The Space: elevating early talent - episode one - Ron Huletey

Emma Dennis:  Today I am delighted to be here with Ron Huletey a paralegal in our Birmingham office to hear more about his journey into law so far.  So, morning Ron.  Thank you so much for being here today.

Ron Huletey:  Thank you for having me Emma, I am very very happy to be here.

Emma:  You joined the firm as a paralegal in 2021.

Ron:  Yes that is correct, yes.

Emma:  And you are currently being sponsored by your team through to qualification as a solicitor which is a new alternative to our graduate and apprenticeship programmes.  I just wondered if you could explain a little bit to me around what that means?

Ron: Yes, so I did not go through the conventional I guess, training contract route, but I still wanted to qualify as a solicitor and I really liked the team I was in.  So I was thankful enough for them to be able to sponsor me and I had to go through an application process.  Kind of similar the training contract route.  We had a day where we had to go through a bunch of questions and they tested us, but then once I got the sponsorship from my team we were able to push through and because I have already done my LPC in training like that, it is a bit of a different process if you have not.  But essentially you do a lot of the things a trainee needs to do, but you do six months in an outside team, usually a litigation team, and then you do 12 months within the team you are already in and then you are on your way to qualification.

Emma: Fantastic.  Are you enjoying it so far?

Ron: Yes I am really really liking it.  When I first left CDI to go to prop lit, which is a team I did my six months secondment in, it was a bit scary because I had worked for two and a half years in one team, so to go to a new team and new faces and all that was really scary but the prop lit team is really really nice and kind and they welcomed me in with open arms.  So I have really enjoyed my experience there.

Emma:  Fabulous.  Was there a point you can remember that made you think, when you were younger, I want to be a lawyer when I grow up?

Ron:  Yes.  So actually I had to go and ask my mom about this and she said you have always wanted to be a lawyer since you were 8.  I think when you are a kid you watch TV shows and stuff like that, so my favourite TV show was Law and Order, so you kind of have this unrealistic idea of what it is to be a lawyer, social justice, saving the world and all that kind of stuff.  But then I remember when I was about in the tenth grade, a solicitor came to visit my school and he kind of dispelled a lot of those false notions.  But then the things that he did say that were about being a lawyer, reading and writing, analysing, all those things that I kind of wanted are the things I already like to do, so it kind of reaffirmed to me that yes this might be the path for me.

Emma: Brilliant, and was there any reason that you went through the ... you are going through the route that you are now rather than doing the traditional route of a two year training contract?  Did anything lead to that decision for you?

Ron: Well I applied for a lot of training contracts throughout the few years and I just was not having a lot of success and I just thought with the paralegal route the team already knows what you can do and they have confidence in you and it is not like I am going into trying something new every six months and then leaving, it is like I can get consistent assistance and help and development before I become an actual associate.  At first I thought it was a disadvantage, but now I think it has helped me out.

Emma: Brilliant.  You mentioned just one of the challenges of applying for lots of different training contracts, but I wonder whether were there any other challenges that you experienced between that moment of like yes this is what I want to do I want to be a lawyer and then sort of figuring out how you were going to go about achieving that?

Ron: Oh yes definitely.  I would say like which school to apply to.  So I mean, I come from Canada so I was actually going to go to law school in the States and I decided last minute to go to the University of Leicester where they have …

Emma: Very different.

Ron:   Yes, very different.  I just thought you know, America is just in my back yard but let me push myself, challenge myself, go to a different place and I could do it in two years instead of three years which was a bit of a interest for me and honestly I do not regret the decision at all.  I have made a lot of friends, I have had countless experiences and I really do love being in the UK, so I think it worked out for the best in the long term.

Emma: One of my questions to you is going to be that I saw you were from Canada and I thought what led you to Birmingham?

Ron: Everybody always says that.  So I am from a smallish city in Canada called Winnipeg so I think everybody always talks about London this and London that and I love London, love visiting and I just thought it would be more my speed to go to a city like Birmingham.  Still a very big city, but I feel like it is very similar to where I am from and I went to school in Leicester so I already had a bit of a love for the Midlands and then when it came time to choose for my LPC, I think it was between Nottingham, Birmingham and another school, and I just heard a lot of good things about Birmingham, I had visited it a couple of times before and I kind of liked it and I just thought why not.  So yes, that is how I kind of ended up here.

Emma: I love that.  What is your favourite thing about Birmingham since you have been here?  It is a hard question.

Ron: I love the JQ, so would say there is a lot of good food choices, I like to eat, so I can just wake up and walk around St Paul's Square and just find good food of any type I want within seconds, so that is quite nice.  I am part of a running club St Paul's Square, I feel like there is a lot of things to do all the time.  So I really like that aspect and I like that I do not have a car here so I walk around and I actually get to take in a lot of the city and see a lot of the things.  Obviously there is the Bull Ring and I can just walk down to the canals and get to Brimley Place within 10 to 15 minutes, so I think there is quite a lot of good things.

Emma: A good place to be.  Birmingham is a good place to be.  So what does a typical day look like for you at the moment, work wise.

Ron: A typical day for me I usually wake up around 7:30 ish, check emails that nothing has gone horribly awry in the few hours I have been sleeping.  Get to work 08:30/9:00 ish whenever I can and then set up my schedule for the day of just things I need to go and get to do and then sometimes you do not end up getting up to anything on that list because it just keeps adding on and adding on.  Depending, so when I was in prop lit we had a team meeting every morning, but in DCI it is a bit different.  We have a big team meeting on Monday and throughout the week have smaller meetings with different people.

Emma: And what motivates you at work, what really gets you going?

Ron: I like to problem solve and I like the pressure, which is a weird thing to say, but I feel like when they are like ok we really need this by 4:00 pm, something turns on in my brain where it is like OK we have got to go and get this done and then after a while I am like OK relax now, but I think, yes, I think it is really good work, it is challenging work, it forces you to kind of like analyse, problem solve, deal with clients, but I think the most important thing it is always something different.  Even if you are doing the same thing for the tenth time it is going to be something slightly different, maybe the client wants this a bit different or you are being told to do it a different way.  So it is always interesting which I think makes it easier to show up for work every day.

Emma: Since you have been here at the firm, I guess what sort of support systems or resources, what have you found most useful to help you while you are sort of on that route to qualification?

Ron: I think like in your immediate team it is obviously going to be your supervisor, your partner of whatever your team, but there then there are a lot of other resources.  So for me I started playing football on Tuesdays with a lot of guys at the firm.  From not just the lawyers, but IT guys, everyone like that.  I felt like that is quite a good support system where it is like you are able to meet people outside of your original team and they are just a way to let off steam for an hour on a Tuesday, which is quite nice.  I joined, we have a Black History Month obviously that we do, I joined the committee for that, I met a lot of people and I feel like that is a good support system for a lot of those things as well.  So I think you just have to find your way in the firm, but there are so many resources and I feel like half the time I am bearing even using all of them.  I am just trying to meet as many people as I can, I just learn more and more things.  But yes, I think there are a lot resources to use you just have to go looking for them.  Make sure you do not get lost in the shuffle of such a big firm sometimes.

Emma: Definitely.  Looking back over your experience so far is there any one moment that sticks out for you, either from a client perspective or a personal perspective of just something really good that has happened?

Ron: I would say probably when we a cool idea got nominated.  So we came up with an idea called Build My Network.  Me, Tonya, Magda and Aaron Dunning-Foreman.  They were graceful enough to let me join that team and I remember we had to do like a Dragons Den pitch and I was so nervous before the pitch, I was practicing before, I kept messing up my lines, right before I was like I am going to let everyone down.  Eventually I got to the stage and I even stopped for a moment and I could tell what is going to happen and then I just kind of pushed through it.  So I guess that was like a moment where I felt like OK I was just able to push through the fear and anxiety and then I realised it is not that hard, it is not that bad, you have just got to get on with it a bit.

Emma: I was there at that event when you spoke and it was amazing, you all did such a fantastic job.  And you were shortlisted for an award as well were you not for the idea.  So yes, it is really really good.

We will take a short break now and then when we are back we will find out more about Ron's experience at the firm and some more things that he has been involved in since he has been here.

Welcome back to part 2.  I am going to kick off now Ron with some quick fire questions to get to know you a little bit better.

So first, what was your first job?

Ron: My first job was working at McDonald's.  But I also refed basketball but I do not really consider that a job.  So I say yes working at McDonald's.

Emma: What is your favourite animal?

Ron: I am going to go for the leopard.

Emma: Oh nice choice.  Is your bed made right now?

Ron: It is not made today [laughs].  Generally it is, but today it is definitely not made.

Emma: It is alright, mine is not made either.  I like it when I find people who answer it is not made. 

Ron: I have to be honest.

Emma: What time do you usually wake up in the morning?

Ron: Depends.  Usually I wake up 6:30 to 7:30, just depends on whether I am going to the gym in the morning or I have been to the gym the night before because then you might sleep in a little bit longer than you expect.

Emma: What is your favourite movie?

Ron: There are a couple of candidates.  When I was younger it was probably The Lion King, but I guess, I am going to say Coach Carter.

Emma: I have never seen Coach Carter.  I have heard of it but I have never seen it.

Ron: Very inspirational.

Emma: Worth watching.

Ron: Yes, it is definitely a good one.

Emma: Good.  What is your dream holiday destination?

Ron: I am going to say the Bahamas.

Emma: What is your hidden talent.

Ron: I used to be able to play the African drum a bit when I was younger and there is a very embarrassing clip somewhere out on the internet of me playing it when I was like 11 or 12 with our little group.

Emma: Oh I feel like I need to go and find that [laughs].

Ron: Oh you really do not [laughs].

Emma: What would be your go to karaoke song?

Ron: Elton John the Rocket Man.

Emma: Oh nice.  What is your favourite biscuit?

Ron: So there is a whole debate about what is a biscuit and what is not a biscuit in the UK?  So I do not, I like Bischoff is pretty good, is that a biscuit?

Emma: It is that is a biscuit.

Ron: I like Bischoff.

Emma: You can do a lot with a Bischoff biscuit.  What is your favourite season?

Ron: Summer, definitely summer.

Emma: And then a couple of either/or questions.  Cats or dogs?

Ron: Cats.

Emma: Are you more an introvert or an extrovert?

Ron: Extrovert.

Emma: Night out or a night in?

Ron: Night out.

Emma: Pineapple on pizza, yes or no?

Ron: Yes, definitely yes.

Emma: Yes!  Good.  Are you a night owl or an early bird?

Ron: Night owl.

Emma: Perfect, thank you. 

As we touched on before the break, working towards qualification is not all just about the legal work, being here at Gowling, there are other ways to get involved in what we are doing here at the firm.  I wanted to ask you about a couple of things that you have been involved in.  You have already mentioned the CoLab challenge which was fantastic, and you touched briefly on being a member of our Embrace Network.  I think last year you hosted our Black History Month event in Birmingham.

Ron: Yes I did.

Emma: I remember you hosting that.  I just wondered what made you get involved in Embrace and what has that experience been like?

Ron: So actually a member of my team actually just said oh hey I think you might like this and they kind of bugged me a couple of times and I was kind of like I do not know if I have the time for it, but then I actually went up for a couple of events and I was like this is quite like low effort and like you get a lot of out if.  I remember I think it was the South Asian History Month book club I went to last year and I just thought that was a really really good one to go to and I really liked the discussions that people had and I went to the Black History one as well and I just sort of felt like OK this is quite a good group to be part of and I really like what they are doing.

Emma:  Brilliant.  Are there any other things that you have been able to get involved in at the firm since you have been here?

Ron: Yes.  So when I first joined in 2021 it was kind of like the end of COVID and stuff and we did the St Basil's of Dixley sleepout which is something that is sponsored by a few people so I think it is at Millenium Point there that we go and essentially they give you a piece of cardboard, you bring your won sleeping bag and clothing and you sleep outside and you get sponsored by people.  I was new to the firm and I was scared of I am not going to know anyone this or that, but then everyone was really really nice and I felt like it was a really good way to meet other people in the firm outside of my team and I really appreciated that experience.  I still talk to some of the people I met at that event and that was what, three years ago.  So, I think that was a good one.

Emma:  It is so important isn't it.  I think that building connections outside of just the team you are in and things like Embrace or different events you can get involved in definitely helps with that.  How do you balance sort of the demands of work and then your personal life outside of work, as we know it can be very busy working in a law firm.  There are lots of different client demands and things to do particularly when you are working towards qualification as well.  How do you balance all of that?

Ron:  Yes, I think it can be very tough and it is very easy to get locked in a, I am trying to qualify and just focus on that but if you do not have that balance I think you will kind of go awry a bit.  So for me it is just kind of like checking in with myself if that makes sense.  Just being hey I am getting a bit burnt out here maybe I need to just go for a run or go hang out with some friends for just a couple of hours just to take my mind off this and come back clear headed so I can actually be present and wanting to work and motivated.  I feel like the work is hard but when you are in the right mindset it can be easy for you but if you are not in the right mindset you kind of let yourself get dragged down and you do not have balance.  It is really to kind of get lost so just try and do that but it is definitely not an easy thing to do.  I am still learning every day.

Emma: Yes.  I hate the term personally that work life balance because I think nothing is ever exactly balanced is it.  There is always some things taking priority but then it switches around.  I saw when I was researching for today on LinkedIn that you had also been a basketball coach.  Do you still play and coach?  Do you still do that?

Ron:  I still play a little bit.  Yes, I was definitely coaching a bit more back in the day when I first came but I think once I qualify I will get back on to that because that is something I religiously do love to do.  Especially as you get a bit older I am not going to be able to play forever so I have got to give back to the kids.

Emma:  Have you always played basketball since you were younger?

Ron: Yes, so I have always played basketball.  I was not very good but I just really love the sport.  I was actually quite good at football but I just loved basketball maybe because it was the challenge of not being good at it and then I got to coach.  I coached back in Canada.  I have coached here a bit and it is just something I always really liked.  I was actually coaching at the University of Leicester for their team there and then Covid cut our season short just as we were starting to pick it up.  So, yeah I think I will definitely get back to the coaching soon hopefully.

Emma: Well that is fantastic.  What advice would you give to anybody who is currently looking at their options of becoming a lawyer?

Ron: I think resilience is like probably the number one thing.  Like there are going to be times where it is just not going to go your way.  You are going to be applying for a lot of jobs and a lot of training contracts and a lot of roles or vacations schemes and it is not going to go your way but the only difference between the people that make it and the people who do not is that the people who make it just keep going until they get there.  So you just have to keep trying and do not get discouraged.  Honestly block out a lot outside nuance as people are going to say like, oh it is so hard to do this, or it is so easy to do this and it is like it is not about them.  It is about your own personal path and be willing to like do things that will get you more experience and that will get you in front of people to just see you because you never know when people are watching you.  So you might just do an all volunteering thing here or a little quick vacation scheme there and think that it does not mean anything but people are always watching and paying attention.  So the work you put in those little things tells people a lot about who you are as a person.  So, yes just it is going to be hard but you can do it.

Emma: Brilliant and looking forward what are your aspirations for your career?

Ron: Yeah that is a good one.  I don't know I think that definitely changes once you actually get into the profession itself but I think for me like I always want to keep pushing myself in moving forward and I feel like in CDI especially there is a lot of opportunities to do a lot of really good work, so for me I think I just want to, I am still on like a stage where I am just soaking in so much information and I have a lot of good people to learn from.  So just keep doing that and then once I get to where I feel a bit more comfortable maybe kind of realising like hey this is where I really want to specialise and focus on.

Emma: Can you think of a piece of advice that anybody is giving you that has really stuck with you and helped you?

Ron: Yeah I would say from my dad.  He always tells me do not worry about your friends.  Do not worry about your peers like your time is your time and everyone's time comes at a different time.  Does that make sense?  Like so just because they qualified super early it does not mean that you are less of a person for doing that it is really hard sometimes when you see other people just doing so well and you are thinking oh what am I doing over here but that is something that has kind of helped calm me down and just centre me, especially in times when I needed it the most.

Emma: Your dad sounds like a wise man.

Ron: He is a very very wise guy yes.

Emma: Finally, my last question to you is what is the best thing that has happened to you this week?  In the last seven days.  What is the best thing?

Ron: I just went back to Ghana to see a lot of my old family and stuff like that, so I would say just seeing them all together again.  My mom, my dad and everyone together.  That was probably the best part.

Emma: Everybody is having such good things that have happened to them over the last week.  It is fabulous.  Well Ron just lastly a huge thank you for joining us today.  I really appreciate you taking the time to share your story and your insights with us.

Ron: Ah thank you so much for having me Emma.  Obviously you are very easy to talk to, so I really appreciate that and great as always.