Legal advisor, Zachary tells us about his daily working routine at CEL Solicitors – from making cuppas for his colleagues to attending a weekly first response meeting.
I started working in the first response team at CEL Solicitors in April 2022, very shortly before I was awarded a 2:1 in my LLB (Hons) Law degree. Currently, I study the Legal Practice Course on Wednesdays while working on the other weekdays. After finishing my studies, I plan to qualify as a solicitor. CEL Solicitors have offered me a flexible approach to my studies, as I am still able to work part-time. Being a legal advisor means that my day is never really the same as every call and every moment is so different.
9am:
As a legal advisor in CEL Solicitors’ first response team, a key part of my role is dealing with any new enquiries which people may have. The first thing we do in the morning is contact everybody who made an enquiry the night before. These cases have a broad range and are high in number, so we have an automatic dialer system to help us contact potential clients. Many of these calls are the first contact that people will ever have had with a law firm, so it’s important to be as aware and as empathetic as possible to ensure that they feel comfortable telling us their story. It’s always important that we are aware and up to date with the firm’s processes and the surrounding law to ensure that we can answer any questions that clients might have.
10 – 11am:
Depending on how many enquiries we have, our team will either use this time to catch-up with any emails or continue to make outbound calls to those who have made enquiries with us. During the earlier days of the week, this process can take some time. On Thursdays or Fridays, this time can be used to catch-up with emails, or try to contact any clients who may have evidence which we need to proceed with their claim. 11am is coffee time for me, I’ll often ask a few colleagues if they want a cuppa if they’ve been nice (which they always are, lucky for them).
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12 – 1pm:
Lunch time! I usually have my lunch at around 12pm, personally, I enjoy sitting on the beanbags in our break area, chatting to colleagues and relaxing for a little while. Half the team go for an hour lunch at 12, the other half have an hour lunch at 1 – those who aren’t on lunch are sat at their desks waiting to take any incoming calls as lunch hours can be busy.
2pm:
If it’s Friday, it’s time to finish off any work we had for the week! Time for coffee number two and to make sure that our clients don’t have any questions left unanswered before we head off for our weekly team meet.
If it’s any other day, its likely time to start getting back into gear and making more outbound calls.
3pm:
On Fridays it’s time for the weekly first response meeting! Whether we’re crowning the new King/Queen for most reviews of the month or awarding the champion of signed documents (I’ll take my trophy back, Paige!). Regardless, it’s always a good time.
3:30pm:
On a Friday we have our firm-wide staff meeting – these are always fun. We all collectively meet on the 12th floor and have a drink together while we engage in this week’s activity. Whether our owner, Jessica Hampson has planned out another of her classic meditation sessions, or if we’ve got a new guest speaker in this week, or even a new debate between staff members, these meetings are always something to look forward to. It’s the highlight of the week!
4:30pm:
With only half an hour left of the day, it’s important that we finish any work that needs to be completed to ensure that things run smoothly for tomorrow.
However, if it’s a Friday then it’s time to go home – early dart!
Find out more about what it’s like to work at CEL Solicitors and check out our current vacancies.
