From betting shop manager to SQE1 passer: balancing motherhood, ADHD and full-time work

What’s your background, and why did you decide to do the SQE?

I left school without wanting to pursue higher education at that time as I wasn’t certain on what i wanted as my lifelong career. Instead I settled into working as a customer service manager in a betting shop often working from 7:30am until 10pm. At aged 22 I welcomed my little boy into the world and knew that it was time to make a decision on a career as the betting shop hours didn’t aline with having a young child. I subsequently signed up to undertake my Batchelor of Law degree over 3 years with the Open University and also secured a full time role as a family paralegal. During my first year of my degree I was diagnosed with ADHD which put another thing onto my already full plate! Ultimately I obtained my Batchelor of Law degree and then moved firms but remained as a family law paralegal. I knew that I wanted to qualify as a solicitor but the LPC then training contract route didn’t fit with my own schedule so I opted to self study for the SQE!

How did you prepare, and what made the biggest difference in your success?

I firstly read through the ReviseSQE textbooks, made mind-maps and flashcards but ultimately what prepared me the most were MCQs! The biggest difference to my success was definitely commitment. I didn’t have a busy social life anyway owing to having a young family however I did find myself saying “no” to social plans as i knew once I had a few days off i would find it hard to get back into it! I didn’t want to risk failing the exam and having what ifs or regrets, i wanted to leave it all in the test centre and know I had given it everything I could.

What was the hardest part, and how did you push through it?

The hardest part was the sacrifices my family made for me to succeed. My little boy missed seeing his mummy without her head in a text book. My partner took on more than his share of the load in the final month before the exam. My mum who gave her time for school drop offs and pick ups or on a weekend so i could have time to revise. I was so relieved to have passed so that I didn’t have to ask that of them again!!

If you had to do it again, what would you do differently?

If i had to sit SQE1 again I would start Law Drills far earlier than I did. I really only started solid MCQ revision in the last month or so but I wish I had started it far earlier as it was where I feel I learnt the most.

Any final piece of advice for SQE candidates?

Trust yourself, lean on your friends and family for support, have multiple forms of the information (flash card, mind maps, text books and MCQs), and revise revise revise!!