Legal Cheek Careers sits down with future trainee Paige Cardrick to discuss her journey into law and how working on the gym floor may in fact be the best prep for commercial law
Paige Cardrick, future trainee at Womble Bond Dickinson and student at The University of Law (ULaw), began her journey into law with a slight detour. As an undergraduate studying history, a legal career always felt firmly out of reach: “I kind of always thought about law while I was doing my undergrad,” she explains, “but I think I just lacked a lot of confidence at that point in my life.” Coming from a background where neither parent had been to university, the idea of entering a corporate profession seemed alien. Instead, after graduating, she went in a very different direction. After becoming heavily involved in fitness during lockdown, Cardrick qualified as a personal trainer and spent the next three years running her own business. “Both my parents did that,” she says. “That felt more familiar and a little bit safer.”
However, whilst her business venture was successful, after some time Cardrick felt as though something was missing. “I realised I wanted structure and that I am a bit more academic than that job was,” she says. Personal training was highly social, but Cardrick found herself craving something more intellectually demanding. “If I was going to go into a profession, it always felt like law would probably be the one for me,” she reflects. Eventually, Cardrick decided to take the leap, albeit without huge expectations. “I thought I would just give it a go and see what happens. I did not expect anything from it and I think I was quite lucky.”
In fact, being a career changer already steeped in the business world stood her in excellent stead when it came to applications. Cardrick is quick to highlight that non-legal experience can be hugely valuable, as long as it is framed properly. “Everything is applicable if you frame it in an appropriate way,” she explains. In fact, her experience working in a gym proved immensely valuable when she understood it through a commercial lens. When you boil it down, managing a roster of clients, maintaining long-term relationships, adapting services to client needs and consistently delivering value is no different from the work of a commercial lawyer. “Even though it feels unrelated, it can be really relevant and quite impressive,” she says.
Having friends going through the process also helped. One friend applying at the same time had studied law, providing a sounding board for questions. “Having someone who has been through it or is going through it at the same time is really helpful because it is a whole new world,” she explains.
When it came to actually applying for law firms, Cardrick admits she went in largely blind. Having never even heard of a vacation scheme, she naturally gravitated towards larger firms which offered a full breadth of practice areas. “I did not really know what I was doing at all,” she laughs. She applied to just two firms in her first recruitment cycle and secured a work placement week at Womble Bond Dickinson, something she still describes as “very lucky and impressive”.
However, there is lesson in Cardrick’s experience all applicants can learn from: a lack of fear goes a very long way. “Letting go of perfection and being myself took the pressure off” she says. Because she assumed it was unlikely to work out, she felt freer to be herself and focus on learning rather than perfection. “I felt it was never going to happen, so I just tried to learn as much as possible, be myself, and figured we could always try again next year.” In hindsight, not knowing too much about what lay ahead may have been a blessing. “I loved my work placement so much and had the best time,” she says. “If I had been more aware of what was going to happen, I think I would have stressed myself out.”
To bridge the knowledge gap between a non-law background and the commercial legal world, Cardrick read anything and everything to bring herself up to speed. “I just read everything I could,” she says, from Legal Cheek articles to blogs detailing assessment centre experiences. She is less enthusiastic about online forums: “Reddit is fear-mongering central,” she warns. “Stay away from Reddit if you are doing the SQE or applications!”
In terms of demonstrating commercial awareness in the application process, Cardrick believes her business background gave her a useful, if niche, foundation. Running a personal training business taught her about client retention, marketing and operational processes. To tailor that awareness to law firms, she researched recent cases, growth areas and individual partners’ practices ahead of interviews. She also stresses the importance of genuine engagement. “You have to be passionate about it,” she says, recalling how a particular Womble Bond Dickinson pro bono case immediately caught her attention. Going into interviews with that level of enthusiasm helped her immensely.
However, what ultimately sealed the deal for WBD was culture. “Everyone seemed to be having a really nice time,” she recalls of assessment centres and her work placement. From fee earners to recruitment teams, the atmosphere felt friendly and supportive. “I felt like they wanted me to do well,” she says.
Ahead of starting her TC in September, the next step for Cardrick is tackling the SQE with the support of The University of Law (ULaw). Having taken SQE1 just last week, she does not mince her words: “The prep is intense,” she says. However, the exam itself, while long, was not the hardest part. “By that point, you have done so many questions,” she explains, having completed around 3,500 practice questions in the final weeks. On the day, adrenaline carried her through. “In terms of being sat there for five hours, it goes quickly because your adrenaline is going.” The challenge, she says, lies in the sheer volume of content. “You have to take comfort in the fact that you cannot know it all, and they do not expect you to.” With pass marks requiring roughly three out of five questions correct, her advice is to accept uncertainty and focus on consistency. “Everyone feels exactly the same,” she says.
Looking ahead to starting her training contract this September, Cardrick is excited to see how theory translates into practice. “Law feels like a lens over the world that reveals connections you do not normally think are there,” she explains. Applying that perspective to major clients and household names feels “a bit surreal”, particularly for someone who has never worked in a corporate environment before.
Her final advice for those feeling worn down by the process is simple: trust yourself. “Not having legal work experience is not a reason not to apply,” she says. Everyone has something to offer, even if it does not look like the traditional path. “You might have something that really resonates with the person sat in front of you.”
Standing out, she adds, matters. “Other candidates might have paralegal experience, but you might bring something important that puts you a step ahead.” In her case, being memorable helped. “Everyone is applying from a range of backgrounds, and I said I was a personal trainer. They were not going to forget me.”
Secrets to Success Newcastle — with Norton Rose Fulbright, Womble Bond Dickinson and ULaw takes place in-person THIS AFTERNOON, Tuesday 27 January. The event features a panel discussion delivered by top law firms as well as networking with the speakers, early talent and graduate recruitment teams. APPLY NOW.
About Legal Cheek Careers posts.
