Taniya Hussain

LLB Law, 2023

Based in:

Birmingham

First job:

Bartender

Wish you knew when applying for roles:

Rejection is genuinely redirection and what’s meant for you will come to you with patience. It’s hard to persevere, especially in the legal sector when you’re constantly faced with rejection, but staying true to yourself is such a key value to hold on to.

Ambitions for the future:

To take the SQE and become a qualified solicitor.

Commercial Property Paralegal at DAC Beachcroft

Describe your current role and what attracted you to it.

My current role is in commercial property and motor recoveries for a large international law firm. I currently have my own cases (approximately 150 at the moment) and I’m able to develop my client knowledge and gain experience in the commercial sector by working on my own case files to pursue successful settlements. What attracted me to the role was their flexible working policy and upon researching the firm, the company's policies and values. Whilst working for them it’s been good to see how the company genuinely appreciates their employees and strives to stay in alignment with their business values and practices

What’s your favourite part of the role?

My favourite part of the role is genuinely the team I work with and my supervisor. It’s a healthy work environment that takes care of their employees. Furthermore, although we strive to reach settlements pre-litigation, the process in litigating my cases is very intriguing

What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?

Problem solving, critical analysis, legal research, and time management. Time management may be the most important one I’ve learnt as my company time records, so it’s really helped to be able to hit my hourly and billable targets

Did you have a specific career path in mind when you chose to study at Warwick?

I chose to study Law at property with the intention to become a corporate/ commercial lawyer

What top tips do you have for Warwick graduates who would like to work in your sector? *

Be confident in yourself and in speaking to clients. A large part of my role is speaking to clients and the other side whether that’s via phone calls or emails.

Be true to yourself and know that when the job and time is right for you, it will happen. I was searching for a job for a long time and, like many others, faced constant rejection, but upon receiving my current role, I knew DAC is where I’m meant to be right now.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My days typically consist of setting up my own case files, negotiating with Third Parties, speaking to clients, and striving to receive full settlements.

What has been your greatest career challenge to date and how did your experience and skills help overcome it?

There will be challenging clients, but my skills learned from the hospitality sector and university have allowed me to stay calm and collected when handling these cases in a professional manner with a high level of patience. Something my colleagues find enviable.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given in relation to your career?

That although no advice is bad advice it's important to learn how to sift through people's suggestions, adapt them to your own situation, and use them to improve.

Knowledge is a power and there is something to learn out of everything.