Lenny’s legal career gets a boost thanks to Max Engel Solicitors

Each year budding legal eagles at the University of Northampton have the chance to boost their career path with support from Max Engel Solicitors, through the Max Engel Memorial Bursary.

Alongside the bursary, which offers vital funding support for a graduating student who will be undertaking postgraduate study leading to a law-based career, Max Engel Solicitors also award several work placements to students. The placement offers early-career legal professionals the opportunity to immerse themselves in life within the practice and put their academic skills into practice.

International student, Lenny Emanuel, originally from Dominica, impressed this judging panel and has secured a summer placement with the leading local firm.

Lenny has always dreamt of becoming a lawyer, speaking about his passion for the profession he said: “After the hurricane in Dominica, I came to the UK to study to qualify as a lawyer. At home, I was running my own business, but I knew I wanted to further my education.

“The University of Northampton’s law programme was an attractive one, with well-structured modules, and in particular for me the focus on business and company law was something that was of interest to me, having had my own business before I started my academic journey.”

Lenny grasped every opportunity to put his academic studies into practice alongside his studies, having secured a summer placement at the end of his first year with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, and then as a volunteer with Citizens Advice during the pandemic. Lenny believes that the Max Engel placement is going to kick start his legal career. He said: “I was delighted to be offered a placement with Max Engel, I’m very much looking forward to putting my law theory into practice, working with the team, and in particular shadowing Helen Carville, Managing Partner at Max Engel, who also studied Law at UON.

“I’m very interested in the intersection between the law and technology, and I’m excited to see how this works in practice, having studied and researched it for my undergraduate dissertation and am currently undertaking a legal technology internship at Accenture.”

Helen Carville, Managing Partner at Max Engel and University of Northampton graduate herself, said: “My work experience placement at the start of my career shaped it entirely – I’ve worked my way from a part-time role at Max Engel alongside my degree at UON, to Managing Partner.

“I believe that it’s really important to support early-career legal professionals to develop their skills, and work placements are a brilliant opportunity for people to explore the legal practice, and try out the various types of Law, to help define their career path. I look forward to working with Lenny and sharing my experience as a professional.”