University: University of Nottingham
Degree: English & Philosophy
Year made partner: 2021
Position: Partner
Department: Banking
Pronouns: She/her  

Was partnership always a goal or did your ambitions evolve as your career developed?

I wanted to become partner once I’d fully settled into the firm. I joined Devonshires as a trainee and you don’t necessarily start your training contract thinking, ‘I’m going to be a partner’. However, from an early stage in my career at Devonshires I could see that there was a clear path to partnership, and it gradually became something I wanted to achieve.

What changed most about your role when you became partner in terms of responsibility and decision-making?

There’s definitely a big shift when you become partner. As you progress, you naturally take on more responsibility, whether for the work itself or managing people. However, there comes a point where you suddenly have ultimate responsibility. This can be quite a shock, but at the same time it's very rewarding to have ownership of something. While it can be daunting, if you can approach that responsibility with enthusiasm, it becomes a really positive part of the role.

For lawyers who don’t want to become partner, what other successful senior career paths exist at the firm – and how do they differ in practice?

There are other career options and many highly valued lawyers choose not to pursue partnership. One of the most obvious alternatives is becoming a knowledge development lawyer (the job title may vary between firms). These are usually lawyers at senior associate level or above, who specialise in a particular field but don't necessarily want to take the partnership route. They also tend not to have the same billing targets as fee earners, which can mean that they may have more flexibility around their working hours. It’s quite a different career path, but it's an extremely important role, particularly within my department.

As our firm grows, we’re exploring a wider range of career routes, which is becoming increasingly common across the legal sector. In terms of more traditional progression, there are the solicitor, associate and senior associate routes, all of which involve leadership responsibilities. If you enjoy managing people but are less attracted to the responsibilities that partnership entails, these may be good options to explore.

Please can you outline your area of expertise? Walk us through a recent day or morning at work and what you worked on.

My role sits primarily in banking, covering both banking and consumer credit law, with a particular focus on social housing finance. This involves advising registered providers of social housing on their funding needs. Because we handle the majority of our clients’ finance work, it allows us to really get to know their business. This gives so much more context to the transactions we’re working on and why, for example, a client might be raising £100 million to invest on a specific development or to improve stock. This means it’s not just about paper or numbers; it’s a transaction with meaning. This makes the work far more interesting and rewarding.

A typical day might involve reviewing an agreement, reporting back to the client, having a call to discuss the pros and cons, and attending a board meeting to advise on whether they should proceed. My role is transactional rather than contentious, meaning I don’t go anywhere near court because that terrifies me!

How’s your time usually split (eg, legal work, people management, business development)?

Within Devonshires there are partners who spend more of their time on management and business development, but I prefer to stay involved with the legal work itself.

My split is around 70% legal work and 30% business development and people management. However, I'm in one of the smaller teams which enables me to do more of the work, rather than focusing on managing lots of people.

What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of life as a lawyer?

It can be difficult to strike the right work/life balance, especially if you’re ambitious. That’s one of the realities of a legal career and I think anyone going into law should have their eyes open. Having said that, when you’ve put the hours in and see the results, it’s incredibly rewarding. You celebrate alongside the client and recognise the value that you and the team have brought to their business.

For me, that sense of achievement makes the hard work worthwhile. If you don't feel that same sense of reward, it may be more difficult to justify the demands of the role, so it helps to be someone who takes genuine satisfaction from delivering results. It’s undoubtedly a challenging career, but there are many rewards if you're willing to put in the work.

What makes your firm stand out?

As someone who's been with Devonshires since I was a trainee, I've never wanted to leave. The firm’s culture and people are very special, which is reflected in the number of colleagues who stay here for a long time and our strong trainee retention rate.

One of the things I value most is that everyone knows everyone. It's very much an open-door policy and you don’t feel like a tiny cog in a big machine. At the same time, there are plenty of people to work with and learn from.

The combination of speciality practice areas, such as social housing, alongside a full-service law firm offering provides real variety. For trainees, this means exposure to a wide array of topics and work areas, which is something that feels unique to Devonshires.

What advice do you have for aspiring partners? What are the things that the business will look for when creating partners?

Hard work is essential. Nobody reaches partnership without putting the work in, but it’s also necessary to have the self-motivation to want to do that hard work in the first place.

No two partners are the same, and it’s important to have a variety of people who make up a partnership. There's no standard Devonshires partner and we have a very diverse selection of lawyers who bring different things to the table. All our partners have worked hard to get to where they are and everyone’s voice is valued.

Looking back, what mattered more for making partner – technical excellence, relationships or commercial expertise?

For me, nothing is more important than the relationships. It’s one thing that AI can't replace. Of course, technical and commercial expertise are both necessary, but it’s the connection with people that ultimately makes the difference.

Describe the firm in three words?

Relationships. Expertise. Action.

What’s the most important thing candidates researching the firm often miss?

I'm involved in the recruitment process, which I really enjoy. One thing that stands out is when a candidate has done proper research into the firm, rather than relying on an AI-generated summary. It's important to find something that genuinely interests you about the firm, whether that’s a practice area, a value or an aspect of the work, and emphasise why you want to know more about it.

That level of engagement and commercial awareness is what sets people apart and is often missing when candidates prepare for interviews. You’ve got to show that you know who Devonshires is and what separates us. It's vital not to give generic answers.

What’s your desert island disc?

Mine would have to be a full album: The Sound of Music soundtrack!