Trio of solicitor qualifications for law firm

Three aspiring team members at a South coast law firm have qualified as solicitors, bolstering its client services in two separate departments.

Ellis Jones Solicitors has welcomed the formal qualifications for Leah Sharman and Wai Chan in Banking & Finance Litigation and Matt Rushent in Contentious Trusts & Probate.

The firm, which has offices in Bournemouth, Poole, Ringwood, Swanage, Broadstone, Wimborne and London, has a policy of providing training contracts and other professional development opportunities to encourage recruits to stay.

Alongside senior staff, its 178-strong team includes graduates, legal executives, placement students and others with an interest in furthering a career in the law.

Sharman is the first solicitor at the firm to qualify by passing the Solicitors Qualifying Examination which she achieved through a two-stage assessment process.

She joined Ellis Jones as a Conveyancing Administrator in 2017 working her way up to become a fee-earning Paralegal.

She became interested in litigation while studying for a legal practice diploma through the Chartered Institute for Legal Executives.

After his law degree from the University of the West of England, Chan gained a Masters in Intellectual Property and Information Law at King’s College London.

He joined Ellis Jones’ Banking and Finance Litigation department as a paralegal in 2018 and started training as a solicitor in 2022.

Rushent is the first trainee to qualify in the specialism of Contentious Trusts & Probate in Ellis Jones’ Dispute Resolution department.

He began his training contract in 2022 having worked at a top 10 accountancy and audit firm.

Nigel Smith, Ellis Jones managing partner, said: “Congratulations to Leah, Wai and Matt on their much-deserved qualifications. I wish them every success as they go forward with their legal careers.”