Legal Coordinator

So, what do you do?

My current role varies from the administration of the legal document system and booking meetings to liaising with external service providers as subject matter experts and assisting the lawyers with any legal work they pass my way.

What does your typical day involve?

Correspondence with external service providers for matters relating to company secretarial services or data protection queries for the set up of new technologies and systems and the administration of registrations, as well as assisting the lawyers with legal requests as they come in; from research to document review to contract set-up.

Do you work mostly on your own or as part of team?

I work mainly as part of a team liaising with a lot of different teams and external providers to facilitate smooth transactions as well as tasks completed under the supervision of a lawyer. 

How long have you been in your current role?

Two months

What qualifications and experience do you have?

• Law and English A levels
• Diploma in English law (Open University)
• Currently studying for a qualifying law degree (Open University)
• 6 years working in various roles within the pharmaceutical industry in a GxP environment

When and why did you decide on a career in the pharmaceutical industry?

I was working in the industry in administration before I realised it was an area I found interesting and each promotion I received has furthered my interest.

How has your career developed since you left school, college or university?

Since I left school I have had five jobs within six years in the industry, three of these were promotions.

Do you think additional qualifications or experience would be an advantage for someone entering the industry now? What might be valuable?

Additional experience is always beneficial and training and experience in the current developments are useful in addition to qualifications in the area.

What is it like socially where you work?

Extremely friendly and sociable, everyone takes an interest in getting to know each other and spend time together outside of the work environment.

What are you most proud of in your career?

Receiving a number of high performance ratings and promotions within my career, as well as opportunities to extend my experience; such as the chance to be involved in the activities in preparation for the sale of a company where I concentrated on controlled drugs, radiation, duty free and import and export licensing as well as the set up a new invoicing system ensuring UK VAT and other requirements were met.

What possibilities are there for your career in the future?

My intention is to complete my degree and to train as a lawyer however there are many other opportunities within the industry such as regulatory affairs which I also find fascinating.

What do you think are the most important skills for someone in your role to have?

The flexibility to do what is most critical at the time, so excellent time management and organisation is also useful as well as high attention to detail. An interest in the changing laws and regulations that govern the industry is helpful in any role as every day something changes.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to someone seeking a career in the pharmaceutical industry?

Be willing to start from the bottom and work your way up, on the job training and experience is just as valuable as qualifications.