Alexandra Besnard  Profile - These days, people don’t always immediately realise that I am French but most of my education was carried out in France and I only arrived in Newcastle when I was 21, to do an LLM (English Law) at Northumbria University. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to stay and it seems that I have, over the years, developed a ‘Geordie-French’ accent. I did not join the legal profession immediately after graduating. My employment searches led me to a local airline, which was operating some flights for Air France, where I worked as air hostess (or ‘trolley dolly’ as we were often called) for a while. This was somehow outside my comfort zone, as I was a very nervous passenger, who suffered from travel sickness! I however somehow rose to the challenge... However, all along, my ambition was to try to enter the legal profession, as my interest for law, employment in particular, was still very much alive. I soon secured a paralegal job with a well known local firm of solicitors and worked in their industrial disease department for 6 years and was rapidly promoted to Team Leader and Supervisor soon after. A role I held, whilst studying part time for the Common Professional Examination and the Legal Practice Course. It certainly taught me a lot about time management and stress handling! At the end of the Legal Practice Course, I was offered a training contract. During that time, I realised that employment law was definitely the area of law I wanted to specialise in and therefore concentrated my efforts on this. Having worked in a large firm, I was keen to move to a smaller firm, where my involvement would make a difference. I was delighted to join Sharon in July 2007 and learn from a specialist in employment law who would help me develop my knowledge in this field. It was also a great challenge to be part of something so new and different from the outset. Interests - In my spare time I make my own custom and silver jewellery and recently obtained a qualification in Jewellery Making and Silversmithing. Secret ambition - If I had not been a lawyer, I think I would have liked to travel the world and write travel guides or become a jewellery designer. Education Licence de Droit Privée – Law Degree (Orléans University - France) Maitrise de Droit Privée – Master in Civil Law (Orléans University - France) LLM English Law (Northumbria University) Common Professional Examination and Legal Practice Course (Northumbria University) Work history I obtained a Training Contract with the firm I was working for at the time and trained in Immigration and Asylum, Clinical Negligence, Personal Injury and Employment Law. I am a Level 1 Accredited Immigration and Asylum Worker, an accreditation I obtained whilst doing my training contract. Memberships & activities I am a member of the Employment Lawyers Association and also attend local events run by the Industrial Law Society and Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development. |
Shopping Basket
Website design by SiteBuilder Bespoke