Following a competitive round of internal interviews, the quartet – Emily Burns, Chelsea Kearns, Katie Tunstall, and Hetal Hathiwala – have now started their 18-month training contracts as trainee solicitors

Four paralegals at Liverpool law firm Jackson Lees Group have taken the first steps to becoming fully-fledged lawyers.

Following a competitive round of internal interviews, the quartet – Emily Burns, Chelsea Kearns, Katie Tunstall, and Hetal Hathiwala – have now started their 18-month training contracts as trainee solicitors.

The training programme will see the group work across a number of practice areas, gaining valuable experience and insight prior to choosing an area of specialism.

Jackson Lees Group comprises Broudie Jackson Canter and Jackson Lees and has its headquarters in Liverpool city centre. It also has offices in Wirral and Manchester, employing more than 280 people.

Broudie Jackson Canter specialises in civil liberties and social welfare with teams working on actions against the police and inquests, immigration, housing, criminal matters, prison law.

Jackson Lees covers a diverse range of specialisms. These include: family, wills and probate, conveyancing, commercial, employment, court of protection, medical negligence and personal injury.

The group has a well-established internal training academy and mentoring programme in place. Four current trainee solicitors are also due to complete their training contracts in December and become qualified solicitors within the firm.

Brian Cullen, chief executive of the Jackson Lees Group, said: “At Jackson Lees Group, we’re proud to offer young talent the opportunity to develop into brilliant lawyers.

“Congratulations to all those who were successful this time around. It’s wonderful to see the next generation of trainees growing and developing. We actively pursue a strategy of promoting and training from within and I am so proud of the calibre of applications we received for these training positions – it was an incredibly competitive process.