"I thought solicitors belonged to a different stratosphere – but I finished my training contract at the age of 62"

Growing up in Ireland made me question my abilities, but since qualifying as a solicitor, I finally feel confident. My insecurities began when I was at primary school in Limerick, Ireland, in the 1960s. The school was very strict; the teachers hit us and I didn’t do well academically.

Limerick was a tough city with a lot of social deprivation. There was always someone in the street looking for trouble. I started karate and that helped me to develop my social confidence. Learning to be able to defend myself was a real boost – although I actually managed to talk my way out of most scrapes.

From an early age I thought solicitors belonged to a different world. I was adopted as a baby and raised on a farm. My adoptive grandfather was an incredibly wealthy solicitor and he lived in a huge house. His world seemed completely unattainable to me, so it never crossed my mind to pursue law.

Aged 13, I started working in my uncle's petrol station which gave me the confidence to interact with people. Gaining customer service experience at that early age was a huge benefit to my social skills.

I moved to London in 1987 and started working as a labourer in construction. I progressed in construction management and worked on big projects including Smithfield Market. I was an experienced site supervisor, but I also worked on procurement, tendering, partnering and financing. 

The practical skills I developed while working on building sites have been incredibly beneficial in my legal career. I really enjoyed trying to resolve issues when things went wrong. I particularly liked writing letters to subcontractors when they weren’t performing. I became an excellent negotiator.

My legal interest was piqued when I was studying for my Chartered Institute of Building qualification. Because my school grades were not straight As and I never went to university, I pursued this course to gain a recognised qualification. An excellent solicitor taught our legal modules. I was impressed by the way he rattled off caselaw with ease – a skill I’ve since learned for myself.

But it was another 13 years before I started my law degree. In the interim I stayed in construction, completed a MSc in Project Management and started a family with my partner. But the idea of studying law kept niggling away at me.

Aged 44, I started my Bachelor of Laws (LLB) through the Open University – my biggest regret is that I didn’t start it earlier. It took four years to complete my degree while balancing a full-time job and three kids (with lots of support from my partner of course). 

I’d recommend completing a law degree to anybody, if they can. It gave me a completely different outlook on life, matured me as a person and taught me incredible skills.

The LPC was difficult, but it was at the training contract application stage where I nearly gave up. I faced numerous rejections and that got me down. I’d only managed a pass in my LPC so I wasn’t a star candidate. I was in my 50s by that stage.

The rejections were demoralising after ten years of legal studies – my son told me to forget about it because I’d never qualify. People told me I’d wasted my time. But I was adamant I hadn’t; I was determined to succeed. One of my biggest drivers was that I wanted to be a member of the legal profession.

I was delighted when I finally got the opportunity to embark on a training contract. I secured an in-house maternity cover position at a telecommunications and utilities company.