Cameron Upton – Career journey
- What is your current role at BBK?
I am a Trainee Solicitor currently working in the Spinal Injury team at BBK
2. What was your first role at BBK?
I joined BBK in 2022 working as a Paralegal in the Military team
3. What further training or further exams did you need to complete after school or university to achieve this?
After I graduated from university, as I didn’t study Law, I needed to complete my Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) which I did at BPP University. Before I started my training contract, I needed to complete my Legal Practice Course (LPC) which I also completed at BPP University. I studied my LPC part-time whilst working full-time at BBK.
4. What attracted you to your chosen career?
I have a number of family members that work in law, but none in litigation. Whilst I was at university, I started to research a career in law more seriously and when studying my GDL, the tort law module was the one I enjoyed the most. I think my background in Anthropology led me to wanting to work with individuals as clients, rather than businesses. PI and Clin neg seemed like it suited both these things and that is when I applied to BBK.
5. What did you study at university?
I studied Anthropology at Durham University. When choosing what I wanted to do at university, like a number of people, I didn’t really have a career in mind at the end of it. Anthropology seemed interesting for me at the time but I knew quite early in my degree that I wasn’t going to work in that field. That is when I first started taking a career in law seriously and applied for a place on the GDL course in my final year.
6. What is the most satisfying part of your role?
There are a number of things that I love about my role but for me, it is the client interaction. A number of the clients that we act for come to us having suffered life changing injuries. Working directly with them throughout the litigation process and building a relationship with them is always something I have enjoyed. It makes the role particularly satisfying when it comes to settling claims as we are able to help people through what can be the most difficult time in their lives and see the benefits at the other side.
7. What advice would you give to someone considering the same career route as you?
Make sure you do plenty of research into the area of law you want to work in and take your time. There is no time limit that you have to qualify by. Where you qualify is more important than when. You will enjoy your work a lot more if you are interested in it and it is mentally challenging for you rather than jumping into a role that is not the right fit for you.
