LAW student Eleanor Baynes is jetting off to France next month to gain first hand experience of the legal industry on the other side of the channel.The 32-year-old from Alburgh, is taking part in an annual exchange organised by The College of Law in Birmingham and L'Ecole des Avocats, a law school in Lyon.

LAW student Eleanor Baynes is jetting off to France next month to gain first hand experience of the legal industry on the other side of the channel.

The 32-year-old from Alburgh, is taking part in an annual exchange organised by The College of Law in Birmingham and L'Ecole des Avocats, a law school in Lyon.

When she flies out she will spend four weeks in Lyon, Birmingham's twin city, and undertake a placement with a law firm in its business district.

Eleanor attended Bungay High School and Diss Sixth Form and graduated from the University of Hull in 2000 with a first class honours degree in language studies.

She went on to work in London as an assistant editor for the publishing house Routledge before deciding to retrain as a solicitor.

Eleanor has just completed the legal practice course at The College of Law, which all those intending to become solicitors must pass before they can proceed to the next stage of practice.

She said: “I have always wanted to work in France. I have taken part in a number of conservation projects but this will be my first taste of a French corporate environment. It is an amazing opportunity to see how a French law firm - and their legal system - operates and will be a really good way to learn legal and business French. I hope it will stand me in good stead in the future when working with international clients.”

In September, Eleanor will start a two-year training contract to qualify as a solicitor in the Birmingham office of international law firm Wragge & Co.