How did you get qualified and get to where you are now?

I started at Dee & Griffin in January 2007, at the time I was a Legal Executive, but I always wanted to progress to become a solicitor and I was fortunate that Dee & Griffin offered me that opportunity.

As part of one of the routes to becoming a solicitor, as a Legal Executive, I was required to undertake further exams to claim the Common Professional Examination (CPE) exemption, before I was able to start the 2 year part-time Legal Practice Course (LPC). I sat my last exam to claim this exemption during the last few weeks of my first pregnancy, in the summer of 2009. I had convinced myself I was not going to pass, so starting the LPC in September 2009, was not going to be an option and I would defer for a year. I started the LPC at the University of the West of England in September 2009, my son George was 2 weeks over-due, so when I started the LPC, he was just 6 weeks old!

The LPC was tough. I studied part-time, which required attendance at UWE two days per month and in between those attendances it was filled with the preparation work in readiness for the next.

I then returned to work full-time in November 2009. I still don’t know how I managed it all, but I know it would not have been possible without the support of my family, friends and colleagues.

I graduated in September 2011 and became a Solicitor in December 2011.

During the LPC, I studied family law and found the area interesting, I passed with a distinction and as a result of this Dee & Griffin gave me the opportunity to start taking on some family law cases. This led me to growing my own case load and developing new services to offer clients in this area. I now balance my time between both areas of family and conveyancing law with my respective teams.

I moved from the Hucclecote office to run the Quedgeley office in 2012 and became a Partner in April 2014, whilst expecting my second son.

The opportunity arose to open-up a new branch office in Cheltenham in 2016, which I jumped at, living in Cheltenham it was an obvious step. The office is now in its third year and has been growing from strength to strength ever since

What has been your biggest professional challenge?

Studying alongside working full-time, being a Mum whilst building a professional reputation and proving myself to the Partners has got to have been the biggest challenge I have faced professionally.

How did Dee & Griffin support you?

The firm have been great. They have supported me with not only my studies, but with my ideas to help develop and grow the teams and offices together with those services we offer for clients. I was trusted and given free-reign to run the Quedgeley office and to build a team there and now I am doing the same with the Cheltenham office.