FEATURE
“ You can ’ t be a leader without a great team , and the reason we ’ ve been so successful at Jacksons is that we ’ ve all pulled together .” work , but another twist in the road was soon to emerge . Jane remembers it well : it was Valentine ’ s Day , 2000 , and Paul came home to reveal he ’ d had an offer to work in Chicago .
The family spent three years in America , and , when the time came to return to Teesside , Jane was ready to resume her career , successfully applying for a part-time post at Jacksons .
Gradually , the role became less and less part-time , and she rose through the ranks , ending up , today , as managing partner .
“ What really appealed to me about Jacksons was that it was a friendly , engaging , outward-facing firm that wanted to be part of the community , and I wanted to give something back ,” she explains .
She has certainly done that . Her contributions have included playing a leading role in running a business club , getting involved in the Girls ’ Network to mentor young women in business , helping to arrange
International Women ’ s Day events and organising a business leaders ’ support group during lockdown .
One of her most satisfying achievements is the establishment , three years ago , of a Jacksons apprenticeship programme , in partnership with Learning Curve .
“ Supporting young people is really important to me because it ’ s about building for the future ,” she declares . “ The apprenticeship programme gives people on Teesside the chance of fantastic careers . Some progress into paralegal roles , others become legal secretaries , or work in legal administration .”
Jane also takes justifiable pride in the way Jacksons has coped admirably during the pandemic , with the majority of staff swiftly adapting to work from home . Thanks to the company being financially robust , no jobs were lost and , although a small number of employees were initially furloughed , they were quickly brought back as business picked up .
“ We were confident that , with a fair wind ,
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