The Flex Legal blog

The journey to legal qualification is often viewed as a rigid, high-pressure path through private practice firms. But for Ghazhal Noory, a member of the very first Flex Trainee cohort, the ‘standard’ route didn't feel like the right fit. By choosing the in-house qualification route with Flex Legal and The Crown Estate, Ghazhal not only accelerated her career but conquered the self-doubt that often plagues aspiring lawyers. Now a Legal Counsel at Connells Group, Ghazhal shares her journey from aspiring lawyer to qualified solicitor.

Lauren Connolly didn’t take a traditional route to qualification. After working in Australia and completing her PGDL, she found the path to becoming a solicitor opaque and highly competitive. Through Flex Legal, she secured a paralegal role at Trustpilot, joined the Flex Trainee scheme, received funding for her SQE, and gained structured qualifying experience. With that support, she qualified and now works as Legal Counsel in Privacy & AI.

Discover what the future holds for General Counsel in our latest Flex Legal report. Based on insights from 180+ legal professionals, this free report explores the essential skills GCs need, from AI literacy to strategic leadership, to thrive in a fast-changing legal landscape.

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.

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 Yeelen, who has worked through Flex at magic circle law firm, Freshfields. Take a read to hear all about his experience!

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?

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Kiran Radhakrishnan is Head of Norton Rose Fulbright's Newcastle Hub, and NRF Transform (EMEA). He sits down with Mary Bonsor to discuss legal trainee schemes, how they're looking to shape the industry, and the opportunities and challenges ahead of them.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

In the spotlight today, we have Sarita, a rising star in the legal world and a nominee for the Next 100 Years: Women in Law Rising Star of the Year 2025 award. Now a Legal Counsel at National Grid, Sarita’s journey through the Flex Trainee scheme is a testament to determination and the value of non-traditional qualification routes. We recently spoke with Sarita about her path, her experience with Flex Legal, and the monumental shift the scheme represents for the legal industry.

Discover how AI is transforming legal teams in 2026. This playbook explores engineering value, safety, and talent in the age of automated law, addressing challenges from ethics and junior training to ROI and recruitment with innovative solutions.

Flex Legal’s Future Lawyers Report 2024/25 explores the aspirations, concerns, and expectations of the next generation of lawyers. In collaboration with industry leaders, this annual report highlights key trends, challenges, and opportunities to drive positive change in the legal profession. Discover what future lawyers really think and how employers can support them.

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.

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!

Inclusion is everything. Studies have repeatedly shown that higher workplace inclusion directly contributes to increased productivity, wellbeing, and staff retention. Flex Legal are proud of the reputation we have built in this space, and now want to share our insights with the wider legal industry.

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!

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.

Flex Legal are back again bringing an array of teams together (virtually) from across the thriving Northern In-house legal community; aimed at all levels of legal professionals, from paralegals to GC's.

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!

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.

Nathalie came to Flex Legal 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 chatted to Nathalie to hear about her experience of working as an interim lawyer.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

Discover what the future holds for General Counsel in our latest Flex Legal report. Based on insights from 180+ legal professionals, this free report explores the essential skills GCs need, from AI literacy to strategic leadership, to thrive in a fast-changing legal landscape.

Discover what the future holds for General Counsel in our latest Flex Legal report. Based on insights from 180+ legal professionals, this free report explores the essential skills GCs need, from AI literacy to strategic leadership, to thrive in a fast-changing legal landscape.

Discover how inclusive hiring, mentorship, and training can transform the legal profession. Our latest report explores strategies to break down barriers, boost diversity, and drive innovation. Learn how top firms are fostering social mobility. Download the report now and build a more equitable, high-performing legal team.

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.

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.

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.

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 Sarah Gormley, Head of General Counsel Operational Excellence at Phoenix Group, to hear about their experience of the scheme so far.

Rebecca has been working as an interim lawyer through Flex Legal since January. We had a quick chat with her to discuss how interim working has drastically improved her work/life balance, and to see what advice she’d give to any aspiring lawyers.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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?

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.

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.