A graduate in ancient history and archaeology has been promoted after qualifying as a solicitor. 
Claire Hunt, 27, of Braintree, started work as a paralegal at Essex firm Birkett Long in 2011 when a vacancy for a trainee solicitor became available a year later. 
After studying at the College of Law in Chester, she completed a conversion course to law, the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and then the Legal Practice Course (LPC), leaving with a class 2:1 Law degree. 
She is just one of a new group of solicitors being taken on at the company, which has offices in Colchester and Chelmsford, which is recruiting paralegals who are then taking up training contracts in-house. Miss Hunt said: “I would strongly recommend law graduates or LPC leavers taking paralegal positions. 
“Being a paralegal allows you to experience how the law really works in practice, not just in theory, before you start your training contract.” 
Miss Hunt’s promotion coincides with two new recruits at the company.  Caroline Woodham and Ella Johnson recently began their roles as trainee solicitors straight from law school. 
The pair will now spend six-month tenures in various legal departments as part of their training.