyer Virtual Lunches, which offer industry insights, professional tips and networking opportunities.
January 4 2022
How to: give good answers in legal job interviews
Legal job interviews are terrifying affairs riddled with intimidating questions. But they don't have to be! Here's our comprehensive guide on giving good answers in legal job interviews.
December 21 2021
Flex Legal's 2021 Wrap-up
After overcoming the challenges of 2020, Flex Legal has come back with a bang in 2021. From winning prestigious awards, to launching a brand new social mobility training scheme, it’s been a big year for the team at Flex HQ, so we wanted to take a moment to look back on our fave highlights from the year.
December 7 2021
Modern Slavery: hidden in plain sight
Modern Slavery - it's everywhere and probably closer than you think. Everyone in the legal community understands the importance of human rights - but do we know about human rights abuses happening right under our noses?
Flex Legal's Northern In-house Community
We're thrilled to have hosted our first ever northern in-house event earlier this month, with talks on the flexible approach to new talent, key skills to succeed, and mental health & wellbeing in law. Read this blog post to find out more about our brand new northern community!
November 12 2021
Will the SQE affect diversity in the legal profession?
The legal industry is at its best when it reflects the people it serves. This is why law firms are being pressured to attract more diverse legal professionals, and the SQE will hopefully help solve that problem. But can the SQE meaningfully affect diversity in the industry? Find out here.
October 29 2021
October '21 Paralegal of the Month: Jasper Sannes
We're delighted to announce that our POTM for October 2021 is the wonderful Jasper Sannes! Jasper has excelled during numerous Flex placements at Centrica, Freshfields and Norton Rose Fulbright. Hear all about his experience in this blog post.
October 15 2021
The highs and lows of legal entrepreneurship with Sarah Goulbourne
Humans of Law is back! In this episode Mary is joined by Sarah Goulbourne, Co-founder of gunnercooke, and discusses the unexpected ins and outs of founding and growing a legal company. If you've ever wanted to know what it takes to be a legal entrepreneur, then this is the episode for you!
October 5 2021
How Flex Legal helped Aston University fill a brand new role
Flex Legal have worked with Aston University since February 2020. Find out how we've provided them with continued flexible paralegal resourcing, and helped them to fill a brand new remote lawyer role as quickly and efficiently as possible.
September 24 2021
Bonus Episode - Series 1 Roundup
In this special bonus episode of Humans of Law, Mary and Louise round off our first series by reflecting back on the first 8 episodes.
September 16 2021
How Flex Legal helped Kraft Heinz meet their internal targets
Kraft Heinz is a widely recognised household name, and one of the world’s biggest food and beverage companies, so when they were introduced to Flex Legal in 2019, we were obviously delighted at the chance to work with them. Who wouldn’t be?
September 7 2021
How are UK law firms structured?
When you're a junior in the legal industry, it can be daunting to make sense of the hierarchies at work within them. Fortunately, we've broken law firm structures down into an easily digestible guide. Have a read!
August 27 2021
10 tips for time-recording and legal timesheets
The legal industry is a behemoth, and timesheets are the lifeblood that course through its legislative veins. Working in law means you'll be filling out a lot of timesheets. There's a definite art to doing this, so read our 10 timesheet tips now!
August 10 2021
How are in-house and private practice different?
There's a lot of key differences to working and training in-house or in private practice. There's a number of cultural differences between both, which affects what it's like to work in those environments. Read this article to learn which one is right for you.
July 30 2021
July '21 Paralegal of the Month: Rudolph Benade
July 2021's Paralegal of the Month is Rudolph Benade! We're really pleased to recognise Rudolph here, who is a globe-trotting Future Trainee Solicitor. We put some big questions to Rudolph, such as how he got into law, what the future holds, and how he feels about working through us!
July 20 2021
Top Interview Tips for Law Students
Facing a job interview for your first law position is a scary thing – especially when you’re still a student. Whether it’s for an internship, a paralegal role, a training position, or anything else, landing an interview can be both exciting and scary in equal measure.
July 15 2021
Delivering Net Zero and in-house lawyers’ pivotal role
The legal sector has an opportunity to be on the right side of history in helping keep a liveable planet for all. When it comes to delivering climate action, the most important part of the sector are in-house lawyers, due to their direct interface with their organisation; a trusted advisor who can act as a moral compass.
July 2 2021
Crowdfunding Justice Campaigns with Maeve Storey
Our fourth episode of Humans of Law features Mary talking with the delightful Maeve Storey, Head of Crowdjustice.
June 23 2021
Will lawyers be replaced by robots?
Right now, the legal world is on the cusp of an enormous technological shift towards automation and machinery. In this long-form article, we assess what this means for the future of the legal industry, and whether lawyers are about to be replaced by quicker, smarter Artificial Intelligence.
June 9 2021
RSG Consulting and Flex Legal
We were introduced to RSG Consulting in 2017 when they were seeking paralegals to help them writing for the FT Innovative Lawyer Awards. Since then, we've provided them with a dozen talented paralegals, and they're immensely happy with us. Read more about this relationship here!
May 28 2021
How to become an interim lawyer
Working as an interim lawyer through Flex Legal can give you more variety in your work, more time working on the projects you're interested in, and a better life / work balance. Read more about making the transition to the interim lifestyle in this blog post.
May 13 2021
What does 'being commercial' mean?
'Being commercial' is one of the most important aspects of professional life in law - but what does this actually mean? Our most recent Virtual Lunch delved into this huge topic, so read our comprehensive summary of the main takeaways here.
April 28 2021
A-Z of Paralegal tasks
Everyone knows that behind every good lawyer, is a good paralegal. Flex have connected thousands of paralegals to busy legal teams since our inception, and there's no shortage of ways they've helped. Take a read of the definitive A - Z of paralegal tasks.
April 21 2021
Mental Health and Wellbeing in Law
Managing your mental health is often an afterthought in the legal industry, but it's something that affects us all. On World Health Day, we invited LawCare champion Gemma Farina to tell us about mental health and wellbeing in law. Read what she had to say here.
April 1 2021
March '21 Paralegal of the Month: Hannah Barnett
We would like to congratulate our March 2021 Paralegal of the Month, Hannah! Hannah is a fantastic paralegal currently studying her LPC, and has been on multiple placements through Flex. Watch her discuss her experiences here!
March 11 2021
Our SQE Journal is now open to everyone!
We've taken the bold decision to make our SQE QWE Journal available to everyone - regardless of whether or not you're on the Flex platform. Learn more about how your SQE Journal can help you qualify!
March 4 2021
IR35: what you need to know
The forthcoming changes to the off-payroll working rules (IR35) are a tricky area to manoeuvre. Fortunately, Flex Legal has you covered!
February 25 2021
How Anthi works as a remote legal consultant in Greece
Anthi is a Flex lawyer taking full advantage of the remote working situation. Read how she gets the most out of the Flex lawyer lifestyle and works remotely in Greece!
February 4 2021
The SQE Explained
The SQE is here, and it means big changes to the solicitor qualification process. We've broken down the main points about the SQE, Qualifying Work Experience, and the Professional Development Record. Learn all about them here!
January 12 2021
Training Contract Guide: Different types of law firms
Are you looking to apply for training contracts? This guide takes some of the hard work out of the equation, and breaks down the different types of law firms out there!
December 16 2020
What the UK legal industry should know about Modern Slavery
Modern Slavery is a more prevalent problem than we in the UK legal industry might initially think. There are more slaves in the world today than there have ever been. This post explores why this problem is so prevalent, and what we can do about it.
November 27 2020
How Flex Legal helped George secure a Training Contract at Addleshaw Goddard
George Devine recently secured his Training Contract with Addleshaw Goddard, which he obtained off the back of a paralegal placement through Flex Legal. In this continuation of our Training Contract series, George shares his experiences to date, and offers some great insights on securing a Training Contract.
November 26 2020
Jess and Chloe answer your Assessment Centre questions
We put some of YOUR burning questions about law firm assessment centres to two brilliant legal professionals - Jess Heap, ofLatham & Watkins LLP, and Chloe Lloyd of Gowling WLG. Read what they had to say!
November 19 2020
Conexus Law: Helping a niche law firm grow its headcount
Conexus Law are a specialist advisory firm founded by Ed Cooke. They are closely aligned with the values of Flex Legal, who have helped Conexus Law find two permanent hires this year. This has helped them meet their client's needs and provide innovative solutions.
November 2 2020
Introducing our Paralegal of the Month: Louie Buckland
We are delighted to crown Louie Buckland as our Paralegal of the Month for October 2020.
October 20 2020
Innovation and Legal Tech: part 3 with Alex Wooley
In this third and final part of the series, we sit down with Alex Wooley, 4 year PQE qualified solicitor at Farrer & Co, to understand his thoughts and ambitions on Legal Tech.
October 20 2020
My personal journey from law student to paralegal to newly qualified solicitor
Both times I worked with F-LEX, I was impressed by F-LEX’s level of communication, the calibre of the clients for which they select candidates, and the support and directness along the way.
October 1 2020
How Flex Legal Helped Tyler Secure a Training Contract
We are thrilled to announce that Tyler Felix, a Flexer who onboarded with us in 2018, has accepted a training contract at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner commencing September 2021! Tyler has been a fantastic ambassador for Flex Legal over the years and is also September’s Paralegal of the Month. How timely! We are delighted to have played a small role in Tyler’s success and wanted to share her journey with you.
September 22 2020
Helping litigators in the run up to trial
Flex Legal and Grosvenor Law have been working together since February 2019. Flex Legal has provided paralegals to Grosvenor Law for 3-6 month fixed term contracts when Grosvenor Law has been particularly busy.
August 28 2020
Innovation and Legal Tech: Part 1
This is the first of a three part series examining legal technology and how junior lawyers are driving innovation. Harry spoke to three of The Legal Technologists’s top 10 most innovative junior lawyers to ask them about their journey, experiences and advice they would give.
August 27 2020
A transatlantic remote working adventure!
In 2016, the oil and gas industry crashed, and by the time we entered 2017, my employer advised that she was closing the office and needed me to work remotely. I was elated. No more 40 minute drives each way to complete work that could be done at home!
August 13 2020
Maximising Law Firm Relationships: A How-to Guide for In-house Counsel
On our latest GC call we were delighted to welcome Will Long, Client Partnership Director at Alacrity, who shared some valuable insights into how general counsel can get more value out of their external law firms. For Will, three key areas must be considered when trying to drive valuable relationships between the two: controlling costs; transparency; and evolving relationships through data.
July 31 2020
How to feel comfortable talking about "difference"
In the continuation of our Virtual Lunch Series, hosted by Sophie Gould, Head of Learning & Development at F-LEX, we talked about being comfortable talking about difference.
July 24 2020
Why didn't I do this years ago?
My particular leap of faith to head off into the unknown may not be possible for everyone, but I can highly recommend taking a chance on flexible working as a lawyer. The benefits are many for the flexible worker, and for clients needing some extra help without having to take on an employee and all that this brings in terms of extra costs and legal responsibility, using the highly professional team at F-LEX brings many advantages too.
July 9 2020
How In-house Legal Teams are Innovating
We were pleased to welcome an excellent panel of speakers to join last week’s GC call in collaboration with LexisNexis and Crafty Counsel, including Dinesh Jadav, Director of Legal Operations at Royal Mail; Manu Kanwar, Co-founder of LexSolutions; and Madeleine Graham, Head of Product Design at LexisNexis. The discussion continued to build on the theme of legal innovation within the in-house community, with the panel sharing excellent insights from their own experiences.
June 22 2020
How Flex Legal Helped Umar Secure a Training Contract
Securing a training contract can be a long and difficult process, however determination pays off…and we have proof! We recently caught up with Umar Jamil, future trainee at Macfarlanes LLP, to hear about his training contract journey and how F-LEX helped him along the way.
June 12 2020
3 Employment Law Issues You Should Be Aware Of
This week’s Virtual Lunch for paralegals and junior lawyers, in collaboration with LexisNexis UK and Crafty Counsel, saw Iain Larkin and Sandra Martins from Radius Law cover important employment law topics that you should know.
June 3 2020
Working from home: things you need to consider
Radius Law’s Sandra Martins shared important insights on the arrangements, risks and legalities of home working that legal teams should consider as we begin to come out of the other side of the pandemic.
May 28 2020
How one law firm are preparing for a return to the office
These unprecedented times have thrown up challenge after challenge. With the government starting to ease restrictions, for many law firms the next challenge is how to get the office prepped for the return of their staff. I was able to catch up with Nigel Coates, Deputy Senior Partner at Russell-Cooke to get his thoughts of life in lockdown and the steps that his firm are taking to prepare the office for life after lockdown.
May 19 2020
Things we've learnt in coronavirus lockdown
At F-LEX, one of our values is positivity so with this in mind, we asked the F-LEX team:What have you loved during lockdown?What have you learnt during lockdown?What will you do differently after lockdown?
May 13 2020
Why Dentons, the world's largest law firm, uses Flex Legal
Flex Legal has been supporting Dentons LLP, the world’s largest law firm by headcount since 2018. We caught up with Ben, Denton’s resourcing manager, to learn why flexible resourcing is important and how the partnership with Flex Legal has worked.
April 30 2020
How to cope with COVID
These sessions connect paralegals, trainees and junior lawyers, and encourage top tips, resources and camaraderie to be shared in the legal community during these challenging times.
April 24 2020
Helping flexy with cost effective contract reviews
flexy (not to be confused with F-LEX) was recommended to speak to F-LEX as they needed some help with reviewing 50-100 contracts of various subscription providers.
Coronavirus virtual sessions for in-house general counsel
This morning Sophie Gould, Head of Learning and Development at F-LEX, chaired a fantastic virtual discussion in collaboration with LexisNexis UK and Radius Law between in-house counsels on the prominent issues surrounding COVID-19 and the legal industry.
March 20 2020
When remote working is business as usual
With most of the U.K. encouraged to work from home during this pandemic, teams have been separated and isolated like never before. While many of us get used to multiway video calls and our new home offices, some F-lexers and Clients have been practicing this way of working for a while. We catch up with Louise Wolfson, Legal Counsel at Gunnercooke and Kemi Feyisetan, F-lex Paralegal to learn more…
February 28 2020
Coronavirus and Force Majeure
With the outbreak of Coronavirus spreading at a rather alarming rate, the world’s economy is starting to feel the effects as governments take action, impacting on global supply chains and other commercial relationships. Stocks have fallen continuously, in what has been the worst week of trading since the 2008 crisis. However, from a legal perspective it has seen a rise in the use of an oft forgotten but at present vital boilerplate clause, the force majeure.
January 31 2020
5 Questions we get asked
New year, new you, new Training Contract. In this article I go over 5 of the most common questions we receive.
January 17 2020
Tips for Junior Lawyers - An Interview with Nir Golan
Sophie Gould – Head of learning and development at F-lex spoke to Nir to get his insights into how a good lawyer behaves and how the legal profession needs to change and adapt to survive.
December 5 2019
F-LEX News Bulletin
Round up of F-lex team news and views for December 2019
September 27 2019
How Law is 'Going Green': One firms' push towards sustainability
Quite rightly discussions about our fragile planet and environment are at the forefront of social policy. As individuals, companies and governments cotton on to the overwhelming severity of the situation, Harry sat down with Fiona Nicholls, Gowling’s Head of Environment, to discuss their Planet + initiative.
August 23 2019
Study and Work Abroad: My time in China
In this article one of our Manchester team Sam tell us all about her time in China. She discusses the merits of working abroad and the potential impact that an experience like that can have on your training contract applications and future career.
July 25 2019
Diversity in Law: The Quick-fire View
This month we were able to sit down with Chris White Founder of the UK’s leading legal diversity platform, Aspiring Solicitors to tackle the topic of Diversity. In a month where we have celebrated difference and inclusivity we wanted to explore a topic that is hot on the lips of every law firm in town! We asked Chris some quick fire questions on the topic.
July 12 2019
The F-LEX News Bulletin
We have really exciting news for all our Flexers that are looking for a career at the bar. We have a brand new podcast just for you.
May 23 2019
Reflections on the LPM
In London, Bristol and Leeds, Mary and Harry represented F-LEX at the LPM Conferences. We would firstly like to say a huge thank you to the team at LPM for inviting us on to the panel. Over the course of the three panel discussions we covered a variety of topics related to the future workforce. Below are our reflections on what we feel are the biggest takeaway points.
March 28 2019
The Flex Legal guide to Training Contract success
We sat down with Hashim, Marija and Naoise, three of our wonderful Bookings Team, to talk through their hints and tips for the application process! All three have secured training contracts and have been through the process from start to finish with many failed attempts between them. Here is what they’ve learnt and want to pass on to you.
February 26 2019
What is the SQE? We ask the SRA!
I am Julie Brannan and I’m the Director of training and Education at the SRA and I am the person who is leading the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
January 9 2019
Optimising legal services delivery – Legal Operations and the business of law
As 2018 began to wind down and at F-LEX we looked ahead to the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) London Institute in January 2019, F-LEX co-founder and CEO, Mary Bonsor, met Sarah Barrett-Vane, Legal Operations specialist and Consultant from SBV Consulting to discuss all things Legal Operations, how the legal market is changing and what lawyers of the future can do to ensure they move with the change.
October 24 2018
5 tips on transitioning to law from a non-legal background
I knew a friend who told his interviewers he “always wanted to be a lawyer.” His interviewers cut him off. “Always?” they asked. “But you weren’t always on this planet!” He stuttered. Got agitated. Went red. His palms got sweaty. It was as though every second lasted a hundred seconds longer. He just couldn’t wait for it all to be over.
July 26 2018
F-LEX's top 5 CV tips!
Start with your contact details, the subject that you have studied and then your academic results.
June 5 2018
What do Ignition Law look for in a candidate?
We look for people who can demonstrate they are: fast learners, are interested in our clients and the legal industry, have managed some interesting projects (either at work or at uni) and have experience of an office environment - not necessarily in a law firm, though.
May 3 2018
Interviewing the founder of F-LEX, Mary Bonsor
For the first interview, we thought we would ask the Founder of F-LEX, Mary Bonsor, 3 questions about how she set up F-LEX.
January 3
Paralegal Spotlight: Asad Farooq
There's nothing we love more than highlighting the fantastic work of our paralegals, lawyers and trainees. This month we were thrilled to have a chat with Asad, a Flex paralegal working as a Litigation Executive for a Top 500 law firm. Take a read to hear all about his experience!
November 22 2024
The 10 hidden costs of direct hiring
When planning to bring new talent into an organisation, most employers consider salary as the main expense involved in recruitment. However, direct hiring comes with a range of hidden costs that, if overlooked, can have a significant impact on a company’s budget and resources. Understanding these costs can help businesses make informed hiring decisions and even consider alternative solutions like Flex Legal.
October 25 2024
Fixed-Term vs. Interim Contracts: Choosing the Right Option
In recent years, the way people work within the legal sector has undergone a major transformation. Whether it’s the systems used, or how firms structure their talent acquisition strategy, it’s clear that the traditional legal industry has evolved and adapted to thrive in the modern age. But what is the difference between an FTC and interim contract? And how do you choose the right option for you? Take a read to find out more.
September 6 2024
RS Group & Flex Legal: Empowering Socially Mobile Interns
With shared values at the forefront, RS Group were delighted to partner with Flex on a two-week long social mobility internship for talented young law students and graduates. Finlay, Mary-Ann and Megan were the lucky candidates after demonstrating incredibly strong drive, passion and commitment. Read all about their experience here.
July 29 2024
What the SQE route means for your in-house legal team
As in-house teams across the legal world steadily adopt the SQE, many are left unsure of how their organisation can get involved. To this end, our free report covers the full spectrum of SQE knowledge – from the basic facts of the new framework, all the way to advanced insight on the current implementation challenges.
July 15 2024
Litigation Funding: What good looks like
This report casts a light on some best practice rules for working with litigation funders. With direct input from the investment team at Therium, a leading global litigation finance firm, we present inside knowledge on how to work effectively with funders.
June 6 2024
Flex Legal & Tesco: Unlocking diverse legal talent
Following the success of a legal internship scheme aimed at diverse aspiring lawyers, Adrian Morris, Group General Counsel at Tesco, was keen to further explore this untapped pool of talent. Flex Trainee offered the perfect solution - a scheme designed to improve social mobility across the profession. Take a read to see how we took individuals from the shop floor on their way to legal qualification.
May 24 2024
Paralegal Spotlight: Diana Mihalova
There's nothing we love more than highlighting the fantastic work of our paralegals, lawyers and trainees. This month we were thrilled to have a chat with Diana, a multilingual LLB Law Graduate, who has worked through Flex at magic circle law firm, Freshfields. Take a read to hear all about her experience!
April 5 2024
How Leigh Day scaled their litigation team using Flex Legal
In November 2022, Flex Legal embarked on a groundbreaking partnership with top-100 law firm Leigh Day. They came to us with an urgent large-scale request for interim northern paralegals... but why did they suddenly need so much extra support? And why did they decide to come to Flex?
January 15 2024
Flex Legal's Future Lawyers Report 2023/24
The legal industry is changing. A new generation of legal professionals are sweeping into the corridors of law firms and the seats of in-house legal teams. But who is this new generation? How are they engaging with the expected norms of the legal world? How does the generational divide impact their approach to work?
September 26 2023
How paralegals helped the University of York complaints team
When the University of York's complaints team found themselves staring down an insurmountable backlog, they urgently needed support. Fortunately, Flex paralegals were drafted in and helped them meet their problems head on. Read how it all went down!
May 27 2023
How Saad went from Flex paralegal to Flex Trainee
Sometimes legal professionals go the full Flex distance! Saad Ali is one such individual, who excellent on multiple paralegal placements via Flex before being accepted into the ranks of Flex Trainee. Read his story!
March 16 2023
How The Crown Estate found their first ever legal trainee
The Crown Estate are a historic and unique company, and a partner for our Flex Trainee scheme. They share our vision for a more socially mobile, inclusive legal profession. Read about the work we've been doing together!
January 11 2023
The Junior Lawyer Lunch 2022 Digest
At Flex Legal, we absolutely love bringing communities of legal professionals together. Our Junior Lawyer Lunches are a great example of this, and this year we’re proud to have had over 1,000 attendees throughout our events. For anyone looking for a quick recap, here’s a rundown of all our sessions throughout 2022!
November 23 2022
Flex Trainee: how Next 15 found the perfect SQE trainee
Flex Trainee is our SQE qualification programme, designed to help diverse, talented aspiring lawyers from socially mobile backgrounds get into the industry. We had a chat with Mark Sanford, General Counsel at Next15 Communications, about their experience of the scheme so far.
October 11 2022
What does legal ops mean?
Legal ops is the latest buzz word on every lawyers' lips, but what does it actually mean? And why is it so important? We were lucky enough to recently be joined by Beejal Patel, Legal Systems Manager at Diageo, at our latest Junior Lawyer Lunch. Take a read of this blog summary to learn all about the rise in legal ops!
September 2 2022
Paralegal Spotlight: Roman Tokaryk
Our Paralegal Spotlight is being cast in the direction of the fantastic Roman Tokaryk! Roman joined the platform late last year, and has since made waves on his lengthy placement with Williams Advanced Engineering. Watch Roman talk about his Flex experience!
July 14 2022
Paralegal Spotlight: Jack Enright
We're delighted to announce that the latest Flex paralegal we'd like to place a spotlight on is the wonderful Jack Enright, who has made such an incredible impression during his long-standing litigation placement at Provenio that he's now secured a permanent role there. Read this blog to hear all about his experience of using Flex!
June 20 2022
A Q&A with Flex Legal's longest-standing interim lawyer
Daniele was the first ever interim lawyer we on-boarded onto the Flex platform. Since then, he's thrived on two long-term placements and made such an incredible impact with our clients throughout. Take a read to see what he has to say about working as an interim lawyer through Flex!
June 3 2022
How to hone your commercial awareness, with Peter Watson
For the last instalment of our Junior Lawyer Lunches, we were joined by the notorious Peter Watson, CEO of Watson's Daily. Here are his top tips on how to effectively improve and hone your commercial awareness.
Junior Lawyer Lunch: How to hone your commercial awareness
In association with LexisNexis, For this instalment of our Junior Lawyer Lunch sessions, we are absolutely thrilled to be joined by the notorious Peter Watson, CEO of Watson's Daily! It should be a fantastic session that will leave you better equipped to conduct effective commercial research.
May 16 2022
How Marciano advanced his legal career through interim work
Marciano has been working as an interim paralegal through Flex Legal since October 2020. We’re so proud of the fantastic work he has carried out at various top law firms through Flex, and so we had a quick chat with him to discuss his journey so far and to see what advice he'd give to any other aspiring legal professionals.
May 9 2022
A Q&A with Maaike de Bie, GC at easyJet
For the latest instalment of our Junior Lawyer Lunches, we hosted a Q&A session with Maaike de Bie, GC at easyJet. Take a read to learn all about Maaike’s legal career so far, and what skills she believes have been key to her success.
April 25 2022
How to apply to Flex Trainee
Flex Trainee is our SQE qualification programme, and we're getting a lot of interest in it! Read this blog post to learn how to apply to the scheme, and the diversity / social mobility criteria our STRIVE partners ask for in applications.
Flex Legal's Midlands In-house Community
We had a blast hosting our first ever Midlands In-house Event earlier this month, which focussed on how in-house teams can build a legal team of the future. Take a read of this blog post for a summary of the event, and to find out why you should become a part of our Midlands in-house community.
March 22 2022
5 reasons for Junior Lawyers to join Flex Legal
Are you a junior lawyer who dreams about having a better life/work balance? A career which allows you to do the work you love, your way? Then moving to interim working could be the change you need. Here are our top 5 reasons to take that leap today!
Midlands In-house Event: Building the legal team of the future
The Midlands In-house Event will bring together an array of teams from across the thriving Midlands In-house legal community. Join us for our first session on the exciting topic of 'Building the legal team of the future', hosted by Sophie Gould, our very own Head of Learning and Development at Flex Legal!
March 2 2022
How to complete your Flex Legal timesheet
Every Tuesday, Flex sends automated timesheets to all of our paralegals and lawyers who are active on a project. This allows you to keep a record of the hours you spent working each day on any given week. Here’s a handy step-by-step guide for all our Flexers on how to fill them out!
February 21 2022
How hiring an interim paralegal helped The Modern Family Law Company
Melissa Kelly and Deborah Baxter founded TMFLC with the aim of doing things better. This people-first approach aligns strongly with our mission at Flex Legal. So, as you can expect, when Melissa and Deborah approached Flex in July 2021 looking for an interim paralegal, we were delighted to help.
February 8 2022
How can future lawyers develop client-centric skill sets?
In our latest Junior Lawyer Lunch, Harry Mellor and Holly Moore talked about how the O Shaped Lawyer promotes a more rounded approach to legal work, and the importance of client-centric skills for future lawyers. Here's a summary of the key takeaways.
January 31 2022
Paralegal Spotlight: Giana Narciso
Giana Narciso is the subject of 2022's first Paralegal Spotlight! Watch Giana talk about her experiences working through Flex, and her advice to other aspiring legal professionals, in the video here!
January 13 2022
5 reasons for law graduates to join Flex Legal
Are you keen to gain some paralegal experience but still feel unsure about flexible interim work? Let us dispel your worries and read our top 5 reasons for law graduates to join Flex Legal today.
January 7 2022
A better way to work in law with The Modern Family Law Company
Melissa Kelly and Deborah Baxter are founding partners of The Modern Family Law Company. They sat down with Louise Anderson to discuss the often hard realities of working in family law, and the wider legal industry.
December 30 2021
December '21 Paralegal of the Month: Antony Christopherson
We're delighted to announce that our POTM for December 21 is the incredible Antony Christopherson! Antony has excelled during his Flex placement at NJF Capital, the venture capital arm of NJF Holdings. We had a chat with him to hear all about his experience of working through Flex.
December 17 2021
Finding your own Legal Path with Alice Stephenson
Alice Stephenson is a fearless challenger to the legal status quo, and we were delighted to welcome her to the Humans of Law podcast. Alongside Mary Bonsor, she discusses battling online trolls and shaping the future of the legal profession.
December 3 2021
Aspiring Lawyer Panel - with Daniel, Hattie, and Rhiana
For the first time ever, we assembled a podcast panel! We invited three aspiring lawyers to talk about the different routes they're taking into the legal profession - Rhiana Assi, Hattie Rawlings, and Daniel Onafuwa.
November 19 2021
How do you manage a legal team effectively? with Catie Sheret
In this podcast episode, Mary is joined by Catie Sheret, General Counsel at Cambridge University Press & Assessment. They have a chat about getting the best of your legal team, managing people during the age of hybrid working, how in-house lawyers can demonstrate value to their organisations, and more!
November 8 2021
How can legal technology future-proof your law career?
As more and more technology roles enter the legal profession, the industry and its expectations are evolving. Tech skills are now essential, which means future-proofing your career is now essential. Read how you can future-proof your career now!
October 27 2021
The future of work: what hybrid means for the legal industry
The legal industry finds itself in the midst of a huge upheaval. The COVID-19 pandemic proved that remote working in law works, and the "Great Resignation" has seen legal professionals leaving their firms in search of better life / work conditions. As we rebuild, we must ask if this new hybrid model is here to stay? Read this longform article to find the answer to this burning question.
The Northern In-house Event: Bringing legal teams together
COVID-19 showed us more than ever how important it is to bring people together. On the back of the success of our Junior Lawyer Virtual Lunches and Senior In-house Counsel Sessions, we will be hosting our first ever Northern In-house Event next month.
September 30 2021
September '21 Paralegal of the Month: Hannah Vo
We're delighted to crown the exceptional Hannah Vo our POTM for September 2021! Hannah has made a hugely positive impact during her long-term paralegal placement at Freshfields and has continued to go above and beyond during her time there.
September 24 2021
What we know about City Law Firms’ transition to the SQE
The Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) came into effect on 1 September 2021, with the first round of SQE 1 exams commencing in November 2021. This blog article highlights the SRA’s transitional arrangements and 12 city law firms’ approaches to the SQE.
September 13 2021
Flex Legal's SQE Journal: A Supervisor’s Perspective
We launched our brand new Flex Legal SQE Journal in May and since then, we’ve had well over 25,000 qualifying work experience (QWE) hours recorded by SQE candidates. We caught up with Luana Gomes Medalha show you what a great tool it can be for QWE supervisors, as well a SQE candidates.
September 6 2021
How has Covid changed the use of legal technology?
We've been allowed a super exclusive sneak peak into the findings from the LexisNexis legal tech report. Click here to read the big insights into how the use of legal technology has changed over the course of the COVID pandemic!
August 26 2021
How to get the most out of your SQE qualifying work experience
With the SQE examinations rapidly approaching, it's wise to be thinking about the flexibility of the QWE requirements on offer. Read this article to learn more about your QWE, and how to get the most out of your SQE qualification!
August 9 2021
5 reasons legal teams love flexible resourcing
Ever wondered about the benefits of interim paralegals and lawyers? This article breaks down 5 huge perks of bolstering your in-house legal team with flexible legal professionals from Flex Legal. Have a read, and maybe cast your mind's eye to a world where flexible legal resourcing solves all of your problems!
July 23 2021
The importance of bravery with Holly Moore
Episode 7 of Humans of Law sees Louise talk with the inspirational Holly Moore, Solicitor Apprentice at ITV and founder of thatlawblog.
July 19 2021
6 Reasons to Choose a Legal Temp Agency When You’ve Just Graduated
Graduating your law degree is a big step, and finding your first law job might not be as easy as you thought. Click here to learn 6 reasons why you should consider about a great alternative - joining a legal temp agency like Flex Legal.
July 13 2021
How to use an athlete's mindset to achieve your goals
Athletes have mindsets that allow them to excel at high levels. Thanks to cutting edge research, we now know how to harness that mindset, and use it excel in non-athletic fields. Read the secret to harnessing an athletic mindset here!
July 2 2021
June '21 Paralegal of the Month: Jamie Bluff
Our June 2021 Paralegal of the Month is the joculary Jamie Bluff! Jamie is a Future Trainee Solicitor, who has been working as a paralegal through Flex Legal to accrue some more legal experience. Read more about Jamie's career and Flex experiences here!
June 18 2021
Is law a force for good? with Chrissie Wolfe
The second episode of the Humans of Law podcast sees Mary talk with Chrissie Wolfe - Founder of the notorious Law and Broader.
June 7 2021
How to find legal work experience
We were recently asked: “How do I secure a paralegal role without any law firm experience nor the LPC?” The simple answer is: it will be tricky. However, we have set out some clear steps you can take below to build your experience and really make your applications stand out.
May 18 2021
Flex Legal Journal: over 25k QWE hours logged so far!
The Flex Legal Journal only launched in May, but it's already seen 25,000 Qualifying Work Experience hours logged! What what two young SQE hopefuls think about the Flex Legal Journal here.
May 7 2021
April '21 Lawyer of the Month: Tam Irvine
Massive congratulations to our April 2021 Lawyer of the Month, Tam Irvine! Tam is a talented New Zealand qualified barrister and solicitor, who has had a fascinating journey into the UK legal scene, and has been working through Flex Legal for some time now. Read more here!
April 27 2021
Trustpilot Group PLC and Flex Legal
Flex have recently helped Trustpilot Group PLC's legal team prepare for their IPO, by supporting them with flexible interim legal professionals. Read this case study to learn what this experience was like, and what Trustpilot think of Flex Legal.
April 8 2021
Why PQE doesn't matter when hiring interim legal professionals
We often hear our clients looking for the perfect trifecta of quality, cost, and value - the mythical 5 year PQE solicitor. We think this is the wrong metric, and know you can get better results for your budget by asking the simple questions we describe here.
March 30 2021
March '21 Lawyer of the Month: Simon Clegg
Simon Clegg is a broadly experienced commercial lawyer who has been working through Flex since late 2019. We put some questions to our most recent LOTM to find out a little more about his life, his career, and his interim lawyer work.
March 4 2021
How to Network Remotely
Networking is critically important part of any professional journey. The sooner you start doing it, the better. This post explores how to successfully network and make valuable contacts in the age of remote working.
March 3 2021
February '21 Paralegal of the Month: Josephine Png
Josephine joined Flex last year, and has since gone on to receive sensational feedback from her long-standing placement at Vodafone! We're incredibly pleased with the energy she's been able to bring to the placement and our platform.
February 23 2021
How Flex Legal helped Massimiliano land a paralegal role at Freshfields
Read Massimiliano's breakdown of paralegal working through Flex, how he landed a job with Freshfields following a Flex placement, and even some advice for those looking to break into legal roles themselves!
January 29 2021
How to Keep Productive
Staying productive is tricky during a pandemic. Fortunately, lawyer and neuroscientist Dominique Ashby spoke at our most recent Virtual Lunch and gave us some tips for maximising your brain's productivity. Read what she had to say, and help yourself keep productive!
December 18 2020
2020: a big year for Flex Legal!
2020 has been a surreal year for everyone - and Flex Legal has been no different. Despite the challenges, we've emerged stronger than ever. In this retrospective blog post, we reflect on the achievements of 2020 and look ahead to 2021.
December 11 2020
How to build a Personal Development Plan
Building a Personal Development Plan is essential if you're looking to advance yourself professionally. But what's the best way to build one? We begin to address this huge question in part one of this series.
November 26 2020
This is me: Harry
Harry Mellor is a multi-talented member of the Flex Legal Sales and Marketing team, and has experienced more sides of the company than perhaps anyone else. In this edition of our 'This is Me' blog series, Harry answers some questions about himself, his work with Flex, and his ambitions for the future.
November 23 2020
10 essential tips to ace assessment centres
Law firm assessment centres are notoriously challenging - but they're not impossible. These 10 tips can give you the little bit of know-how to give you the edge you need to succeed.
November 10 2020
Flex Legal are partnering with Hyperscale Group Limited!
Two flexible scaling powerhouses - Flex Legal and Hyperscale Group Ltd - have joined forces to offer a one-stop shop to their clients.
October 30 2020
5 top tips for coping with professional mistakes
Making mistakes is an unavoidable part of any professional journey - and the legal industry is no exception. Despite this, it can still be difficult to own up to mistakes when they happen, and many junior legal professionals are unsure how to address them.
October 20 2020
Vodafone: Flex Legal gives us access to key junior resource
In 2020, F-LEX was introduced to the legal teams at Vodafone Group, Vodafone Business and Vodafone UK. Vodafone is a British multinational telecommunications company with an award winning legal team spread across 22 countries with over 150 lawyers and compliance professionals in the UK.
October 14 2020
Key Skills Junior Lawyers Need To Succeed
We were delighted to welcome Sarah Hunt, Neil Campbell and Emma O’Connor as guest speakers at our latest Virtual Lunch in collaboration with LexisNexis and Crafty Counsel. Sarah is Head of People Development at Osborne Clarke; Neil is Managing Legal Counsel at RBS; and Emma is a Talent Development Manager at Dentons. The topic for the call centred around the key skills that junior lawyers need to succeed, with the speakers drawing on their own experiences to offer excellent insights to attendees.
September 29 2020
Innovation and Legal Tech: part 2 with Adam Hunter
This is the second of a three part series examining legal technology and how junior lawyers are driving innovation. Harry spoke to three of The Legal Technologists’s top 10 most innovative junior lawyers to ask them about their journey, experiences and advice they would give.
September 9 2020
Interview with Chris Kelly, Legal Counsel at Bloomberg
Kristina Ravic, Head of Client Services at F-LEX, spoke with Chirs Kelly, Legal Counsel at Bloomberg, about his career and advice for Junior Lawyers.
August 28 2020
The Flex Legal Tech Update: Availability
We are back with another tech update for you. This month we are letting you know all about our new Availability feature that we hope will improve efficiency and speed.
August 26 2020
Paralegal of the Month - August 2020
We are delighted to crown Sam Sykes as our Paralegal of the Month for August! This is a fantastic achievement and recognises the great work Sam has been doing over the last year. Although the pandemic is continuing to impact our usual filming process, we are so pleased to be able to share fantastic the work our paralegals are doing again.