Clarilis Administrator
Senior Professional Support Lawyer.
My role combines project management, relationship-building and logic-writing. I take overall responsibility for delivery of a project and act as the main point of contact for a client. The majority of my time day-to-day is split between design and testing - designing the online questionnaires, working out drafting permutations and associated logic, and then testing our automations wearing the hat of a lawyer in practice. More recently, that's also meant getting hands-on with how generative AI fits alongside our traditional rules-based automation - reviewing where it adds value and where our deterministic approach still wins out.
By accident really! With more of a maths and science background, a career in law was the last thing on my mind leaving school. It's only when I studied some law modules as part of my degree that I got interested. I applied for work experience and luckily got offered a training contract. The rest is history!
I fancied a change from fee earning in private practice and stumbled across the Clarilis advert whilst exploring other legal roles. The need for a detailed eye and methodical approach, coupled with the opportunity to help overhaul some very outdated processes caught my attention. Ultimately though, I got a really great feeling for the company and its culture when I came for interview.
The reaction from clients when they see the potential of our automations.
It's also particularly exciting to have been part of Clarilis through this stage of the company's growth - we've expanded well beyond our early customer base of top UK firms, now working with organisations across the globe including Canada, the US, Singapore and Africa too, and evolving the platform to bring generative AI into the drafting process in a considered, lawyer-led way rather than chasing AI for its own sake.
I'm a morning person (usually!) so I try to start my day with anything complex or fiddly that requires maximum attention. Depending on where we are in a project cycle, that could be some complex logic-writing or testing some particularly fiddly automated drafting - increasingly, that also means assessing outputs from our AI Draft functionality alongside our template-based automation.
After that, I may join our Commercial team on a demonstration with a prospective client or deliver some online training to an existing client.
I also usually have at least one internal project on the go. For example, preparing know-how or inputting into new processes.
I often end the day with an email to a client informing them that their project or requested update is now available for their use. After that, I will log-off for the evening. There isn't a culture of long hours or late nights here.
It's honestly been great! So lovely to reconnect with colleagues and clients and to get back into projects. I work a flexible, four-day week, which I think strikes the right balance for me as a working mum.
As for any career, it is good to try to get as much experience as you can. Apply for placements, go to events, reach out to people. There is such a diverse range of roles within the legal profession now - and that's only grown as AI has become part of everyday legal practice. Don't feel put off if you don't have a background in law or technology - often having the right attitude and a fresh perspective is just as valuable.
Trust your instincts – if something doesn't feel right, it probably isn’t.