From homeless and jobless to legal partner

Feb 10 2009 by Karen Dent, The Journal

DIVORCE, the loss of her home and the family business led a Tyneside woman to begin studying law at the age of 42 – and her passion for all things legal has now led to partnership in a new North East law firm.

Sylvia Niccol ended up homeless and jobless when her marriage ended but rather than being weighed down by her misfortune, she used it as an opportunity to start again.

“I refer to it as a blank sheet of paper where I could rewrite my future,” said Ms Niccol, who at the time ran a contract cleaning business with her then-husband, which experienced cashflow problems and was forced to close during the last recession.

“I wanted a serious degree. I’d had such a massive upheaval. I thought a law degree was a serious degree and a springboard. I never had a burning ambition to be a lawyer, but I saw through personal circumstances what a minefield the law could be for lay people.

“I’d like to think it would have happened anyway but because of the chaos at the time, I saw there are opportunities in your life and you either recognise them as opportunities or they pass you by.”

Fifteen years after starting studying, including achieving a law degree from Newcastle University and specialist courses in advocacy and accounting, Ms Niccol took a legal executive course which resulted in her qualifying as a solicitor in 2006.

She had left school at 16 to work in an administrative job with a union and says she came from a background where going to university straight from school was not an option.

But she says her experience has now inspired other members of her family to move on to higher education.

Now after building up her practical experience working for other law firms, the mum of three and grandmother of six has entered into the three-way partnership to open WHN Law.

Ms Niccol heads up the Newcastle branch, which opened at the start of the year, while her two partners have offices in Gateshead and Blyth.

She specialises in civil law including personal injury claims, employers’ liability claims and probate litigation.

She said: “I realise that some people can be frightened by legal jargon so I will try to make the law simple to understand for my clients.

“I hope that my determination to make it as a solicitor will inspire others to follow their heart to get what they want out of life too.”