Kiran Purewal
Principal Consultant
Queens Court, 24 Queen Street, Manchester, M2 5HX
- Specialism: Legal
- Sector: Public Sector
- Roles: Locum, fixed-term and permanent
- Location: North West
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The latest
Insight in Legal
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No assumptions – working with a deaf solicitor
It is not uncommon to see a news article pop up online detailing a story of an individual, firm or organisation who are working with people with disabilities. I actually saw one today relating to an instance where Sainsbury’s have really helped a lady with dementia to remain employed, and the positive impact this has had on her life. As a legal recruitment consultant it does get me thinking about those I am working and have worked with who have disabilities, and what it is like for them working in the legal profession. The truth is that this can often be perceived as a difficult situation for both for the candidate and the recruitment consultant working with them, however I am really pleased to say that in my experience, this is not the case. I always refer back to an experience I had with a candidate a few years ago. I started working with a locum solicitor, who also happened to be deaf. This was my first experience assisting a candidate with a hearing impairment, and it was a positive experience that really helped me to consider my approach, my role, and my responsibilities within the recruitment process, especially when dealing with more diverse candidates. I don’t want to say the word ‘challenge’ because it doesn’t feel quite right, but I would say there were three key areas that I really had to consider when carrying out my role, to ensure that I provided this candidate with the same level of service I offer all of my candidates. The first and most obvious area is communication, which is arguably the most important part of my job. Being based in Manchester but recruiting for the South West of England means a significant aspect of my role is based on the telephone. From registering candidates and keeping them up-to-date about roles, to placing them in assignments. This solicitor cannot speak on the telephone, which means all our communication is via text and emails. Interestingly, this candidate said that the telephone remained one of the biggest barriers to being a lawyer, something that really struck a chord with me. We take for granted talking on the phone, and as a recruiter it is the basis of my day-to-day, however this experience really made me consider those that don’t have that option and how they handle situations where communication is needed. Not speaking with this candidate on the phone tested my ability to portray my messages in a different way. Which takes me to my second point, relationship building, which is key to finding the right role for the right person – the majority of which is usually done over the telephone! It is without a doubt the fastest way to get hold of someone, and the easiest way to get to know someone without meeting in person. Fortunately, this candidate was very tech savvy which enabled us to be in constant contact via text and email, and it really surprised me how much you can get to know someone, and the relationship that you can form communicating in this way. Over time we developed a relationship that worked for both parties, and I was able to represent him just as well as my other locum candidates. The third is understanding, and being 100 percent confident that you understand the needs of your candidate. This covers everything they need for interview, and in their role if and when they secure a position. It was really important to ensure that clients knew about the situation and appropriate measures were in place to make this candidate feel at ease. For example, ensuring that the room was set up in a way that he could lip read, and having documents on hand that he could read if anything became unclear. I also had to make sure that any interviews I organised were in a quiet room with no background noise. Since working with this candidate I have actually had the pleasure of working with numerous candidates who have had a variety of disabilities. I will always be very grateful to this candidate for really opening my eyes to what is was like to be a legal professional with a disability, and to really helping me learn not to be afraid to challenge organisations on how well they are set up to ensure that candidates who have any sort of disability are able to thrive. If I am being honest, I used to feel really out of my depth working with people who required reasonable adjustments to be made but I now feel really silly about that. In my experience thus far most organisations have the ability and are more than happy to make reasonable adjustments to assist a candidate during the recruitment process and if successful, in their new role. If you have a disability and are struggling to find a legal role we would be happy to help. You can contact me directly for a confidential chat at laura.hayward@sellickpartnership.co.uk or give me a call on 0161 834 1642.
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Returning to work after a period of absence
I have recently returned to work following an accident which meant that I was unable to work in the office for a period of three months. It can be extremely challenging being out of the office for such a long period of time, having limited access to your work/life and generally being ‘out of the loop’ which can be quite demotivating. However, there are lots of ways to stay positive and focused while you are working from home, and I thought I would share my top tips from my experience below: Keep in touch with your manager and colleagues – I had several visits from both my manager and colleagues during my recovery period which really made such a difference. This meant that I was kept up-to-date with all aspects of what was going on within our team, and the wider business as a whole such as: Staffing changes and information around new people that had joined the business. Business updates including information on our new dress code policy. Recruitment updates – what roles the team were getting through and how those were progressing. Try to be as involved in your role as possible whilst not being in the office – once my initial recovery period was over and I was given the green light to start working again (albeit remotely), I knew I wanted to do as much as possible. I worked closely with manager and team members to ensure I offered as much help as possible whilst working remotely. I was given a laptop and mobile phone which enabled me to be fully connected to Sellick Partnership. It allowed me to act as if I were in the office which helped me a lot. I was able to log in to the system each morning, access my emails and take calls from clients, candidates and colleagues. This was a really key moment for me as I started to reintegrate myself into the working day. I also had a conversation with my manager twice a day to ensure that both the team and I were updated on our work and vice versa. Use the technology at your disposal – at Sellick Partnership we are passionate about technology and we are lucky enough to have all the software in place which made it possible for me to video call into training sessions. This was a brilliant way to ensure I didn’t miss scheduled training, and it helped to keep me on track with my training plan. Consider a phased return – as tempting as it is to jump straight back into full time work you should really support the idea of a phased return. It doesn’t have to be drawn out over a number of weeks, but easing yourself in gently is a must – you’ll be surprised at how much of a difference this makes. Having broken my foot, a phased return allowed me to physically reintroduce my commute to work (challenging when you haven’t been able to walk for months!) as well as getting used to the normal working hours. Don’t be scared – it is unnerving to have been out of the office for a long period of time but if I could offer one piece of advice it would be to embrace your transition back to the office and enjoy being part of the office ‘buzz’ again. Returning to work is undoubtedly daunting after any period of absence, but I really couldn’t wait to get back to work and am pleased to now be back in the office full time. Overall, having three months out of the office was a really challenging experience. My main piece of advice would be ultimately to use the tools at your disposal so you can stay involved in your role and the team, and keep in touch with your manager and colleagues. The combination of all of the above meant that something such as returning to work could have been extremely overwhelming, but by the time I was back in the office full time I was really ready, and two weeks later it feels as though it never happened! If you have any questions about your return to work please feel free to contact me on natalie.atherall@sellickpartnership.co.uk. Alternatively you can read blogs from my colleagues here.
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FAQs: Hiring a locum for the first time
Looking into hiring a legal locum can be a completely new experience for clients as it is a very different recruiting process to taking on permanent hires. I regularly get asked a number of common questions so I thought I would put a some frequently asked questions (FAQs) together to help if you have thought about locums but are not 100 percent sure they are right for your business. Why do I need a locum? Locums are available at short notice and are able to parachute into firms to assist in times of real need. This could be to cover; sickness, holidays, extended leave, maternity leave, project work, an influx of work or cover whilst the firm is recruiting permanently. This can be a great way to bring a legal professional in without having to commit to a permanent full-time member of staff. The locum will only stay as long as you require them helping you relieve pressures on your business. What’s the history of a locum? Our locum candidates usually have around 5 years PQE and are all highly experienced legal professionals. This is to make sure they have a wide range of experience in their practice area and will be able to hit the ground running with minimal supervision to progress matters quickly. When deciding on a locum you will be given a copy of their CV and details of the assignments they have completed for us previously so you can make sure they are the fight fit for your business. We will also ensure all major checks are completed before we send a candidate to you including; references, right to work, payment set up and checked their history with the SRA (finding or conditions). How much will a locum cost? You will be charged an all-inclusive hourly rate plus VAT, this includes everything (their pay, our fee, holiday pay, national insurance, apprenticeship levy, pension contributions and benefits etc). As they work on a flat hourly rate, you only pay for the hours completed and have no hidden extras such as sick pay, holiday pay, bank holidays, as these are all included in the rate we give to you. We will also pay the candidate so you don’t have to worry about adding them to your own payroll making the process as simple for you as possible. Do they have their own insurance? No. Legal locums will always be covered under your professional indemnity insurance. Depending on your insurance, you may need to inform your insurance company that you are taking on a locum so it is best to check what their process is. Some insurance providers may ask for their CV, practicing certificate or a questionnaire to be completed etc. How quickly can I get someone in? Very quickly! Giving us plenty of notice about the need is always preferred but in a lot of circumstances it is impossible to tell when you will need a locum as your needs will change on a daily basis. We often get new instructions for a locum to start the following day so we can turn everything around very quickly. We’re a little different to other firms, will the candidate be able to adapt? Absolutely. Most of our locums have been professional locums for years meaning they have worked in many different sized firms across the UK. They have seen and heard it all, from firms that still don’t use emails to ultra-modern firms that have systems and new technologies in place. Our candidates will be able to work anywhere and usually we will be able to find you someone that has experience working in a similar firm to you. Do I have to give notice to end the contract? No. As the candidate is self-employed you do not have an employment contract. If you have booked the candidate in for specific dates and need to end the contract early, we would just ask you give us as much notice as possible so we can secure them their next contract. When you cancel the contract it ends immediately. I’m only looking for someone part-time, would that be an issue? Not at all. We have a wide selection of candidates that are all looking for roles that suit their requirements. If you only need someone 3 days per week, there will be a candidate that is only looking for 3 days. Similarly, if you need a full-time candidates we will have a locum to suit your exacting requirements. What will the candidate actually do whilst in post? It is completely up to you. Some firms only require someone in the office to answer the phones, return emails and sort out any very urgent matters, and some firms require that person to run a caseload an act as a permanent member of staff. Our locum candidates can incept new files, progress matters and close matters. They will do whatever you need whilst they are in contract with you. These are just some of the usual questions I am asked. If you have any more or would like to discuss employing your next legal locum I’m on the other end of the phone. Please give me a call on 0203 741 8189 or feel free to email me at michael.bailey@sellickpartnerhsip.co.uk. Alternatively you can check out more of our legal Insights here.
