Chloe Robertson

Insurance defence litigation professional, current part-time GDL student, working towards a solicitor apprenticeship.

I’m Chloe, and I’m currently studying the Graduate Diploma in Law part-time with The College of Legal Practice while working full-time in insurance defence litigation.

My background isn’t a typical non-law one. I studied sociology and law at undergraduate level, but for an LLB to count towards qualification, the law content needs a weighting of 75% or more. Mine fell short of that, so the GDL is giving me the extra percentage I need to sit on par with someone who completed a full LLB.

Why are you studying the GDL now?

I’ve been offered a solicitor apprenticeship training contract, and timing was the deciding factor. When I was a student, firms were still working out how the SQE would fit into training contracts, so I didn’t know how my degree weighting would affect me. The picture is much cleaner now - for a non-law graduate, an SQE training contract tends to run over four years. For a law graduate, it’s closer to 18 months to two years.

The GDL takes around nine months. Doing it now means I qualify on the shorter route, rather than adding an extra two years to my training contract. That maths made the decision for me.

Why did you choose The College of Legal Practice?

Cost and feedback, in that order. I looked at several higher education providers, and the College came out on top for price. The student feedback was strong too, and that mattered to me. The reviews between providers are starkly different, so it’s worth doing that research properly before you commit to anyone.

How do you study alongside full-time work?

I work full-time and study part-time, so it’s the reverse of most university students, who study full-time and work part-time. The discipline you need is the same. You still have to care about the topic, and you still have to want it.

Support from your workplace makes a real difference. Mine has been particularly supportive, because they know the qualification benefits them in the end.

If I’m honest about hours, I average around eight a week. Some weeks I have more time, some weeks my day job has me completely backlogged and I do less. The trick is balancing the books across the whole life cycle of the course, especially in the lead-up to assessments, rather than hitting the same number every single week.

What is the day-to-day learning like, and how supported do you feel?

The guided learning is easy to engage with, and they break it up well. It isn’t pages and pages of reading. Some of it comes through as a transcript, so I listen to it like a podcast and make my notes that way. There are videos, and there are cases you go and interact with. That mix makes it much easier to stay with.

The support is genuinely there when life crops up, and it will, whichever route you’re on. Kathryn, who runs the course, is amazing. There’s nothing you can take to her that she doesn’t have an answer for, and the tutors are equally prepared for any question or situation. I went to university during the pandemic, so online learning wasn’t new to me, and I’d say the College has nailed it.

The workshops are always recorded, and the mentors are always available if you can’t make a live session. In my job, something can go on fire in the middle of the day and need immediate attention, so I’m not always able to attend live. When that happens, I prep as if I’m going anyway. I work out my own answers and what I’d have discussed, then listen back to what everyone else said and marry the two up. Attending live is still the best way to do it, but you lose very little by catching up properly.

Did you need to buy extra materials?

No. Everything you need is in the manual, and it’s well written. You get a digital version and a physical version, and it’s yours to annotate, add to, or take pages out of. There’s supplementary material online if you want it, but I wouldn’t spend money on extra books. My grades have been strong working from the manual alone.

Has studying law alongside the job changed your work?

It’s worked both ways. After finishing the Tort module, I noticed a real difference in my ability to research the cases I look after at work. It refreshed all the principles for me. And the day job helps in return, because it lets me understand the topics in practice, not only in theory.

Criminal and Tort are my two favourites. They apply to real-life scenarios, which makes them easier to grasp if you’re coming from a non-law background. You look at the case law and realise these things happened to real people. It isn’t just a piece of paper telling you this is the case.

What would you say to someone weighing up part-time study while working?

If you’ve got the motivation, you can do it. There is enough time in the day. If law is a topic you’re genuinely interested in, and it fits your long-term goals, it’s doable. The College is supportive, most employers are supportive, and if you’ve got the drive and the self-discipline, go for it.

What are your next steps?

I’m working towards completing the GDL and moving into my solicitor apprenticeship on the shorter qualification route. Getting this done now is what makes that possible.

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