Paige Symns

Tell us about what you do now?

Currently I am a solicitor at Stone Rowe Brewer LLP Solicitors in Twickenham, part of our dispute resolution and litigation department. I cover all sorts of areas such as contractual disputes, commercial disputes, and landlord and tenant issues. I really enjoy the variety of work that the department covers, dealing with all different kinds of commercial and civil disputes.

How did your studies at Solent help your career?

The degree was practical as well as content-heavy. I learned all of the different areas of law that I am required to do in my day-to-day practice. But it also prepared me to work with colleagues and clients. We would practise client interviews, for example, which really helped prepare me practically for the work I do now because my role now is very client-focused.

What advice would you give to those wanting to follow in your footsteps?

The advice that I would give is that patience is key. Law is a high level kind of role. As a solicitor, you’re a professional, an officer of the court. So it will take time to get to the place where you want to be. But everything has a purpose and you learn so much along the way. Therefore, I would just advise that people take it in their stride and really try and make the most of their time studying. And then, know that the end goal is getting into the legal world and enjoying that, and being proud of yourself once you get to that stage.

What support did you get at Solent?

The academics on the law course were amazing. They offer such personalised support to their students. They understand that perhaps some people don’t want to qualify as a solicitor, but because they have such a broad range of experience, they can offer tailored support to really guide you through the process.

What practical experience did you gain during your degree?

Solent’s law degree has such great opportunities – they have really great partnerships with local organisations and local law firms that allow students to get that real-world experience they need to go into the real world and practise law. Law is obviously very academic, but it’s so important to develop your practical skills in order to practise in the legal industry. While I was at Solent, I really developed my advocacy skills – Solent has an amazing moot room where people can practise their advocacy in replica court cases. And I really look back fondly on all of the different arguments that I made in the moot room that allowed me to grow confidence in the advocacy work that I do today.