Regulatory Law with Matthew Cassells
Matthew Cassells, a senior lawyer in regulatory law, joined us on LegalTea this week to talk through his role at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Maintaining the register of nurses, midwives and other nursing associates allowed to practice within the UK, the NMC is a large organization with a wide range of regulatory responsibilities. When dreaming about your future career as a top shot lawyer, professional regulation may not necessarily have crossed your mind as a particularly exciting area of practice to pursue. But as Matthew shows, there’s a lot to recommend it and it’s certainly worth giving some thought to.
Many people get into the law out of a desire to do what’s right and good. The reality can sometimes be quite different and it can be disheartening to encounter the law’s limitations. For Matthew, working as a senior lawyer in the professional regulation department of the NMC provides the opportunity to contribute towards ‘the good’ at a more personal level. Nurses and midwives are present at pivotal, and sometimes difficult or scary moments in people’s lives. In his role upholding standards and preventing wrongdoing, Matthew can help people through these profound times by ensuring that the right people are in these jobs. Working at the NMC also allows Matthew to support key workers themselves. People sometimes think of regulatory lawyers as sinister figures waiting in the background, ready to pounce as soon as something goes wrong, but the emphasis is actually on support. Fitness of practice is about ensuring people are fit to do their jobs safely and to help them get back to a suitable standard if things do slip.
Matthew came to the NMC on a pupillage after having worked as a Legal Assistant in the Professional Discipline department of Kingsley Napley. Traditionally many people associate a pupillage with a barrister’s chambers, so the idea of undertaking one as part of an organization may seem strange. In many ways, a pupillage at the NMC is like any other, with 6 months spent non-practicing and the next practicing under the oversight of a supervisor. The key difference is that you are employed and so the relationship with your ‘client’ (i.e. your employer) is ongoing. Whereas as a self-employed barrister, you’ll work with a client on a particular issue and then end the relationship, when employed by an organization, the relationship continues. You have to think not only about the issue at hand but also the possible ripple effects of the advice you give on things that might happen in the future, always keeping in mind the corporate values and strategy of the organisation. This can present challenges but if you like the idea of being able to create a deep and long-lasting relationship, a pupillage at an organisation like the NMC is well worth considering.
As with any application for a pupillage or a training contract, competition is tough. However, don’t get too hung up on what your route into law looks like. Many people worry that the one-year GDL will be perceived as ‘lesser’ than the LLB by employers, and think that they’ll be at a disadvantage. As someone who converted into law and has been involved in the hiring of junior positions, Matthew can attest that this is absolutely not the case. While someone who did the LLB may have a deeper theoretical understanding of the law, someone who did a conversion after studying a different subject at undergraduate level will being other knowledge and expertise that can be just as valuable. The key is how you present your journey; everyone has their own unique skillset and most impressive candidates are those who can leverage their experience to the job at hand. Matthew’s advice when it comes to job applications is this: don’t mistake your job application as anything other than a piece of advocacy. Whether it’s a written application or a job interview, it’s all about figuring out what you have to offer and setting out your case for why you are the best candidate and why you’ll be great at a legal role.
An important piece of evidence for your case will be work experience. Anyone interested in a career in regulatory law will need to gain some relevant work experience. As with any area of law, or with any job, there are certain things which just can’t be taught and so being able to demonstrate some past experience in a relevant setting which you will be able to draw upon and apply to your prospective role is important. It will provide you with useful skills and give employers confidence in your capabilities. It’s also important to really know your client, in this case the potential employer. Show that you understand the wider aspects and responsibilities of the organization, beyond just the department you’re applying to.
This being said, you still need to brace yourself for some rejections along the way. Starting out in a career in regulatory law is just as difficult as getting into any other area of law. It is, and has always been, hard. One of the most important qualities to possess as a lawyer is resilience, so try to find the positive side of the rejections by telling yourself that you’re developing attributes which will be helpful to your future career. In any hearing, someone is losing and usually only one person is winning. Dealing with the challenges and difficulties of rejection and not achieving what you hoped the first time around is a good test of if you’ll be able to withstand the rigors of losing cases when you make it. It may not be very inspirational or uplifting, but sometimes the differences between landing that first job in law or not is having the resilience to face another round of rejections and keep going.
For anyone thinking about starting a career in regulatory law, or any other area for that matter, here are our three takeaways from this week’s episode:
Applications are advocacy. At the end of the day, you need to present the best case with the most convincing evidence to land the job, so think of any part of the application process as just another piece of advocacy.
Know the area. Get some relevant work experience to show that you have something to offer – some things just can’t be taught – and do your research into the organization you’re applying to.
Be resilient. You’re going to have knock backs in every stage of your career, so try to think of rejection as helping to build the resilience you’ll need to succeed in your career when you do land that all important ‘yes.’
