January 18
How we helped Tony to diversify his legal experience
Case Studies
Elena Pitsillides
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Tony, a commercial solicitor with four and a half years' PQE, came to Flex Legal in June 2022 on the lookout for a new challenge. Keen to diversify and broaden his legal experience, interim lawyer work ticked all the right boxes.
Flex Legal placed him at a leading global automotive company where he adapted to an entirely new role, industry and organisation, and made such a great impression that his assignment was extended well beyond its original date. Since then, Tony has gone on to successfully complete further interim placements at Centaur Media and the Open University.
We had a quick chat with Tony back in 2022 to hear all about his experience of using Flex, his thoughts on being an interim lawyer, and what advice he’d give to any aspiring solicitors.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
I’m a commercial solicitor with around 4.5 years’ PQE. I originally studied History at Warwick University before converting to law, completing a training contract with Baker McKenzie in London and qualifying as a pensions lawyer. Before taking my first assignment through Flex, I worked at the specialist pensions firm Sackers.Outside of work, I’m also involved in volunteering and mentoring programmes (both law and non-law related) and I’m a keen sportsman and traveller when I get the chance!
Why did you choose to transition into interim legal work?
Although I found my previous role interesting, I was conscious of becoming increasingly specialised in one area. When I combined this feeling with the upheaval presented by the COVID pandemic, I felt that the time was right for a change and that there were opportunities available to broaden my experience. Interim lawyer work ended up ticking a lot of the boxes I was after at the time.“Interim lawyer work ended up ticking a lot of the boxes I was after at the time.”
- Tony, Flex Lawyer
Where have you been placed and how have you found it?
I’ve been placed with a leading global automotive company since June, assisting a senior counsel across a range of (predominantly manufacturing-related) projects. The role’s been challenging and needed me to adapt to an entirely new industry and organisation, but I’ve really enjoyed this challenge and have been really well supported. I’ve also gained excellent legal and non-legal experience that I would not have been exposed to in my previous role.Clearly it’s gone well as my contract’s been extended well beyond its original duration!
Could you tell us a bit more about your experience of working through Flex Legal?
My experience of Flex has been really positive. The platform’s really intuitive and I found the onboarding process really personable and seamless – Flex understood what I was after and were really communicative with available roles.Whilst I’m on assignment Flex have naturally taken more of a “back seat”, but there’s monthly lunch and learn sessions which are a good way to stay in touch with other “Flexers”, and someone from Flex is always on hand to answer any queries that do arise.
“My experience of Flex has been really positive. The platform’s really intuitive and I found the onboarding process really personable and seamless.”
- Tony, Flex Lawyer
What advice would you give to any aspiring solicitors currently working as paralegals through Flex Legal?
Get involved with as much as you can as a paralegal, both in and outside of work – it’s an excellent chance to learn and gain skills that are invaluable as a trainee solicitor and beyond. All experience is good experience – it’s not all just about the law in this industry!Additional Resources:
- Tony’s LinkedIn profile - curious about Tony’s complete professional experience? You can see all of that and more over on his LinkedIn profile.
- Hire a Flex Legal lawyer - interested in hiring a talented interim legal professional like Tony for your own team? Take a look to see how we can help you today!
- Apply to be a Flex Lawyer - if you want to open yourself up to a world of exciting interim legal work opportunities, head here to find out what we can do for you.
- How interim legal work improves Rebecca’s work/life balance - Rebecca has been working as an interim lawyer through Flex Legal since January 2022. Take a read to see how interim working has drastically improved her work/life balance.