New trainee joins Abingdon's Crossland Employment Solicitors

Abingdon-based law firm Crossland Employment Solicitors, has appointed Jade Dunsden (pictured) as a trainee solicitor.

The Milton Park-headquartered firm, which became completely employee owned last year, regularly offers work experience to students making their first steps into the legal profession.

Jade started working for Crossland as an administrator days before the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020, after impressing them in a letter asking for work alongside her degree.

Crossland supported Jade through the pandemic by buying her a laptop, giving her an opportunity to decide if she wanted to become a solicitor. Having taken well to it, in April 2021 Jade became a paralegal.

Having now achieved a First Class in Business and Law and gained experience in both private and public law, Jade will work as a trainee solicitor alongside the two year course necessary to become a fully accredited solicitor, which she will take one day per week at the University of Reading.

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Jade said: “Becoming a solicitor and working within the law industry is something I’ve been striving for since before my degree began, and now that my time in higher education has come to an end, I can’t wait to begin the next stage of my career.

“I’m lucky to have the support of such an incredibly talented, conscientious, and comprehensive team here at Crossland Employment Solicitors, and their commitment to furthering my career makes me hopeful for other young legal students and professionals in the Thames Valley region.”

Alongside her work at Crossland, Jade worked as a legal assistant during her placement year as well as a period as a legal receptionist. She also received work experience in public law.

Beverley Sunderland, Managing Director at Crossland Employment Solicitors, added: “As a firm, we’ve always been committed to investing in our people and their continuous development, which is why we become 100 per cent employee-owned and why we are lucky to have such a loyal and long serving team.

“Jade is a real asset with her positive attitude and passion for law, and so we’re delighted to have the opportunity to support her on her path to fully qualifying as a solicitor, and look forward to seeing what she can achieve in the next two years and beyond.”

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