December 13 2021
How Nathalie works as a remote lawyer from Mauritius
Case Studies
Emma McDowell
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When Nathalie qualified as a solicitor in July 2021, she was keen to find a role which would allow her to travel and work remotely. After two weeks on our platform, we found her the perfect position as a Commercial Lawyer at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. We had a chat with Nathalie to find out how she’s finding her new role, as well as her thoughts on working as an interim lawyer through us at Flex Legal.
Hi Nathalie! Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
I graduated with a law degree in 2012 and, like many other graduates, I entered the job market just after the financial crash when businesses were really starting to feel the impact and trainee intake reduced significantly. I decided to take a client contact role for a financial services firm before becoming a paralegal for various in-house legal departments and some private practice. I worked as a paralegal for around 5 years before I was formally offered a training contract in-house, on a paralegal to training contract role. Although I didn’t know at the time, my first job in financial services, even though not law-related, was instrumental in me obtaining a training contract. Moving around a bit into different roles during this time also helped me to build my network and work with different people.As a paralegal and trainee I gained lots of experience in different practice areas, both contentious and non-contentious. Working and training in-house was a fairly new concept at the time but I’m glad that it is becoming more common as the legal sector becomes more modernised.
It was a long journey for me to qualification and there have been lots of bumps along the way, however, I qualified with more experience than other NQ’s, which worked to my advantage when applying for jobs and is taken into consideration when I am interviewed.
:format(webp)/f/91079/3024x3289/5fdfb743cc/nathalie-mauritius-pic.png "Flex Lawyer Nathalie works remotely from Mauritius")
Why did you choose to transition into interim lawyer work?
I qualified in 2021, and whilst there are lots of opportunities for NQ’s, I didn’t feel that any of the permanent roles I was approached for offered enough flexibility or the work/life balance that I was looking for. I’d already spent 7 years working in and around London, so I wanted a new lifestyle which would allow me to travel abroad and work remotely.Despite the move towards more flexibility, organisations are not comfortable with permanent employees working abroad for lengthy periods of time and so interim lawyer work was the solution for me. So far I have been able to travel and spend time with my family abroad, and I work in an environment that helps me to be more productive which makes my work feel more fulfilling.
Interim work has made it possible for me to have a more flexible and efficient work schedule and it has given me more time to work on other areas of interest and professional development.
“Interim work has made it possible for me to have a more flexible and efficient work schedule, as well as allowing me to travel so that I can spend time with my family abroad.”
Nathalie, Flex Lawyer
Where are you currently placed through Flex Legal and how are you finding it?
I am currently working remotely for the UK’s largest charity, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). I am really enjoying working at CIFF, they are a supportive team and a very diverse workforce which means I get to work with lawyers in different parts of the world. It has been interesting to work in a different sector that has objectives focused on important initiatives related to tackling climate change, and working on projects that support developing countries, such as access to education.I primarily work on commercial contracts and I am also getting lots of experience using different bespoke IT systems and honing my drafting and negotiating skills. I am trusted with more responsibility and the work I produce is truly respected, as remote working has removed some of the corporate barriers experienced in the office.
:format(webp)/f/91079/1536x1665/00924e4af9/nathalie-mauritius-second-pic.png "Flex Lawyer Nathalie works remotely from Mauritius")
Could you tell us a bit more about your experience working through Flex Legal?
I first heard about Flex Legal when they launched their monthly online networking event for junior lawyers during lockdown in the UK, which gave me the opportunity to speak to like-minded people and feel like I was part of a wider community.Flex Legal have been great, from the onboarding to finding me roles that suited my lifestyle and experience. They are a very friendly team on hand to answer any questions I have. They match candidates and organisations really well and I don’t need to complete application forms each time I want to be put forward for a new role. Their online systems have been effective for me so I can easily keep my profile up to date and be notified of roles.
“Flex Legal have been great, from the onboarding to finding me roles that suited my lifestyle and experience. They are a very friendly team on hand to answer any questions you have.”
Nathalie, Flex Lawyer
What advice would you give to aspiring solicitors currently working as paralegals through Flex Legal?
We are currently going through another period of change in the legal jobs market and choosing a career in law is a test of stamina, patience and determination, so keeping up-to-date with developments in the legal industry and staying relevant is also important when thinking about your future career.Applying for training contracts is a lengthy process and I think when considering whether to take a role, don’t worry about whether to take it for fear of it limiting your career later down the line. It’s more important to be able to use the transferable skills gained with each role and to be able to adapt, so keep open-minded about accepting roles you wouldn’t necessarily have considered before. If I had worried about that then I wouldn’t have been able to use my previous experience at my paralegal to TC interview.
Additional Resources:
- How we helped Kraft Heinz meet their internal targets - perhaps Nathalie’s experiences have got you wondering what interim legal resourcing could do for your team? Take a look at this case study, where we break down how we helped Kraft Heinz meet their targets.
- How to become an interim lawyer - inspired by Nathalie’s story? Want to become a remote lawyer who can work flexibly when and where they want to? Read this blog to find out how to become an interim lawyer through us at Flex Legal.
- Apply to be a Flex Lawyer - interested in what the world of interim legal work could look like for you? Well look no further! Click here to learn more and perhaps even apply.