September 6
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
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.
Tags:in-house-legal-teams
Online Event: Careers in eDiscovery and Document Review
Join us for an insightful online event where we delve into the evolving landscape of e-discovery and document review, with insights from Richard Legge, Partner and Head of eDiscovery, alongside a panel of Flex paralegals.
June 25
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
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
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
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.
Tags:paralegal
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!
Tags:paralegal
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.
Tags:lawstudents
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.
Tags:client case study
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.
Tags:paralegal
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.
Tags:legaltechnology
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.
Tags:paralegal stories
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.
Tags:client case study
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.
Tags:General Counsel
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?
Tags:Coronavirus
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).
Tags: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.
Tags:client case study
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.
September 2
What is eDiscovery and Document Review?
Ever wondered about the difference between eDiscovery and document review? Or puzzled over what it means to 'tag' a document? These are common questions for those stepping into the legal world. With the rise of AI, these processes are becoming faster and more precise, making them essential in today’s legal practice. Read this blog to discover everything you need to know.
Tags:lawfirm
July 22
Become an Expert in the Art of Group Litigation
This definitive guide for litigation teams and senior litigators alike features actionable guidance, based on wisdom imparted from two seasoned group litigators; Ibukun Alabi and Elina Landsman, that will constructively better your practice and improve client service levels.
July 15
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
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
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
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
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?
Tags:in-house-legal-teams
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