NICOLA SHARP Lever Law Solicitors, Durham
Which area of the law do you work in?
I specialise in Private Client Matters to including Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Estate Planning Trusts, Probate and Court of Protection matters.
Did you always envisage a career in the industry?
Since around the age of fifteen years old, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in law. My initial interest was in family law following my parents’ acrimonious divorce but after studying the same and dealing with different areas of law in practice I soon realised that my passion lay in advising on private client matters.
What has been your career path so far?
I started studying law at the age of sixteen upon leaving school. I spent two years at college where I gained an A level in law amongst others then went on to study the subject at University. I spent three years at Sunderland University where I gained my law degree then another year at Northumbria University to study the Legal Practice Course, which I did alongside Dale Lever, founder of Lever Law Solicitors. Upon graduating from University in 2014, I was already undertaking work experience at a local law firm one day per week so I continued to do this but struggled to gain a full time position in any local law firms. I therefore became full time in my job as a waitress/barmaid and continued to apply for law firms for another year or so until I gained a role as a Paralegal. In this role, I was assisting one of the Directors of the firm in private client matters before becoming a Trainee Solicitor a year later and finally qualifying as a Solicitor eighteen months after that. I gained a further two years’ post qualification experience at the same firm before joining Lever Law Solicitors this year. Although it ended up taking me a little longer to get where I am now following graduation, I would not change this route as I gained valuable skills in my waitressing job which I use to this day and I also met my now fiancé there so I really do believe everything happens for a reason.
What have been the biggest challenges you have faced so far?
I think getting into a legal role initially was one of the biggest challenges and then proving myself as a Paralegal and Trainee Solicitor. It was hard at times as I was working twelve hour days as a Trainee then continued my barmaid role on a weekend but my moto is never give up and it is great to look back and see how far I have come.
Who do you most respect in your industry?
I learned a lot from a Consultant Solicitor who was one of my supervisors when I was a Trainee, who is now retired. She always had the time for anyone and would always teach us why things were done a certain way, not just how and this has been invaluable. I aspire to be like this in training members of my team in the future.
Tell us about your team?
We have a lovely team here at Lever Law Solicitors which is constantly growing. Everyone works so well together and has their own roles which compliment each other so well. This makes a transaction for a client run so smoothly and ensures they receive information they need and documents to sign in a timely manner throughout the transaction, making client care the focus.
Which fictional lawyer would you most like to meet?
This is a hard one as any team member from Suits would be exciting but also Elle Woods from Legally Blonde purely for the fact that she also never gave up and got to where she wanted to be, pushing through the obstacles that stood in her way.
What is your greatest strength?
I believe my greatest strength is how much I care about clients and ensuring they receive the best service possible. I will always be client focused and make sure that clients are comfortable and fully understand the matter in hand.
What are your remaining career aspirations?
To keep going, help members of the team who were in the positions I used to be in, develop our private client department here at Lever Law Solicitors and continue to grow.
How do you see your industry evolving in the next 10 years?
I think that electronic signatures will become more prevalent especially after the past year, Wills may even become executed via electronic means a lot more and I think we will see a rise in women directors in law firms going forward.
