“It was evident that the team environment was also important to the Firm”
I trained at Simmons & Simmons and joined Withers upon qualification.
I work within the Commercial Property team and my role covers everything concerned with buying, selling and leasing commercial property. I enjoy the variety – I can be drafting one hour and negotiating the next. There’s a real emphasis on building relations and knowing your clients well and this is the part of the job I enjoy the most – getting to know all the parties involved. I also enjoy the challenges of a varied client base. I deal with a whole range of clients - from charities, private individuals and land owners to corporate firms. Having a large residential and landed estate team here also means that there are opportunities to get involved in rural and residential work.
Withers has a wide and interesting client base and variety is the norm. My advice to anyone thinking about joining would be to find out as much as possible about the work and whether it would suit them. You should also try to speak to as many fee earners as possible to get more information on the team you would be working with.
I found the recruitment process really relaxed and informal. I had two interviews, both of which were with the commercial property partners within the department. At the end of my second interview I met an assistant from the team who showed me around the building and told me more about the department over a coffee.
During my job hunt, I was really keen to find a firm that had a good team environment. I was impressed that the Partners I met (including the Head of the Department) were not at all intimidating, which helped make the interviews relaxed and open. Perhaps one of the key points for me was that the Partners expressed how important it was for them to find someone who would work well within the team – so, it was evident that the team environment was also important to the firm. I have not been disappointed - there is a great team here and I don’t have any hesitations in asking anyone, irrespective of their level, anything.
I love travelling and at the moment South East Asia is my particular passion. I love cooking too and enjoy coming back from a trip and trying to recreate the food eaten abroad. I like to think that I’m into adventurous activities and recently tried white water rafting. Other than that, I enjoy a good book or a night out at the cinema.