For the past seven years, a Carlisle woman worked towards achieving her childhood dream of becoming a solicitor.

Lauren Goad's goal became a reality on April 3 when she finished her training and officially became fully qualified.

The 27-year-old has been with Wragg Mark Bell in the city for more than three years, spending one year as a paralegal and then the past two years as a trainee.

She said: "I wanted to be a solicitor from a very young age.

“I just like helping people. When I was younger I used to teach gymnastics and dancing and was always around children and that made me want to help people, especially those with issues within families.

“My days are always different and I’m surrounded by a variety of clients, because I do two areas of law. Both are about helping people at the worst times. It’s a very rewarding job in that sense.

“Whether that is dealing with an estate after someone has passed away, or doing a divorce, I enjoy helping somebody in what can be an awful time.”

She graduated during the Covid pandemic and took on a retail job before securing her first law job at Wragg Mark Bell.

She works within their Private Law and Family Client team.

She added: “I feel a big sense of relief – seven years is a long time working towards something, so it’s nice to know that I can now confidently move forward as a fully qualified solicitor.

“I’m really looking forward to the future.”

Nick Kennon, managing director at the firm, said: "I am really pleased to be celebrating Lauren’s qualification.

"She has worked incredibly hard to get to this point, and thoroughly deserves it.

“Lauren is an integral part of our team, bringing enthusiasm and dedication to everything that she does.

“We look forward to many more successful years with her following her qualification.”

In Cumbria: Lauren & Keith are the faces behind many of Wragg Mark Bell’s video content.Lauren & Keith are the faces behind many of Wragg Mark Bell’s video content. (Image: Harry Atkinson)

Ms Goad's face might be familiar to some social media users as she and colleague Keith White often create TikTok videos for the firm, focusing on the importance of creating wills.

She said: “We are pushing out quite a lot of information about wills, which has helped raise awareness of having a will at a younger age – especially as soon as you have any assets or have children and you’re not married.

“I’ve just bought my first house and I’ve made sure I’ve got my will in place to protect it."