It's never too late: How changing careers at 50 transformed my life

In light of winning Paralegal of the Year at the Scottish Legal Awards in November 2024, Nikki Scott, Paralegal Manager at Blackadders LLP, shares how it’s never too late to find a career you love.

My journey to becoming a paralegal may not have been what most people would consider ‘conventional’ and so, in light of collecting the Paralegal of the Year award last year, there seems like no better time to highlight my unique path to becoming a paralegal which began at 50. So, where did I start?

I was raised in a small town in Wisconsin, USA: I’m the mother of 8, grandmother of 9 and bonus grandmother of 3. I was a stay at home mum until I decided to attend university as a mature student in 1996 (at the ripe old age of 33) and I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in History, with a focus on Medieval History, and Religious Studies from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2002, making me a proud Wisconsin Badger (Google is your friend here).

I moved to Scotland in 2011 at an even more mature 48 to do a Master’s Degree at Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education through the University of Aberdeen. In 2012 I received an MLitt (with Commendation) in “Muslims, Globalisation, and the West”.

Growing up, I had always thought I would like to get into Law as my grandfather had been a lawyer and taught Business Law at Georgia Tech until he retired, but life, as it does, got in the way. When I finished my Master’s I went through a divorce and had to get a job (remember, I was a stay at home mum so had very little experience in the work force). So, I got on the books of a temp agency who helped me start my legal career, now at the advanced age of 50, working at a small firm in Perth as an Audio Typist - I didn’t even know what that was. I was fortunate that the Partner for whom I was working saw my potential and started giving me experience as a paralegal doing executry work. My first task was a Scheme of Division for an intestate estate with so many beneficiaries that some received only about £3.00! Unfortunately, as the job was temporary, I had to move on. So, I went to a Dundee firm to work in their Estate Agency. To make my way back into a more legal-oriented career, I applied for a position as a Legal Secretary at Blackadders. During my initial interview I told the HR Manager that I did not anticipate being a Legal Secretary for the rest of my working career and hoped to eventually become a paralegal. Thankfully, they hired me!

When a position opened up, I transferred to the Executries Team (I was now a very mature 53) and started a paralegal traineeship. As I already had experience in executries and drafting Wills and Powers of Attorney, the Law Society Paralegal Certification Advisor encouraged me to apply for my accreditation based on my previous experience. With the support of Blackadders, I have worked my way up the ranks and am now a Paralegal Manager. I love what I do, I love the interaction with the clients and assisting them, with great care, through some of the darkest days they may experience.

"It’s scary, new things always are, but if I can start over in a new country at the age of 48 and start a totally new career at the age of 50, just think of what you can do!"

I feel quite strongly, and you might have already figured this out, that you are never too old to try something new. If I could give you one bit of advice it would be to take the risk, go out onto that limb, make the jump to something new! Yes, it’s scary, new things always are, but if I can start over in a new country at the age of 48 and start a totally new career at the age of 50, just think of what you can do! We will spend a lot of our lives in the work force and it should be doing something we enjoy. Something that makes us get out of bed and say, “Yes! I get to go to work today!” I have found that as a paralegal at Blackadders!