The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 47: Feb/March 2020 | Page 34

10 Minutes with... Lauren Webb Lauren is a family lawyer at the Swindon branch of Bower Bailey Solicitors. Lauren joined the Swindon office of Bower Bailey as a Paralegal in January 2017 and was soon offered a training contract. She qualified as a Solicitor in March 2019 and now specialises in family law. We met with Lauren to find out about her journey so far. How did you find your first year? My first year as a fully qualified solicitor has been great. I have always been given lots of responsibility at Bower Bailey and that has only increased since qualification. I currently have a wide variety of cases ranging from financial disputes within divorce proceedings to contested Children Act matters including contact disputes and leave to remove proceedings. I am continuously supported by a great matrimonial department who are always on hand to provide any advice or assistance. @BowerBailey Do you have any advice for anyone completing their legal training at the moment? OR thinking about training to be a lawyer? My biggest highlights have been achieving good results for my clients both at Court and through negotiation. On a personal level, one of my biggest highlights has been attending my Admission Ceremony at the Law Society in London with my family. I would advise anyone thinking about training to be a lawyer to do lots of research about what area of law they would like to qualify into and what type of firm they would like to work for. The firm you work for can make a huge difference to your levels of job satisfaction and your career progression. I would also advise anyone thinking about being a lawyer that it is not like Suits! I would suggest that any would-be lawyers try and obtain work experience at a range of firms and, if you think you might be interested in a contentious area of law, to spend some time in the public gallery of the Magistrate’s Court or Crown Court in your area to see what Court proceedings are really like. What have been your biggest learnings? Is there an on-going training regime? I have learnt that no two days as a solicitor are the same! I have also learnt that time management skills are really important but you also need to be prepared to completely change your entire plan for the working day if there is an emergency. To be a good solicitor I think you need to be organised but also able to think on your Yes, all solicitors are required to keep updated with the latest developments in their specialist area. We are required to keep a record of everything we do to make sure our knowledge and skills are up to date such as internal training days or attending conferences. I have recently attended a specialist What have been your biggest highlights? [email protected] 01793 610466 feet and be flexible to accommodate the needs of differing clients. family finance conference where I got to spend the whole day with other lawyers and Judges discussing a range of subjects from pre-nuptial agreements to pension sharing on divorce. What are you looking forward to the most this year? I am looking forward to doing more of my own court advocacy and to organising more internal events as well as attending external networking events. This year also marks 35 years of Bower Bailey’s Swindon office so I am looking forward to celebrating that achievement with my colleagues. Do you attend any networking groups? Yes; it’s always great to meet other professionals in your area. I have attended events ran by the Swindon Young Professionals (SYP), the Junior Lawyers Division for Gloucestershire and Wiltshire as well as Swindon BID. At Bower Bailey we always try to get involved in the local community so we also sponsor a range of local sports teams and as well as the Swindon Recital Series at the Wyvern Theatre. Local expert legal advice for you, your business and your family • Accident and Injury Compensation • Divorce and Children Matters • Employment issues • Commercial Property • Company and Commercial • House Sales, Purchases, Mortgages • Consumer and Civil Disputes • Wills and Estates 34 Bower&Bailey_TBE_Swindon_59x210mm_Ad_v3.indd www.tbeswindonandwilts.co.uk 1 Cambridge House, 4 College Court, Regent Circus, Swindon, Wiltshire SN1 1PJ T: 01793 610466 F: 01793 511505 www.bowerbailey.co.uk 06/11/2015 08:23