Marion Wells, newly qualified legal executive lawyer
Growing up, no-one in my family had ever been to university so I never dreamed I would end up a lawyer, especially at the age of 61! But I got there through grit and determination and now I couldn’t be happier.
Like many people I come from a working class background where my parents struggled financially – they had second hand clothes and worked every hour of the day to keep a roof over our heads. In all I had a difficult childhood as I sustained head injuries in an accident which resulted in fits which were similar to epilepsy. I also had to suffer the heartbreak and trauma of having three close family members murdered near to our house.
I began my working career as a secretary, before moving into child care at a children’s home where I obtained relevant qualifications, while caring for 10 children, including two of my own. Following this I moved to South Africa, where I lived for 20 years before returning to England, aged 54, in a poor financial position. I was faced with the prospect of being out of work and penniless unless I found a good job – an enormous challenge at that age.
Fortunately I landed a job as a legal secretary where I found out I could also train to become a legal executive lawyer while retaining full time employment as a legal secretary. Initially I thought I may have been too old to study law but my life experiences had made me a fighter and I was determined to succeed - I knew I could do anything if I put my mind to it, whatever my age.
So at the age of 56, I began the ILEX* course, only to fail my first exams. This set back meant that I put my studies on hold for some time, but being a person that hates to give up I eventually resumed the course and completed it in just over three years at the age of 61. Studying in later life had its challenges – not least the exams – but I found a tot of whisky did wonders for my confidence!
I’m now 62 and working as a Legal Executive lawyer at a law firm specialising in family law. I love working with my own clients, making a contribution to my firm and contributing financially to my family. As my husband was made redundant a year ago I’m now the sole breadwinner, so becoming a lawyer couldn’t have happened at a better time.
In a way I’m thankful for the adversity I’ve had to face in life and how it has made me stronger and more determined to succeed. My advice to anyone considering studying through ILEX, or pursuing any other challenging ambition at this time of life is ‘just do it’!
* ILEX is the Institute of Legal Executives. ILEX allows you to train as a lawyer without going to university - students study through flexitime, at evenings and weekends- while working within a law firm.