Gef’s 30 Under 30 Winners: Q&A with Sophie Corkish

Ten categories. Thirty young visionaries making their mark on the Isle of Man. Introducing the all-new #Gef30Under30 winners: the next generation of our island’s leaders.

From promotions to pro golf to NASA, the UCM Achievement winners are out of this world.

What is your name and age?

Sophie Corkish, age 29.

Job title or role in the community?

Senior Associate at Appleby (Isle of Man) LLC.

How did you start your career or role in the community?

I carried out a few local work placements during my later years of secondary school to see whether working in a law firm was for me. My first work experience placement was actually at Dickinson Cruickshank (now Appleby). I applied for a summer placement with Appleby during one of my summer holidays from university, which I carried out in August 2014. When I was over for my Christmas holidays that year, I was asked to come in to do a presentation (which turned into an impromptu interview with some of the partners) and I received a call, not long after, offering me a training contract – which I accepted straight away. I started my training with Appleby in September 2015 and I qualified in November 2017 having sat and passed my Manx Bar Exams in May 2016.

In one sentence, summarise your journey so far as a young and successful person under 30.

A whirlwind – highs, lows, a lot of support needed, a lot of hard work put in, but overall ..amazing! Time really does go so quickly – I cannot believe I have been at Appleby for nearly 8 years!

Have you experienced any hurdles in your career or community efforts and if so, how did you overcome them?

Law is a very competitive industry and the steps to legal qualification can be demanding enough without thinking about obtaining work experience / training contracts etc. I was lucky that Appleby were recruiting at the time I was looking to start my training, so I had a fairly seamless transition from uni to work life, but I am very aware this isn’t the case for everyone.

Tell us about why you think you won the category you did.

I am lucky to have managed to gain a great deal of experience in a fairly short amount of time at Appleby. I was promoted to a senior associate last year, just four years after qualifying, which is fairly unusual. I had no connections when entering the legal field and so it is an amazing feeling to look back and reflect on where I started to where I am now, all of which I have largely achieved through my own hard work and determination.

Who are your role models, either on-island or off, in your sector or outside of it?

My parents. Probably quite cliche but I honestly don’t know two harder-working individuals. My parents instilled a great work ethic into my siblings and I, which is so important. When I was being pushed to get a Saturday job at 14/15 years of age, I can’t say I was overly impressed. However, having a part-time job from a young age massively benefitted me. You grow in confidence, gain some financial independence and have a work ethic instilled in you from a young age.

What do you wish you knew when you were getting started in your career?

Things will get better, be patient! It is very daunting starting out as a trainee advocate. It may be your first real experience of an office environment, you aren’t really sure what to expect or what people expect from you. But like anything, the more you do something, the more familiar something becomes, the easier it will get. Be patient with yourself, ask LOTS of questions (that is what people expect, even though you think it might be irritating) and take in all of the information and experience you possibly can. It will only benefit you in the long run. Also, make sure to keep active outside of work – it is so beneficial to unwind and clear your head.

What, for you, are the benefits of staying on or moving back to the island for young people under 30?

In the field of law especially, there are so many benefits to coming back to the Isle of Man following Uni. Probably one of the most important is the work life balance. Yes, we all have busy periods, do not get me wrong, but on the whole, you are able to leave the office at a reasonable time and enjoy your evenings and weekends, which may not be the case if you were working in a big city. You also don’t have to factor in commute times. We also get very good, high quality work coming through the doors here, which I don’t think people expect, and you get to work alongside some of the best law firms in London, the US and further afield, which is great from an experience perspective.

What would you say to young people nominating themselves, or people nominating others, for 30 Under 30 in the future?

Back yourself – everyone’s journey is different and different people all achieve great things through different means.