Success for Thorne Trail-Blazer at Prestigious National Awards Ceremony

Apprentice Solicitor Madison Earl claimed an incredible victory earlier this month in the fiercely - competed ‘One to Watch Practitioner’ category of the British Wills & Probate Awards.

Madison was praised by the judges for her inspiring story “which should serve as encouragement to anyone who believes their own unique circumstances mean they cannot enter the legal profession”.

25 year old Madi has embraced a non-traditional route to a successful career in private client work, but has had to overcome significant personal adversity with a tenacity and determination, rare amongst her peers, to do so.

Her career highlight to-date was an invitation to the House of Commons in November 2023 to receive an award from the National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP), for gaining the highest marks in the world for her Level 3 Assessments. She had a career-defining evening, joining MPs and various notable legal professionals.

Her first taste of life in a law firm was on a work placement age 18. She was subsequently offered a position as office junior / cover receptionist and chose to complement these foundation office skills by gaining apprenticeships in customer service and secretarial work. Following the birth of her daughter later that year, she threw herself back into her work with grit and determination. Clear to her senior colleagues that Madi had potential beyond her receptionist position she was promoted to legal secretary working for a private client partner who handled complex estate planning and tax matters for wealthy individuals.

Madi showed a flair for this type of work almost instantly, quick to pick up advanced legal concepts and at ease dealing with often very demanding individuals. With an appetite to progress into a more senior role, she commenced a paralegal apprenticeship. Madi maximised the opportunity by regularly engaging with her tutor, immersing herself in endless reading, meticulously researching each task set and approaching each assignment with careful consideration. The course provider was so impressed with Madi that they described her as a “trail blazer” for the course and wanted Madi to be the “poster person” for the course using her success story on all of their promotional materials. Representatives from the course provider interviewed Madi on film and Madi appears on their video adverts detailing the benefits of the course.

She passed each of the assignments and exams with impressive grades and was very proud to become a qualified paralegal accredited by the NALP in early 2023. She was also the first person at Sills & Betteridge LLP to complete an apprenticeship, pioneering the now widely adopted culture in the firm of ‘growing its own’ talent to produce a future workforce pipeline.

In January 2024, Madi began the solicitors’ apprenticeship which will allow her to qualify as a Solicitor. Madi has demonstrated that with hard work and ambition, modern, innovative entry routes can be leveraged very effectively.

Pictured Left to Right: Partner Corrine le Huquet, Partner Richard Bussell, Award Winner Madison Earl, Partner and Head of Dept. Andrew Durkan and Partner Anna O'Mara.