We’ve recently launched Career Spotlight, a new feature where we sit down with each member of the Realm team to talk about where they came from, what their job involves and how they’ve grown since joining the business.
First up, is our family recruitment specialist Paula who joined Realm in September 2017.
What did you do before you joined Realm / How did you end up working in legal recruitment?
In summer 2017 I’d just finished my masters in law and I wasn’t confident that a career as a solicitor was for me. Whilst university is a brilliant experience in itself (especially UoM) it gives you very little information on what working in the profession is like – which firm would be a good cultural fit, what perks and benefits are offered and even the working hours are unclear – for example, is there an expectation to stay beyond 6 pm? I did not want to commit to another year of university to complete the LPC, without the certainty that a legal career was for me.
However, I really wanted to stay within the legal profession but not strictly in a law firm. This is when the idea of legal recruitment came up. I’ve always been good at getting friends part-time jobs and freelance work, so I put two and two together and applied.
Why did you join Realm?
Any 22-year-old, fresh-out-of-uni-graduate will be slightly apprehensive about the interviewing process and the graduate job search altogether. But Duane made it so easy – he was approachable and friendly. An office environment can be slightly daunting when you’re so used to lecture halls!
Whilst I came across the advert by accident, on the university careers page, my decision to join was very well thought out. It didn’t only feel right but it was exciting to join a firm that was still in its early days (I joined just before Realm’s second birthday), invested in young talent and gave you a whole spectrum of opportunities to develop.
What does your role at Realm involve?
I won the ‘best snack provider of the year’ at our annual Realmie awards last year so probably feeding everyone?
Obviously, there are aspects of the job which are administrative and GDPR-related but the most fun part of my job is working with family law solicitors in helping them with their medium to long term career goals – where do you want to be in ten years? What’s important to you? What drives you?
When I joined I used to get so happy about helping people find their dream (or at least, well-fitted) jobs that I had a happy dance I did every time I assisted someone. Although the novelty has worn ever so slightly, it’s still the best part of the job.
What has been the biggest achievement of your career so far?
Finally learning what BCC means. Or perfecting the coffee round!
In all honesty, it’s building up my own and completely unique niche – I now receive phone calls from firms across the region that have heard about me and the family law recruitment work that I do.
Recruiters generally do not have the best reputation so it’s been really satisfying to challenge this perception placement after placement – we’ve all worked very hard at Realm to build up our own individual specialisms and it’s incredibly rewarding to see this acknowledged by JCI this year as Joe and I have been nominated for the recruiter of the year awards at the MYTAs 2019
About Paula
Paula specialises in recruiting family and childcare solicitors, including matrimonial solicitors, across the North West, Yorkshire and the West Midlands. She has a thorough understanding of the family law market in these areas and can help you take your next step.
To learn more about the market, please get in touch for a confidential conversation or explore our latest family solicitor vacancies. Call Paula Pawlowska on 03300 245 606 or email paula.pawlowska@realmrecruit.com
