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From Legal Assistant to Lead Case Manager

After completing my law degree, I joined Co-op Legal Services as a legal assistant in the probate operations team. I didn’t have any knowledge of probate however I was able to learn on the job by assisting a case manager. I really enjoyed helping them hit their targets and exceed customer expectations, so I applied for a trainee case manager programme a couple of years into my role. The programme allowed me to increase my technical knowledge through classroom sessions, and provided me with a mentor to prepare me for the role. 

Following successful completion of the programme I became a case manager. As I grew in confidence, I took on more complex files to keep building my skills. After 2 years I was promoted to senior case manager, and through the tailored probate case manager progression framework, I’ve recently been promoted to a lead case manager, dealing with high value taxable estates which often include foreign and business assets.

Why I love my role

I find the variety of the work that comes in keeps me engaged and interested. We often deal with unusual estates including large intestacies, proving copy wills where the original is lost, and linked estates as well as foreign, agricultural, and business assets.

One of the best parts of the job is building friendly relationships with my customers and guiding them through the probate procedure, which usually takes several months and often over a year for complex estates. 

Being part of a supportive team

The support from senior colleagues alongside being trusted to manage your own time and caseload means there are many opportunities to progress at Co-op Legal Services. In my time here I’ve never felt like a burden or that I was asking a silly question! No matter what the problem is, as the probate department is so large and has such a depth of experience, I feel secure that one of my colleagues will be able to guide me in the right direction.

I’ve been at Co-op Legal for nearly 10 years now, and there are still opportunities for progression available to me - such as taking on more of a leadership role or continuing down the technical specialist route. I don’t yet know which way I’ll go, but I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years hold.

Eva Warrin

Lead Probate Case Manager