Team Insights – Erin Mallon

Our third Team insights post features Erin Mallon, one of our Paralegals on the team.

Beyond what our team does for our clients, our paralegals work hard studying behind the scenes, striving to develop their academic knowledge and expertise to become trainees and qualified solicitors. In House Legal Solutions began with an initial ambition of building a legal service business with a unique model – an aim to bring opportunities to aspiring lawyers, that may not be found easily. IHLS focus a lot of time and resources on supporting the training of our team, where we train up paralegals to become trainee solicitors, and go on to qualify with us.

Our Paralegal Erin sets a brilliant example, where she has been studying to gain her LPC qualifications along side working hard to provide the best service for our clients. Erin is currently studying a master’s course and legal practice course combined and has achieved distinctions in all her exams thus far.

My Role at IHLS

My role as a Paralegal at In-House Legal Solutions is very varied.  I focus on our Transaction Support Solution – our high volume fast turnaround service for clients in the financial services industry – and so my workload ranges from drafting and reviewing documents such as non-disclosure agreements, non-reliance letters and reliance letters to managing interns, reporting for clients, and assisting consultants. I work under tight deadlines, and I’m accustomed to working under pressure because our team handles large volumes of NDAs and NRLs for banks, advisors, investment funds and pension schemes. I benefit greatly from the guidance and mentorship provided by experienced trainees and solicitors who supervise my work, fostering my professional growth. Due to the close contact with clients, I get to develop close relationships and gain a better understanding of their operations, which is crucial for both the clients and my personal development.

What is your prior experience and why did you choose to pursue a career as an In-house solicitor?

I graduated from my law degree at the University of Liverpool in July 2023, and I joined IHLS to kick start my career in commercial law. I am currently studying the LLM LPC at BPP part-time on Saturdays. I chose to pursue a career as an in-house lawyer because I appreciate how you get to work closely with businesses to provide legal support that directly impacts the company’s operations. Also, I like how I can develop a diverse skill set, including negotiation, project management and business acumen.

Being nearly halfway through my LLM LPC, I’m delighted to have achieved distinctions in all my exams thus far. It’s a challenge working full-time whilst studying part-time but seeing the results of consistent hard work makes it incredibly rewarding. I look forward to completing my studies next September and progressing my legal career further.

What do you like about your role?

Even though I am one of the most junior members of the team, I feel like I am given a lot of responsibility. I am trusted to supervise interns and interact with clients daily. I like how the work at IHLS is really hands on, I get to work on live documents that assist with big international deals.

In addition, I enjoy networking outside of work, representing IHLS at external events. Networking provides opportunities to excel outside the office and interact with other like-minded people. As a recent example, I was able to represent IHLS at Liverpool Law Society’s golf day which was a great experience meeting the president of LLS and the future vice president of the Law Society of England and Wales.

What advice would you give to aspiring in-house law professionals?

From a junior perspective I would recommend studying your post graduate qualification whilst working. Even though it is a challenge studying the LLM LPC whilst working full-time, I think the two have had a positive effect on each other for many reasons. One is that some of the concepts learnt in my studies directly apply to my work, such as drafting, which enhances my understanding and retention of the skill. Also, as life as an in-house lawyer can be very demanding, balancing work and studies fosters strong time management skills, teaching you how to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines effectively. As a junior, I would also say it’s very important to attend networking events and utilize networking platforms like LinkedIn to build your professional profile.