What can you do with a law degree? An interview with John Bailes, Managing Director of Bailoran Solicitors

“I got my first break in Australia.”

After I’d finished my law degree and LPC, I travelled round Australia for a year, working at a law firm in Sydney. This was a fantastic opportunity for me; not just from a work experience perspective, but also in terms of witnessing a healthy work / life balance.

Upon returning to Leeds, I spent a year working as an insolvency paralegal and was encouraged to network a lot, despite my young age. I secured a training contract at a medium sized Leeds law firm, before qualifying as a solicitor in 2005 and moving to Blacks Solicitors for eight years where I was lucky enough to experience a very wide spectrum of claims.

After taking a break from work to see more of the world, I had the idea for Bailoran whilst sat on a beach in Gili Trawangan in Indonesia. In June 2013, I started Bailoran Solicitors. 

“I am a strong believer in the concept of justice.”

I would like to say this was the primary motivating factor in my career choice, however, given I chose my law degree as a teenager, I can’t deny that the TV show “Perry Mason” also played a part in the decision!

I briefly considered going down the Bar route, but being self-employed immediately upon qualification and the lack of interaction with the clients was less appealing. I felt there was more I could do for a client working as a solicitor.

“Securing a training contract is, and always has been, very competitive.”

I applied to 100 law firms and received one invitation to interview for a training contract (which I thankfully got!).

My advice to students completing their law degree is to work hard and gain work experience - not just legal, but general business experience as well. If you want to get somewhere in law, you must be self-motivated and ambitious about your career. If you don’t take it seriously, then the legal profession won’t either.

I would encourage resilience and tenacity in today’s law students as, along with good grades, this is what employers will look for. If you fight hard for yourself, you will do this for your employer and your clients.

Take on board feedback from tutors and professionals, and consider what you can do better. The candidates who learn from their mistakes progress faster.

“Niche firms are a great place to do high quality work for good clients.”

Leeds is the second largest legal sector outside of London, with some reports suggesting that Leeds is outpacing London as the fastest-growing legal city in England. Several London firms are currently trying to establish footholds in Leeds due to its presence and ability to provide quality work and clients. 

In terms of the legal market in Leeds, in recent years I’ve noticed that many mid-size law firms are seeking to become more specialist to attract larger clients. Also, there are now a number of smaller niche practices, such as Bailoran, the type of which didn’t really exist when I qualified. In today’s market, niche firms like Bailoran are a great place for junior solicitors to get hands-on experience of high-quality work for good clients.

We’ve had four fantastic placement students from Leeds Beckett to date, and the quality has been so high. Their legal skill has been beyond where I’d expect it to be, and it’s great for us to see the future legal talent coming through. I want good staff doing great things for our clients, and where better to get them than straight out of university.

“It’s not what you do, but how you do it.”

At Bailoran, I work with people who have the same moral ethics as myself, which is very important. We are a team in the true sense of the word. We place great emphasis on providing our clients with excellent legal services, but also on great client care. 

“If I wasn’t working in law, I’d be teaching children Tae Kwon Do.”

I have trained in martial arts for more than 25 years and still train regularly. As a Second Dan black belt in Kickboxing and a First Dan black belt in Tae Kwon Do, I like to think that if I hadn’t been a solicitor, I would have opened a studio teaching children and adults how to protect themselves. 

You can watch John’s video on our YouTube channel, where he talks about Bailoran’s relationship with Leeds Beckett and how they have benefitted from student placements.