Williamsons newly qualified solicitors appear in the Journal of Leeds Law Society

Our three former trainees have aimed high and achieved their success by working hard and becoming newly qualified solicitors, remaining at Williamsons.

According to the Leeds and Yorkshire Lawyer journal, their success has been described as “an exception to the norm in the current climate of legal sector recruitment” as it has come at a time where many law students aspiring to become solicitors are facing a struggle. For every available solicitor training contract, there are hundreds of applicants.

Tom Herd, our newly qualified solicitor in the Commercial property department, told the Leeds and Yorkshire Lawyer journal the difficulty he faced to achieve his goals: “It was very hard, very competitive; there are an awful lot of graduates. I have known a lot of students but only a minimal amount of them got legal training contracts.”

Tom also advised aspiring solicitors to get as much experience under their belts as possible. “At University you learn the information you need to secure a training contract whereas at law school you learn the more practical skills.

However, since joining Williamsons the training here has been very good and it is that – combined with my own initiative – that has brought me to where I am today.”

Director at Williamsons, Bill Waddington, spoke of Tom Herd, Rachel Hudson and Kerry Smales’ success: “They have now found the foundation for long and successful careers. We know they have the ability to make a big contribution in the years to come. It is especially gratifying that they come from our region.”