Pictured above: Sonica Dahri
A young lawyer has become the first in Britain to qualify as a
solicitor through the live events industry - securing a coveted job
with The NEC Group.
33 year old Sonica Dahri has just completed a three year
training contract 'in house' with The NEC Group, who manage some of
Europe's largest venues including the LG Arena and The
International Convention Centre, Birmingham.
Sonica's achievement is incredibly rare - The NEC Group was one
of only 50 private companies that offered a total of 150 training
contracts in 2010, compared to an estimated 13,000 law students
graduating annually. The vast majority of solicitors are still
trained in traditional law firms.
Keith Marriott, Group General Counsel for The NEC Group, said:
"Sonica started at The NEC Group as a paralegal but it was clear
that she had the talent and ambition to progress her career in law.
Rather than recruit a new solicitor The NEC Group applied for legal
training status specifically to help Sonica become a solicitor. As
part of our commitment to lifelong learning and education we always
try to nurture talent from within the business."
Sonica, from the West Midlands, had a law degree and masters
prior to joining The NEC Group for a temporary role.
Sonica said: "After completing five years of academic legal
study in London I decided to remain there and gain some commercial
experience in a number of different roles. On my return to the West
Midlands, I took the role at The NEC Group as a stopgap while I
began the process of applying for training contracts. I'd always
been interested in media law so I enjoyed the work and was
determined to make a great impression, but I never dreamt the
opportunity to train in house would come along."
In an average day Sonica works on legal issues covering The NEC
Group's four home venues in Birmingham, including The National
Indoor Arena, as well as contracts for their catering business
Amadeus and new business opportunities in Europe.
Sonica said: "There's a great variety of work and always
something new and challenging to do. The live events industry is
incredibly competitive to break into so I know I've been
exceptionally lucky. Now I intend to give back to a business which
has provided me with so many opportunities."
Sonica has spent the last three years balancing her full time
role at The NEC Group with one day of study at Birmingham College
of Law - achieving a distinction in every module of her course. To
ensure her training was a match for anything found in major
commercial law firms, the company also arranged a four month
secondment to SNR Denton in London, one of the largest law firms in
the world.
She commented: "It's not easy training in house and you need
focus and dedication, but the career benefits are clear. As part of
the legal team at The NEC Group I see the direct results of my
work. Everyday there's an exhibition that I've helped to secure or
a excited fans arriving for a show that I have worked on - it's
very rewarding."
The private sector employs around 15,000 lawyers across Britain,
but 93% of them still learn the trade at law firms with many law
graduates finding it difficult to attain work.
Sonica added: "Practical experience was key to my career and
taking a job as a paralegal allowed me to showcase my abilities. If
I'd pursued the law firm route I don't think my career would have
progressed so far, so quickly. I'd encourage new graduates to
keep pushing and show your employer what you're capable of."