Meet the new legal Leaders driving change and raising the bar
A dynamic new generation of leaders is redefining the legal landscape, fusing sharp commercial insight with innovative thinking to ensure their firm’s ongoing success. Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine meets three key players and discovers how they are driving change…
Simeon Blewett, Associate Solicitor, Berry & Lamberts Solicitors
Tell us about your current role and what it entails…
I’m an Associate in our Dispute Resolution Department. I have a varied caseload including contentious probate cases, contractual disputes, employment matters, and all manner of property matters from boundary and right of way disputes to landlord-tenant cases. Any enquiries that don’t fit into our other departments usually find their way onto my desk! My role is to help clients resolve their disputes as cost-effectively as possible while also achieving the best result, only resorting to litigation where necessary.
What motivates you?
Knowing that I’m able to make a tangible difference for my clients or their businesses is something that pushes me to go the extra mile and get the best result possible. The variety of cases and clients that instruct me keeps things interesting and I find myself learning new things on almost every case – from business strategy to what sort of things to look for when trying to identify a forged document!
What advice would you give to a younger you?
I would tell myself to believe in my abilities, back myself and go for opportunities even if I am unsure of whether I am ready for them.
What is more important, education or experience?
While I think education lays a foundation and assists with the type of critical thinking and analysis that is important for my work, experience wins hands-down for me. I feel I have learned more in the three and a half years I have been qualified than I learned in all of university and law school combined. Being able to apply the theory under pressure and in real-life scenarios is where I have developed most.
Describe yourself in three words.
Organised, diligent and pragmatic – all traits that I think are essential for a litigator!
GET IN TOUCH:
01892 526344
www.berryandlamberts.co.uk
Katherine Purton, Private Client Lawyer, Thomas Mansfield
Tell us about your current role and what it entails
I’m a private client lawyer at Thomas Mansfield Solicitors, based in the firm’s Tunbridge Wells office. I help individuals and their families plan for their financial futures through estate planning, preparing Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney. You have to be a ‘people person’ and I really enjoy that. My role is both technical and deeply personal – I often support clients during emotionally challenging life moments, whether that’s after a bereavement or during other big life changes.
Describe yourself in three words…
I would probably say committed, thoughtful and calm. I want clients to feel confident, informed and supported.
Who or what motivates you?
I love the opportunity to help people in making big life decisions and plan for the future. Our job requires us to really understand our client’s needs and aspirations. It’s a real privilege to work with our clients and to give them the reassurance that we’ve asked the searching questions and found the right solutions for them in a way that works for them.
I’m motivated in knowing the work we do can make a lasting difference, whether that is helping someone take control of their affairs, protect what matters to them or honour a loved one’s wishes; it’s a real privilege.
How would you define success?
In a work context I would say success is about finding satisfaction in understanding the meaningful value of the work we do for our clients.
Is there a particular entrepreneur who inspires you?
People who find solutions to big problems inspire me – and I especially admire people who never give up in trying to do that.
How do you take care of your mental health?
The great British countryside helps me decompress!
What advice would you give to a younger you?
Don’t be afraid to always ask questions, and don’t feel you have to be perfect straight away. ‘You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.’
What is more important- education or experience?
Both are critical to what we do, but experience is the best teacher.
GET IN TOUCH:
01892 577092
tmwillsandprobate.co.uk
Mustafa Sidki, Partner, Thackray Williams
Tell us about your current role?
I am a litigation Partner at Thackray Williams, specialising in all things property. Due to a great deal of demand, over the last 12 months my predominant focus has been on construction litigation. Construction disputes typically arise from breaches of contract, delays, payment issues, or negligence. It is a very technical area of law, and most cases require input from other professionals, such as architects, surveyors and engineers. The elements of construction litigation I particularly enjoy are the site visits with clients, as this is the best way to truly understand the factual matrix of a case.
Who or what motivates you?
I am driven by past adversity. Before retraining to be a lawyer, I was a chef and restaurateur, running two restaurants for 14 years. I regarded myself as successful; however everything changed during the 2008 financial crisis, when almost overnight turnover dropped by 50%, but liabilities remained unchanged. I tried to keep my restaurants afloat, but after exhausting all my savings, I was forced to shut down. I found myself unemployed during an economic recession. I had always been fascinated by the law and over the years had instructed solicitors to act for my businesses. A new academic year was about to commence, so I signed up for a law degree and applied for every paralegal job I could find. I landed a paralegal job at a London law firm and worked full time throughout my studies. Despite having to start all over again, from the bottom rung of the ladder, I learnt a great deal from these experiences, and they have provided me with a commercially astute perspective on clients’ cases.
Which is more important in business, education or experience and why?
I have learnt so much more from my failures in life, than from my successes, be it in business or in legal practice, and in my view, experience trumps education. When studying law I found that having instructed lawyers to act for me when running restaurants, and also from working as a paralegal, I had gleaned a practical understanding of how the law was applied in real life that a textbook or lecture simply could not provide. In legal practice, my experience in running restaurants for 14 years provides me with a commercial perspective of clients’ cases, which legal analysis in isolation would not incorporate.
I see this with my clients as well, many of whom are entrepreneurs who have navigated their way through previous economic downtrends, similar to those their sectors are currently experiencing. Their prior experience has enabled them to anticipate the effect of legislative changes being brought in and take steps to mitigate losses to place their businesses into the strongest possible position to thrive.
GET IN TOUCH:
TEL: 020 8290 0440
WEB: www.thackraywilliams.com
