My Army veteran partner helped shape my legal career

I began my military claims team journey in October 2020 when I joined Bolt Burdon Kemp as a paralegal. My partner is an ex ‘squaddie’, but even so I was unaware how the military operates and how much the military can shape someone’s life.

At the time, I was still exploring what my future legal career would look like and was unsure of exactly which area of law I would eventually qualify into. But soon after joining the military claims team, I found myself naturally drawn to the work our team undertook and the people we were helping.

During my three years as a paralegal, I had the opportunity to work on a broad range of military claims, including orthopaedic injuries sustained during training exercises, non-freezing cold injuries (NFCI), psychiatric injury claims, harassment claims and fatal accident claims.

The variety was challenging and engaging; and through speaking to clients and hearing their experiences, I gained a brief insight into military culture, structure, and what it meant to those who serve.

I particularly enjoy speaking with service personnel and veterans and hearing about their careers, experiences and their continued passion despite experiencing physical or emotional trauma.

Hearing about the various adventure training exercises, deployments and how the different branches of the military operate – I find it fascinating and something you are not necessarily exposed to in day-to-day life.

One of the things that always strikes me in these conversations is how proud people are of their service.

For them, being in the military is more than ‘just a job’, it is their life and gives them a real sense of purpose, achievement and belonging. That sense of pride and identity makes it all the more important to support them, especially when their military careers are cut short due to injury. Helping individuals navigate the legal process and adjust to life after service is an incredibly fulfilling part of the job.

When I started my training contract, I took the opportunity to explore different areas of personal injury and medical negligence work, but I always knew deep down the military claims team was where I wanted to qualify. And although he never tried to influence me, this is where my partner was hoping I would qualify too. The diversity of work and clients is what ultimately drew me back to the team. In April 2025, I qualified as a solicitor and was offered a position in the military claims team.

Since qualifying, I have been focusing particularly on harassment claims where personnel have suffered sexual harassment, bullying or assault during their service. It’s important work and supporting personnel who have been through such challenging experiences and shown courage in coming forward is really rewarding.

I am still early on in my legal career and will continue to develop skills in other areas of military claims including NFCI and orthopaedic injuries but already I have come to understand the complexities of military life and what a military claim involves.

The cases we work on are often complex, and the circumstances surrounding them can be life changing for those involved. Our clients put their trust in us and enable us the privileged opportunity to support them in navigating a fulfilling life after injury. This alone makes the job so worthwhile.