Name of Student: Isabella Hammond
Job Title: Legal Assistant at Bate & Albon Solicitors
Job Summary:
During my internship I worked as a conveyancing assistant in the residential property team at Bate & Albon Solicitors. I alternated between two offices throughout my internship, shadowing two partners and one paralegal.
My main responsibilities included file opening, management, reviews and closures/ archiving, answering phone calls, shadowing client meetings, undertaking training modules, preparation of initial draft documents (contracts, leases, transfers, legal buyer’s reports, client care and estimates), requisitioning conveyancing searches, Land Registry registration and search applications, and SDLT returns.
What achievements were you particularly proud of during your internship?
Having never sat in a residential property team before, I was particularly proud of my surprising ability to decode late century legal covenants in title registers! I also felt a huge sense of achievement when I drafted my first legal buyer’s report, outlining and explaining to the clients the results of searches, their mortgage offer, property information forms, and fittings and contents. During the end of my internship, having built on my knowledge, I drafted a leasehold new-build property legal buyer’s report which was far more intricate than the freehold reports that I had drafted previously throughout my internship.
How do you think this experience will impact on your employability?
After successfully completing my 140-hour internship with the firm, I was invited to interview and I have successfully gained a training contract with the firm for when I graduate in 2026. I have also accepted a part-time remote conveyancing assistant position with the firm throughout my final year at Exeter.
I believe this experience has been invaluable for my employability and is a fantastic addition to my CV.
Why would you recommend the A2I scheme to other students?
For me, the A2I scheme and the funding that it provided me with enabled me to complete a 140-hour internship which was specific to my desired career path in law. Without this financial support, I would not have been able to pursue this opportunity for such length of time. I highly recommend the scheme to everyone!
If you created your own internship, what advice would you give to other students about reaching out to employers about the scheme?
In creating your own internship, I would recommend emailing a number of different companies which you are interested in and explain to them what the A2I scheme is, what you are looking to gain by working with their company, attach your most up-to-date CV, and make sure to keep your emails professional, tailored, specific to each company, and invite any further questions. I believe this approach is a great way to stand out your personality and willingness to employers and is the same format which I used to secure my own internship. Best of luck!
If you would like to find out more about the A2i scheme, you can contact the team via a2i@exeter.ac.uk, or you can also visit the student and employer facing webpages here.