Every month we speak to prominent professionals working in, around, and for the legal sector in the UK, uncovering their greatest inspiration, what makes them tick in a work capacity and out, and their own career paths and journey to the top of their game.

Interview with: Christian Butler | Partner | Hay & Kilner LLP

WHAT HAS YOUR MORNING LOOKED LIKE?

5.30am start, readied myself for the day and then rallied my three children out of bed to start to get ready for school. I arrived at work just after 7.30am and after a quick catch up with my colleagues, I planned my work for the day and considered work flow for the week for both myself and my team. I then responded to e-mails received over the weekend before preparing for and then attending a client meeting at 10.00am taking me through to lunch.

HOW IS BUSINESS AT THE MOMENT?

Busy. In family law this is bittersweet knowing that more people are experiencing difficulties in their lives, but at the same time, I am grateful that they are trusting me and my team to help them.

HAS IT ALWAYS BEEN ‘LAW’ AS A CHOSEN CAREER?

No, growing up I dreamt of being an actor or a doctor. Whilst I enjoyed acting, I never followed the dream beyond some am-dram and I’m sure there are some videos of my “acting years” floating around which would amuse many of my friends and colleagues, plus a realisation that I am not a huge fan of blood in my late teens quickly ruled out a future in medicine!

My love of the ocean and diving saw me undertake a degree in Marine Biology. I soon realised, unfortunately, that spending all my time on boats was not ideal as I get seasick. Lab work was also not for me. I worked for several years throughout my undergraduate degree in the hospitality industry and flourished in customer service and people management roles. I found myself particularly adept at dealing with more difficult customers.

My experiences ultimately led me to returning to university to study law. After university, I envisaged that I would work in corporate law and that area still interests me, particularly given the work that I now do often acting on behalf of clients with their own businesses and interests in companies. Throughout my wonderful training contract however, I gravitated towards family law.

Looking back I believe this was due in part to my own experience as the child of divorced parents. I saw first-hand the difficulties faced by my parents, and myself and my sister, as children, going through the process. Clients’ problems resonated with me and I found I was genuinely able to assist them in times of great turmoil. I was able to utilise my years of training in applying the law and at the same time use my honed communication and empathy skills, along with what some may call my tenacity in dealing with particularly problematic situations. I found this greatly enjoyable. In retrospect, given my life experiences, forging a career in family law was perhaps an inevitability.

WHAT IS THE GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?

I have been fortunate enough to be able to help so many deserving clients over the years, which is why I come into work each day, but my greatest personal accomplishment is returning as a Partner to Hay & Kilner, after completing my training contract at the firm. I relish in leading a team of brilliant lawyers and I am so excited for the continued growth of both my team and the wider firm.

WHO WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION?

I appreciate this is cliched but my mother is my biggest inspiration. She has endured more than most in her life but, through hard work, determination and courage, she led a successful career and was always there for me and my sister. Everything she does is done with love and passion and she exudes eternal kindness. I would not be in the position I am today without her sacrifices and commitment to me and I aspire to be more like her every day.

WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?

I bought my wife Michelle Obama’s The Light We Carry as a Christmas present. She raced through it in two days and passed it on. It is a thought provoking read which encourages the reader to “illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us” and to “work through fear, find strength in community and live in boldness”. I would encourage all to read it.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO THE START OF YOUR CAREER IN THE LEGAL SECTOR?

Just be yourself; you are enough! Be open-minded, keep growing, keep reading and keep trying to understand who you are and doors will open that you never knew existed.

HOW HAS THE LEGAL SECTOR CHANGED IN RECENT YEARS?

In family law, the biggest change is in respect of the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 bringing about so called “no fault divorce”. This, coupled with the reduction in Legal Aid and the services available to parties going through separation and divorce, has meant a large increase in litigants in person and DIY divorce jobs. There are very real reasons why expert advice is needed in a lot of these cases and I am concerned as to the repercussions of not taking, or having access to, advice.

More generally, the way in which traditional law firms operate is changing. It is important that law firms move with the times, be it in respect of structure, non-fee earning functions and technology.

OUTSIDE OF WORK, WHAT MAKES YOU TICK?

My family. Despite a busy and forever growing workload, I try to spend as much time with my children as possible – whether that is walking to school, attending sporting events or being a monster ridden around the living room. When I am not with the children, I love watching a good film with my wife which takes me away from the thousands of thoughts I have running through my head!

AND FINALLY, YOUR GO-TO PODCAST?

Grounded with Louis Theroux. I find his style of questioning and his ability to get people to open up about deep and personal matters, be they public figures or not, brilliant. This often makes for thought provoking, inspiring and comical listening.

Hay & Kilner LLP  is a full, service law firm with a long-established reputation and with offices in Newcastle & Wallsend. Founded in 1946, Hay & Kilner offers a variety of legal services to both individuals and businesses including Residential and Commercial Property, Family, and Inheritance Disputes, as well as niche areas including Agriculture and Veterinary Practices.

Every month we speak to prominent professionals working in, around, and for the legal sector in the UK, uncovering their greatest inspiration, what makes them tick in a work capacity and out, and their own career paths and journey to the top of their game.

Interview with: Carina Pennant-Williams | Litigation Director & Solicitor | Bowcock Cuerden LLP

WHAT HAS YOUR MORNING LOOKED LIKE?

HOW IS BUSINESS AT THE MOMENT?

We are all busier than ever! We have some great links with other professionals and bodies referring work to us, as well as quite a lot of repeat business, so we have been looking to recruit across most departments to help us to service the volume of work coming in.

HAS IT ALWAYS BEEN ‘LAW’ AS A CHOSEN CAREER?

WHAT IS THE GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?

WHO WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION?

WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO THE START OF YOUR CAREER IN THE LEGAL SECTOR?

HOW HAS THE LEGAL SECTOR CHANGED IN RECENT YEARS?

More home working has perhaps been the biggest change, although myself and some of our other Solicitors did that to an extent before Covid. The lockdowns forced everyone though to think about whether remote meetings were suitable, as well as enabling more Court Hearings to be handled remotely, saving time and costs. We have also dealt with some remote mediations, which have worked well.

Since I started in litigation, there has been a real focus on monitoring the costs of both parties. The implementation of costs budgeting was a real learning curve and, whilst I wasn’t a huge fan at the outset, I do see the clear benefits for clients and am able to explain and discuss that with them. Generally clients now want to know exactly what litigation is going to cost them, so there has certainly been a shift towards fixed fees in many cases, whether that is for the whole case or perhaps for each stage of the proceedings.

OUTSIDE OF WORK, WHAT MAKES YOU TICK?

AND FINALLY, YOUR GO-TO PODCAST?

Every month we speak to prominent professionals working in, around, and for the legal sector in the UK, uncovering their greatest inspiration, what makes them tick in a work capacity and out, and their own career paths and journey to the top of their game.

Interview with: Angie Brown | Head of Family, Senior Solicitor & FMCA Family Law Mediator | Dootsons Solicitors

WHAT HAS YOUR MORNING LOOKED LIKE?

HOW IS BUSINESS AT THE MOMENT?

In Family Law, there is a natural trend in a greater amount of work just after Christmas and in the New Year, so as ever, we are really busy, which is fantastic. We are really trying to focus on ensuring that despite the new Online No-Fault Divorce System coming into play last year and more people choosing to do the divorce part themselves, that couples understand that the divorce process alone does not offer them financial resolution or conclude their financial claims they have against one another. We are finding that is a real area for concern in the family process at present as not enough people seem to understand or are being informed properly and fully about the impact of that.

We have also been very involved with the National Family Mediation Week which was 16th to 20th January and have also now been approved by the FMC (Family Mediation Council) to offer the Government Funded £500 mediation voucher scheme to mediation clients. We are a growing Family Team at Dootsons, with a strong wealth of knowledge and experience at each service level. We see ourselves as having firm local roots, but with an online national coverage offering for all clients at local high street prices.

HAS IT ALWAYS BEEN ‘LAW’ AS A CHOSEN CAREER?

WHAT IS THE GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?

I have worked in award-winning firms and with award-winning teams, I have achieved fantastic settlements in Court. A lot of lawyers shout loudly about these achievements. For me, it is in the whispers where I have felt the greatest personal satisfaction. I get enormous pleasure in going to Court and seeing some of the brilliant Solicitors who I trained from apprentices or paralegals and trainees. I love watching a team thrive and grow in a practice that was originally a single solicitor workload. But mostly and I think most importantly, it is when you bump into a previous client and get to see them back at their best, having helped them through their worst times and knowing that you played a real part in helping them to achieve that and help their family evolve beyond those times.

WHO WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION?

WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO THE START OF YOUR CAREER IN THE LEGAL SECTOR?

HOW HAS THE LEGAL SECTOR CHANGED IN RECENT YEARS?

In Family, the most anticipated change has been no fault divorce. This has been something we have been lobbying for through Resolution throughout my whole legal career. However, it has been the ripple effect of how these changes have been brought in that I think has had the biggest impact. I have already mentioned how people are turning to the new online system more readily themselves without solicitors, but the effects that we are seeing from that is that so few understand that that process in itself is not enough to conclude the legal obligations couples have with one another by virtue of their marriage. They are missing the point that they have continued financial obligations unless they get a financial order as well. I predict that this is going to be a surge area in the next few years and my worry is that further down the line, many parties may lose out on claims they previously had or find themselves worse off because they didn’t address it at the time of the divorce.

I hope I am wrong, but my message is for anyone going through relationship breakdown or divorcing online – please get some legal advice at the time so you can make an informed decision about what you want to do.

OUTSIDE OF WORK, WHAT MAKES YOU TICK?

AND FINALLY, YOUR GO-TO PODCAST?

Every month we speak to prominent professionals working in, around, and for the legal sector in the UK, uncovering their greatest inspiration, what makes them tick in a work capacity and out, and their own career paths and journey to the top of their game.

Interview with: Jillian Josephson | Partner & Head of Commercial Property | AST Hampsons LLP

WHAT HAS YOUR MORNING LOOKED LIKE?

HOW IS BUSINESS AT THE MOMENT?

I am privileged to have an array of different clients operating in the commercial property market. I’ve got a fantastic portfolio acquisition on my desk at the moment working with a team of several solicitors, agents, clients and lenders with a March deadline so it’s all hands to the pump! The wider team are busy and buoyant although the pressure cooker of the last 2 years seems to have eased slightly for the start of 2023.

HAS IT ALWAYS BEEN ‘LAW’ AS A CHOSEN CAREER?

WHAT IS THE GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?

Building up and looking after a client base who could go anywhere for legal advice but choose to work with me. I have worked hard to develop a new following for the firm (which is very established with its own loyal base) and am grateful and proud of the quality of instructions and clients that I get to be involved and work with, on a daily basis. I had my best billing year on record last year and thrived on the extent of work I was involved with for so many different clients.

WHO WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION?

WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO THE START OF YOUR CAREER IN THE LEGAL SECTOR?

HOW HAS THE LEGAL SECTOR CHANGED IN RECENT YEARS?

The profession has changed so much since I started in the early 2000’s. I have worked as a property solicitor through the recession of 2008 onwards and I endeavoured to make myself indispensable to clients who were experiencing challenging times in an ever changing market. In a way it made me – I realised I could drum up clients from scratch and professionally stand on my own two feet even when the world around me was crumbling! Certain areas are becoming more process driven and the advent of technology has encouraged an “on demand” service. The landscape has changed significantly since I qualified 18 years ago and there is undoubtedly more change to come!

OUTSIDE OF WORK, WHAT MAKES YOU TICK?

AND FINALLY, YOUR GO-TO PODCAST?

Every month we speak to prominent professionals working in, around, and for the legal sector in the UK, uncovering their greatest inspiration, what makes them tick in a work capacity and out, and their own career paths and journey to the top of their game.

Interview with: Neil Davies, Director | Neil Davies & Partners, Solicitors (NDP)

WHAT HAS YOUR MORNING LOOKED LIKE?

HOW IS BUSINESS AT THE MOMENT?

As a business we are very busy, especially across insolvency, restructuring and commercial work which has been generally driven by the increased costs falling on businesses.

HAS IT ALWAYS BEEN ‘LAW’ AS A CHOSEN CAREER?

WHAT IS THE GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?

I think my biggest accomplishment is still being here as a practicing solicitor after 32 years. I’m lucky to be part of a great team of 14 driven individuals who all share the same goals and have the same vision.

Training young lawyers is a fab by-product of what we do every day and something I enjoy immensely.

WHO WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION?

WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO THE START OF YOUR CAREER IN THE LEGAL SECTOR?

HOW HAS THE LEGAL SECTOR CHANGED IN RECENT YEARS?

I would say that the sector has changed beyond recognition in recent years. Technology has greatly improved how and what we do. However I do feel that Lawyers generally do not get the respect from clients that they used to-probably in large measure our own doing.

OUTSIDE OF WORK, WHAT MAKES YOU TICK?

AND FINALLY, YOUR GO-TO PODCAST?

Every month we speak to prominent professionals working in, around, and for the legal sector in the UK, uncovering their greatest inspiration, what makes them tick in a work capacity and out, and their own career paths and journey to the top of their game.

Interview with: Lynn Sedgwick, Managing Director | Clayton Legal.

WHAT HAS YOUR MORNING LOOKED LIKE?

HOW IS BUSINESS AT THE MOMENT?

As a business we have seen consistent and sustained organic growth over time. Throughout 2022 we have never been busier, with clients accelerating their hiring activity post pandemic. This activity and renewed appetite for growth, in turn, impacted our own trajectory and we have undergone a period of expansion both physically, and through the services we offer.

We have added to our service offering, now offering both a search and managed outsourced recruitment offering working in partnership with our clients in talent acquisition. The expansion has also seen us open other regional offices in the UK as well as adding to our own team of recruitment specialists to address this demand.

The final quarter of the year tends to be the busiest in recruitment as we work with clients to plan and execute their hiring strategies for the year ahead in line with their business objectives. Consequently, November and December are busy months as we consolidate the year and prepare for our own annual strategic review ensuring that we map out our own 3 year plan as we continue to expand and grow our markets.

As ever, the focus for the whole team is on delivery to ensure we meet our strategic objectives, and continue to deliver a truly transformational service to clients and jobseekers alike.

HAS IT ALWAYS BEEN ‘LEGAL RECRUITMENT’ AS A CHOSEN CAREER?

Not at all. After graduating, I commenced accountancy training with a regional firm before transitioning to the world of recruitment. My career in the recruitment sector was under way and 35 years later it has been an amazing journey with experiences across both corporates and SMEs.

I took a short sabbatical when I was 30, and in this time actually returned to education and professional studies in other disciplines – however the pull of recruitment saw me return shortly afterwards. As the old adage goes, if you find a job that you love, you will never work a day in your life – and that certainly rings true for me and the career path I have chosen. Plus, the beauty of working in the industry for so long is that you naturally follow the careers of individuals you have helped as your network expands – those candidates become life-long clients (and in many cases, friends) and those relationships become embedded.

WHAT IS THE GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?

Above anything, my greatest accomplishment has been building a successful recruitment business that has created both employment and opportunity for our employees and seeing the impact of that on their lives. It’s been so rewarding, exhilarating and fun to be part of a successful and growing team and witness the career development of both the individuals within Clayton Legal, as well as the people we service throughout the legal sector.

It has and continues to be an absolute privilege and something I am so very proud of.

WHO WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION?

I have been so fortunate in my career to meet thousands of individuals and with my ‘recruiter hat’ on, watching careers flourish and businesses’ grow and develop, its been an absolute honour to work with industry leaders and those developing their careers.

I have been inspired by the people I have worked with over the years – as a collective, a truly unique group of individuals that have all been really special, and taught me so much along the way. I feel very lucky and blessed to have known them all and shared our lives through work for a while.

WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?

These days I tend to avoid reading hard copy books and much prefer audiobooks, given my age (and eyesight!).

Currently , I am listening to ‘Becoming‘ – the memoir written by Michelle Obama. The book focuses on the former-First Lady’s upbringing in Chicago and her early career as an attorney for US firm, Sidley Austin LLP where she met her future husband, Barack. The book is a fascinating look at life behind the scenes at The White House and the incredulous journey to get there – but more so about her endurance, perseverance, and finding her own voice. It’s an inspirational read and I’d wholeheartedly recommend it.

I am also very much into personal development and thoroughly enjoying Eckhart Tolle’s ‘The Power of Now’ where the focus, among other things, is around the importance of self-reflection and learning to embrace and value the present.

The beauty of audiobooks as a medium is that they are so accessible and convenient – even with a busy work schedule I can always find time on the commute into work or when I’m cooking at home to tune in to something educational and interesting.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO THE START OF YOUR CAREER IN THE LEGAL SECTOR?

Enjoy every minute of success and learn from every set back and challenge along the way. See every challenge as A great opportunity and a door opening to a new opportunity. Celebrate both triumph and set back in equal measures. It’s part of life.

HOW HAS THE LEGAL SECTOR CHANGED IN RECENT YEARS AS A RECRUITER?

As a recruiter with somewhat of a bird’s eye view on the market, it’s easy to see the many changes that have taken place over the years. The legal market has got so much better at promoting itself in more recent years whether that’s promoting across social media as a career of choice or promoting diversity, equity and inclusion which finally feels like it is front and centre across the sector. This in turn has also impacted the service we provide as recruiters – and has been a major positive in recent years.

In my time we have gone from generalist practitioners to specialists, we have seen the huge growth and contraction in more recent years within Personal Injury. We witnessed a recession during the last financial crisis which impacted many areas of law, specifically property recruitment, to a huge boom in recruitment in this area during the last decade. We have seen north shoring, the growth of the large regional firms amongst other significant and impactful changes in the market as a result of technology.

One of the most impactful has been a marked increase in the rise of in-house talent attraction teams in law firms as they focus on improved recruitment processes to drive talent attraction. This has not been to our detriment at all but we have had to develop new ways of working to compliment internal teams as firms continue to struggle to meet their hiring needs. The relationship between law firms and legal recruitment agencies has never been stronger although our partnership these days is much more focused on genuine business ‘consultancy’ with recruitment professionals that advise on market trends, recruitment, and talent attraction more than ever before.

The legal recruitment sector is still very exciting and as fast paced as ever. Twenty years ago for example, we physically met every candidate ahead of presenting to firms, but the internet and digital revolution changed all of that – and after the pandemic, this evolved once again with more of a focus on innovation in tech across the sector. From marketing automation tools, to complex tech built around learning and algorithms that help to drive productivity, focusing on our tech stack is a real passion of mine.

Being in the market for over 24 years we are recruitment partners with many of the UK’s law firms and in line with the growth of our clients we have developed our service offering over time to meet their needs and now include outsourced and managed recruitment services and consultancy as well as search and selection for permanent , contract and locum roles.

That being said, and even with the many benefits that tech has brought to our business and that of our clients, building, nurturing and celebrating relationships with people is still our main focus. This, above all, is what drives me – delivering a personal service that gets results and is built on trust, honestly, integrity and good manners. Those values never go out of fashion and form the very foundations of our business and how we operate.

OUTSIDE OF WORK, WHAT MAKES YOU TICK?

AND FINALLY, YOUR GO-TO PODCAST?