Leaders in their legal fields

What exactly does it mean to be a woman in the legal industry? 

It’s no surprise to hear that women are still significantly unrepresented in senior positions within legal firms across the country. Despite more than half of the solicitors in England and Wales being women, female representation in leading legal roles fails to mirror this. For example, The Law Society found that only 30% of women are partners in private practice, which is an incredibly worrying statistic to consider.

As the presence of women in law continues to rapidly increase, more needs to be done by law firms – and businesses in general – to level the playing field and make sure that there is equal opportunity for senior female roles in an industry traditionally dominated by men. It is incredibly monumental for firms to decide what the future holds for women in the legal world.

And Britton and Time Solicitors are doing just that.

So – what does it mean to be a woman at Britton and Time Solicitors? Our Managing Director, Paul Britton, prides himself on ensuring all members of our staff are treated equally and offered the same opportunities. With a workforce of 22 (and rising), women are represented across a variety of different roles at the firm, including heads of departments, paralegals and client care specialists. 

The business will soon be also welcoming another two women to the Britton and Time family, one joining as our new Head of Operations and the other as a paralegal. As you can see, women are represented across all areas of the business, with the freedom and support to progress and develop in their roles. 

Elisabeth Squires, Sophie Campbell-Adams and Theresa Wright are all qualified solicitors and were each given the opportunity to specialise in one particular area to excel and grow their department from scratch. They are all leading women in the legal industry, each spearheading their respective departments and developing our business in a number of ways.

Elisabeth is Britton and Time’s Head of Private Client and has shown the utmost dedication to her field time and time again; having just completed the first stage of The STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates, she has recently launched Community Wills Sussex – a new community wills programme that collaborates with and promotes local charities in the area. 

Sophie, our Head of Property Litigation, is one of the very few female property litigators in South East England.  She has recently taken over as host for Property Professionals Lunch, the leading networking event for property professionals in Brighton and the wider area of Sussex, and continues to lead as an example for other aspiring businesswomen.

Our Head of Family Law, Theresa Wright, is a leading expert in family matters, specialising in divorce, financial settlements and child arrangements. She is a member of Resolution – a family law membership committee – and strives to resolve marital disputes compassionately through her extensive knowledge of the law. 

These women being leaders of their respective departments demonstrates how Britton and Time support female roles in the legal industry, instilling success by providing equal opportunities to all. The firm has given them the platform, support and resources to prosper and achieve amazing things as leaders in law.

Sara Churnside is the firm’s first private client paralegal and is destined for great things. Having successfully completed the Legal Practice Course, and with the support of Britton and Time and the team as a whole, she is on track to become the firm’s first female trainee solicitor – a journey we’re excited to assist with.

Lastly, no business can thrive without a dedicated client care team. Roslynne Tighy and Hanna Batkin ensure that our clients have an exceptional experience with our firm, showing outstanding care from their point of first contact and up until the end of their matter. Both Roslynne and Hanna have worked closely with leading women in the legal team to further develop their careers and give them a better understanding of opportunities for women in our industry.

Whilst other businesses may try to improve the careers of women by treating them differently or better than their male counterparts, Britton and Time find that this just isn’t the correct solution. Instead, women succeed here by simply being treated equally to others – a testament all other firms should follow.

Our firm’s dedication to promoting culture, diversity and inclusion ensures that the entire workforce has access to the same opportunities and prospects for development; we provide all employees with the support and confidence to progress in their careers and develop their respective skills. To have the pleasure of seeing so many successful women in leading positions at our firm is an absolute privilege, and we look forward to sharing these values with new employees as our workforce continues to expand.

https://brittontime.com/

If you would like to know more about the firm or have a legal matter that you need assistance with please contact us at 020 3007 5500 or info@brittontime.com