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How does it feel to have won Young Pro?
“It’s a great feeling, something that I’m really proud of. When you look at all the other finalists and everyone who was shortlisted in the subcategories, and you see the great work they are all doing it really is an honour to be singled out for my work and contributions to the area. Not only that, but it also serves as a bit of a driver, not that you do the work to win awards, but it certainly helps put a smile back on your face when you are having a bad day and you can look at your award and think – yeah, I did that.”
How long have you worked for Mander Hadley?
“I’ve been at Mander Hadley for four years specialising in Mental Capacity Law, and Wills and Probate. Prior to that I’d spent three years at Coventry City Council Legal Services in the Adult Social Care department.”
What is the most satisfying part of what you do? / what is your favourite part of your job?
“It’s the ability to genuinely help people through a difficult period using skills and knowledge I have had to work hard at to get. My area of law is very client facing and people focused, and I’m often dealing with clients who are going through some kind of crisis. Being able to advise them, and assist them through these times and seeing the resulting relief this can bring is really rewarding. Whether that be obtaining legal authorities to assist loved ones who have Mental Capacity Issues, or just taking the pressure off the family when a relative has passed away, it’s really satisfying to be in a position to help, but also doubly rewarding to be in that position and have that opportunity because of the work I’ve had to put in to get that skill set.”
What tips would you give for someone wanting to become a Solicitor?
“Learn to love coffee – it’s your friend!
Joking aside, it goes without saying but – work hard. The legal profession is ultra-competitive, so you are only doing yourself a disservice by not going for it 100%. This applies to all aspects, whether it be at degree level, training, applying for jobs and in even more so when practicing. That one extra change to a CV, or that additional networking event, might just be the difference to being given a great career opportunity!
Be open minded. None of the practice areas that I’ve had exposure to were areas that I thought I would want to work in. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t aim for the area you want, or indeed that you should settle for something else, but at least be open to trying your hand at something different as it often turns out to be really enjoyable, and in my case lead to developing a specialism in an area of law that I can really focus my career on.
Be patient and resilient. Not everyone will fall out of law school and into the dream training contract with the big city firm. Whilst this does happen, there are even more stories of people having to start at the very bottom and work their way up, and there’s often a lot of heartache and rejection along the way. Wherever you end up, it’s important to maximise these opportunities and get the most out of them and learn from the experience. If you can stay patient whilst maintaining the drive to achieve your goal of qualification you will ultimately get there, (it took me 8 years after graduating!), and it makes it even more satisfying in the end.”
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Andriy Buniak and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
We’re delighted to announce that this season’s online Fantasy Football League was won by Nathan Lapsley of Wright Hassall. That means the trophy has been won by a Wright Hassall employee for the second year in a row after Steve Halkett took it last year.
Steve was relegated to second place this season with Craig Spafford in third.
Chelley Yates and Patrick Murtagh brought up the rear with a total of 28 teams taking part this season. Better luck next time Chelley and Patrick!
Many thanks to former Young Professionals committee member Phil Ballard for setting up the league.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
Before we get too stuck in to 2017, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the highlights of being a member of Coventry and Warwickshire First Young Professionals in 2016.
A fantastic range of social events
We had lots of fun building relationships through social events in 2016. We began with a curry at former Chair Gus Bhandal’s pub, going to on the annual CII quiz, a trampoling social at JumpIn Warwick and of course our annual Christmas dinner! These social events are a real committee team effort but special thanks should go to Dan Smith and Holly Brain, our Social Officers.
Donating £1,500 to Myton Hospice
Our ‘Charity of the year’ runs to the same timings as the tax year, so in April we were delighted to be able to give Myton Hospice a cheque for £1,500 representing funds raised from a number of fundraising events. These included the wolf run, Halloween quiz and table football. Joint Charity Officer Paige Howitt was instrumental in our fundraising work leading to her winning Charity Fundraiser of the Year at a local awards ceremony.
Our first ever rounders win!
After playing an annual rounders match with the Young Lawyers for a number of years we finally won! Around 50 attendees turned up to have a go at this fun summer event.
A new mentor scheme cohort
Lots of work was put in by our mentor scheme co-ordinator, Kelly Schofield, alongside Keith Boxley from the main CW First group, to ensure that a new cohort could join the mentor scheme. This time round we had eight pairings and had a launch event at Wright Hassall.
We hope that 2017 will be just as action packed. We kick off with the YoungPro awards run by CW First and hope to bring you a quiz, football tournament and CPD seminars along with our usual networking sessions.
On Tuesday 26 July we held the Young Professionals Summer Networking at The Moorings at Myton.
It was great to see some new faces including Raymond Nsemwa from RBS and Jessica Fletcher-Hall and Emma Parry from Alsters Kelly. There was representation from a number of Warwickshire businesses including Wright Hassall, Burrows Scarborough, BRI and the University of Warwick. We were also delighted to welcome committee member Jodi Pearson back from maternity leave. She is now working as a self-employed consultant.
We were fairly lucky with the weather so managed to make the most of sitting out by the canal.
This month’s business card draw for a bottle of Prosecco was won by Rubeena Mehat from Mander Hadley. We also held a raffle for our chosen charity, Molly Olly’s Wishes, for which the prize was a bottle of Prosecco donated by Vin Neuf, and a bottle of red wine donated by HCB Group. This was won by Liz Jennings who is also from Mander Hadley so it was a lucky night for them!
We won’t be holding a Young Professionals event in August because we know a lot of you have holiday plans, but we’ll be back with two events in September to make up for it. Keep an eye on the events page for more details.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
On 30th June we held our annual joint event with the Warwickshire Young Lawyers. As usual this took the form of a game of rounders followed by pizza and networking.
The weather just about held out and, although it was very cold, it didn’t actually start raining until the last whistle had already blown.
I’m delighted to report that we had around 50 people take part this year. The Young Professionals narrowly beat The Young Lawyers in our first ever victory. It was fantastic to see people from so many different businesses and sectors take part, including representatives from the Coventry University Law Faculty, HCB Group and Lodders Solicitors, as well as from our sponsors.
Talking of sponsors we need to thank Robert Walters, St Ives Chambers and Wright Hassall LLP who all sponsored this year’s event. Without them we would have been unable to provide the food, drinks and equipment. I’d also like to thank the Xcel Centre Coventry who allowed us to use their facilities free of charge for the evening.
Rebecca Freeman gives the team a motivational talk
Getting ready to run for it!
Some praise should go to Carl Malcolm from Legal and General, who I believe scored a rounder on every go! My personal highlight was when the 15kg of pizza turned up to feed us!
Attendees munch their way through 15kg of pizza – well it’s hungry work playing rounders!
The next Young Professionals event is Summer Networking at The Moorings at Myton on Tuesday 26 July at 5.30pm. The Moorings is run by two young entrepreneurs and has a large beer garden next to the canal (but also a large indoor area in case the sun we’re keeping our fingers crossed for doesn’t appear!). Please register for your place now so we know to expect you.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
We’re delighted to announce that the Young Professionals charity of the year for the next 12 months is Molly Olly’s Wishes.
Molly Olly’s Wishes aim to support emotionally and financially, where appropriate, the lives of children with terminal or life threatening illnesses throughout The Midlands and the UK, and to advise and assist their families.
The money raised helps support children and their families who need additional help beyond that given by the NHS and its supporting bodies.
Molly Olly’s Wishes was founded in memory of Molly Ollerenshaw who sadly passed away from cancer on 15th June 2011, aged just 8 years old . Molly liked to shorten her own name from Molly Ollerenshaw to Molly Olly hence Molly Olly’s Wishes!
I remember being at the Pride of Warwick District Awards last year when I first heard of Molly Olly’s. One of their representatives was there and showed me a lion cuddly toy that they give to children with cancer (Olly the brave). The lion’s mane is removable to help the children understand that they will lose their hair during treatment. I have such a vivid memory of it and have thought about it a lot since.
The Young Professionals committee vote was unanimous in choosing the charity for this year, and we really hope to beat the total of over £1,400 that we raised for Myton Hospice last year. The monthly raffle will be back, so make sure you see one of the committee at our events for your tickets! We’ll also be doing some separate charity events, so watch this space.
To find out more information about the charity and the fantastic work they do, visit their website.
If you’d like to make a donations you can do so using our new Just Giving page.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
Last night (22 March) around 30 of Coventry and Warwickshire’s young professionals got together for a curry night at The Stag and Pheasant in Coventry.
As many of you will know, former Young Professionals Chair Gus Bhandal now runs the pub and restaurant, so it was great to see that things are still going well for him.
The Stag and Pheasant has a locally-renowned Indian restaurant inside. The food was absolutely wonderful and, in my humble opinion, the best chicken tikka pathia I’ve had anywhere in Coventry! The winner of the evening once again though was their famous chili cheese nan. Gus confirmed that the chef at The Stag and Pheasant actually came up with the concept and the happy sound of eating could be heard all round.
It was good to see so many people from Wright Hassall attend the event. We also had representation from companies such as Lodders, The RSC, Aston Martin, JLR, Handelsbanken, HCB Group, Legal & General, Shakespeares, Cranfield and Alsters Kelly.
We were delighted to see Grace Morton from Morton’s Vintage Hire as well. She first came to one of our events for the Myton Hospice Quiz last Summer, and it was good to hear that things are going well for the business. We hope she’ll come back again soon.
The conversation was mostly about the First Pro and the return of the Young Professionals vs Young Lawyers rounders match this Summer. This year’s First Pro Awards are taking place on April 21st so if you’ve not yet booked your seat I’d advise doing so as soon as possible. It’s always a lovely event.
As for the rounders the date will be announced soon!
The next Young Professionals event will be held on Thursday 7 April at Leif in Leamington Spa. This will be one of our Thirsty Thursday networking events. If you’d like to come along please register so we know to expect you. All the Thirsty Thursday events are free to attend (just purchase your own drinks at the bar) and open to any young professional in the Coventry and Warwickshire area.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
Before throwing myself into 2016 I paused to take a look back at some of the highlights of being a member of Coventry and Warwickshire First Young Professionals in 2015.
The re-launch of the mentoring scheme
March 2015 saw the re-launch of the C&W First mentoring scheme. The scheme was first launched by Michelle Vincent when she was Chair of the Young Professionals a few years ago. The new re-invigorated scheme saw 10 mentors paired up with 10 mentees. Mentee Sophie Breeze of Dafferns said “I’ve enjoyed meeting my mentor; the informal setting made it easy to chat and get to know each other. I’ve also met her at more formal networking events and having already developed the relationship has really helped on these occasions.
Martyn Howard, Carl Malcolm and Andrew Smith at the mentoring scheme launch dinner
Charity of the year
For the first time in 2015 Young Professionals adopted a charity of the year, Myton Hospice. Undertaking the fundraising activities together as a committee has helped us build relationships within the committee team, and we’ve had lots of fun whilst helping a great cause. Events have included the Wolf Run, Moonlight Walk, and a monthly raffle. Our final total raised in 2015 will be revealed shortly!
A very muddy group of young professionals post-run
Our Myton Hospice Moonlight Walk team
Carl Malcolm winning Young Professional of the Year
We were all thrilled to see Carl win this award after all his hard work during his year as Chair of the Young Professionals group. One of the highlights of his Chairmanship was the reinvigoration of the mentoring programme, and he’s also raised money for various charities. Carl said “This is absolutely fantastic, it’s a huge privilege and I’m really grateful”.
Carl Malcolm wins Young Professional of the Year 2015
Social events and meeting new faces
We’ve had some great social events year including a table football tournament, a quiz and a rounder’s battle against the Young Lawyers. There are always new faces at the events and I’m pleased to say that after attending Young Professionals events for the past four years some of the people I’ve met have become real friends as well as mentors and colleagues.
The SFB team battle it out at table football
Anyone for rounders?
Some of my other Young Professionals highlights this year included seeing our former committee member and Chair Gus Bhandal open his own pub, committee member Jodi Pearson had the first YP committee baby, committee member Kelly Schofield secured a training contract, and Sal Khan and Sophie Breeze passed all their exams to become fully qualified accountants. On top of that we continued to see numerous young professional weddings and engagements. In fact there are so many new achievements each time I see the Young Professionals I can’t list them all!
Here’s to another successful year in 2016 (and I’m secretly hoping this is the year we beat the Young Lawyers at rounder’s!)
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Elliot-Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.
Job: Associate at Lodders Solicitors
Age: 30
From: Stratford upon Avon
Rebecca took over as Chair of the Young Professionals following this year’s First Pro Awards in April. Here we get to know her a little better in our latest ‘Spotlight On’ interview.
Q: Which area of law do you work in and have you tried any others?
I’ve specialised in Commercial Property since I qualified in March 2012. I experienced other ‘seats’ though as part of my 2 year training contract which included Private Client, Litigation and Agriculture. I had a strong leaning towards property and spent a lot of my training in property-related seats but the rotation system trainee Solicitors have to go through is really valuable as a foundation as the areas feed in to one another a lot more than you may realise.
Q: How long did it take you to get a training contract after your LPC, and what advice would you give to anyone currently looking?
I got my training contract whilst on my LPC and was fortunate to have had an offer at another firm also. You just have to persevere and be patient, you will get a lot of knock backs, whether because firms aren’t recruiting or have cut back. You have to try and stay positive and not let your confidence be knocked. There is a lot of competition now, especially with the reduced number of training contracts available, so think about what you can do to stand out from the crowd – get experience as a paralegal, go to networking events when you have the opportunity and if it is what you really want to do then stick at it!
Q: What does your job involve day to day?
I do a fairly broad range of Commercial Property including landlord and tenant, acting for residential developers, landowners, investors. It includes dealing with a variety of clients, drafting and negotiating documents, site visits, researching, and liaising with a wide variety of people include other solicitors, agents, lenders. It’s a busy time so is keeping me out of trouble!
Q: What inspired you to get involved with Young Professionals?
I heard of the group fairly soon after starting at Lodders and went along to an event to see what it was about. Everyone was so friendly and encouraging so I kept going back! It’s been a great way to build confidence in networking and to meet a variety of people. Aside of trying to build contacts I have made some great friends too!
Q: Who do you look up to and why?
I’m going to stay with the Young Professionals theme and say the previous Chairs – I’ve been with the group during the reigns of Brian Coleman, Michelle Vincent, Gus Bhandal and Carl Malcolm and I have great respect and admiration for all they have achieved both for the group and personally. I was already ambitious in my career but they inspired me to be involved with the Young Professionals, and also join the Committee, and as I’ve said the group helps you develop in a different way, to think outside the box and get away from your desk! I only hope I can do the Chair role justice and achieve some of what they have for the group.
Q: Tell us something interesting or unusual about yourself.
I was very lucky to get married on the Swan Theatre stage at the RSC!
Q: Finally, what are your hobbies?
I love spending time in Stratford by the river and going to the theatre, travelling, whether to unwind on a beach or for a bit of city sightseeing, and also playing golf which I took up with some other Young Professionals and am now addicted.
So that’s what you need to know about Rebecca. If you’re a paralegal looking for a training contract then have a chat with Rebecca at one of our next events for some more tips and advice.
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are those of Chrissie Duxson (or guest contributors) and do not necessarily reflect those of Coventry and Warwickshire First. All content on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of the blog is not responsible for content found by following any link on this site.