Firm continues to grow with new self-taught marketing executive, a business administration apprentice, paralegal and HR Assistant.
An entrepreneurial marketeer who has been self-employed for the last three years is putting his self-taught skills into action as a new marketing executive for Jacksons Law Firm.
Alexander Smith is one of four new recruits at the Newcastle and Teesside firm, which has also added Charlie Mace, a paralegal, Kirsten Halliwell a HR Assistant and Amy Kay, a business administration apprentice to its growing team.
Alexander, 24, who previously ran his own sportswear company, decided to apply for the marketing executive role at Jacksons in a bid to widen his network, get involved with a bigger firm and “be part of a bigger community”.
He said: “Prior to having this role as marketing executive, I have had a number of smaller jobs but the biggest thing I ever did was start my own successful business.
“Having joined Jacksons, it’s everything I expected and more and the opportunities that have been handed to me so far have been really interesting and exciting.
“Working at Jacksons, it’s not like your typical nine-to-five role – it’s more than that.”
Alexander has particularly enjoyed representing the firm at networking events, including Tees Valley Business Club and an event at the Warehouse Food and Bar on Falcon Court, for all the firms at this part of the Preston Farm Industrial Estate, where the Teesside office of Jacksons is located.
He is grateful that Jacksons partners recognised his “self-taught” skills in marketing when offering him the job.
“My business is all online, so I learned to build a website for myself and taught myself how to use all the different social media platforms for sales and marketing,” he explained.
“I’m pleased that Jacksons has recognised marketing is something you don’t necessarily need a formal qualification for.”
Alexander also notes the world of marketing is “ever-changing” and he is looking forward to keeping up with new trends and progressing in his role.
“It’s a really good starting point to come into the firm as a marketing executive and I feel valued as an employee, with experience as a company director,” he said.
Adding to the young recruits taking an unusual route into the legal world is Amy Kay, who joins the firm as a business administration apprentice.
Amy has a master’s degree in Publishing from Northumbria University and completed an internship with publishing house Hodder Education, who she continues to work with on a freelance basis.
She said: “I joined Jacksons because I thought that my experience in an internship role would benefit me in administration, as there is a focus on detail-oriented work and organisational skills in both roles, and both environments are quite fast-paced.
“Since joining Jacksons, I have found the team very helpful in training me – especially considering I had no previous experience in a legal role – and all the staff have been welcoming and supportive of me as I continue to learn.”
Charlie Mace, who is a new paralegal has previous experience in a similar role, where he worked on “catastrophic injury claims”.
“My degree was in history and I did the GDL conversion course at Northumbria University following a gap year” he said.
Most recently, I worked for Citizen’s Advice, advising people around issues with debt and poverty.
“I had done some work experience with Jacksons previously during my Legal Practice Course (LPC) studies at Northumbria and got involved with them at networking events for young professionals in the area more recently.”
Charlie is now pleased to be a permanent addition to the “brilliant” Jacksons team and is starting his training contract in the litigation department.
Kirsten Halliwell also joins the firm as a HR assistant, having previously worked at the Great North Air Ambulance.
She says: “You would think that HR is HR wherever you go, but it has been good joining the team at Jacksons – it has been a big learning curve as I’ve changed from a charity environment to a professional services firm, where there is a big difference in terms of how the office is set out.
“I’ve settled in well, picked up the system fairly quickly and people have been very friendly and helpful.
“I’m also enjoying the treat days Jacksons provides to its staff!”
Tony Wentworth, managing partner of Jacksons Law Firm said the team were very pleased to welcome staff from diverse employment backgrounds, including those with professional qualifications and self-taught skills.
“I extend a warm welcome to these four new recruits at Jacksons, as we continue our steady growth, providing legal services to businesses and individuals right across the North East region,” he said.
“We look forward to assisting these new members of the team with their continuous professional development and training and hope they will be with us for many years to come providing the much-valued expertise that they have.”
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