Caroline Dean

Caroline is a specialist real estate partner and trainee principal for the firm. She discusses her journey into law, diverse and inclusive recruitment and shares practical advice for aspiring lawyers.

Can you tell us a bit about your journey into law?

My journey into law wasn't straightforward - I didn't really have an idea what I wanted to do when I left school, I just knew I wanted to keep learning. I went on to study geography at Oxford, and it was during a party there one evening that I found myself chatting with a group of law undergrads. They picked up on how much I enjoyed debating ideas and suggested I’d make a good lawyer.

At first, I wasn’t keen on the idea of doing another degree, but they told me about sponsorship opportunities from law firms which could support me through a law conversion course and potentially offer a training contract. From that one conversation, I did my research, applied, got sponsored, and absolutely loved law school - and the rest is history!

I think there’s a common misconception that to pursue a career in law, you need to have had a clear plan from an early age. Really, it doesn’t matter when or how you find your way into it - what matters is that you do, and that you bring your unique perspective with you.

What's your favourite part of the work that you do?

I'm a real estate development lawyer, so we’re transactional lawyers, and one of my favourite parts is getting the deal done. I enjoy the energy of a deal; it can be quite pressurised and challenging, which makes it all the more rewarding when it comes together. When we’re working on a reasonably big deal, we collaborate closely with the wider team - something we do really well here at Mills & Reeve - and I really enjoy that aspect of my work too.

We also get the satisfaction of seeing the tangible results of our work. Over the past decade, I’ve done a lot of work at the Norwich Research Park – we’ve been involved in virtually all of their new buildings. So whenever I’m driving around the area, I can track all the different deals we’ve worked on and see these fantastic buildings come to life. Some of them are home to people tackling major research challenges, like digestive health and cancer treatment, and it’s incredibly rewarding to know those facilities are now available to our community in a way they weren’t before.

The work I do is interesting and challenging, and being able to see the real world impact of it is a real highlight.

What would you say is your greatest achievement at work?

I’m the partner who heads up our emerging talent function. There’s an amazing team who work incredibly hard in this area, and I’ve had the pleasure of being involved in the strategy side for some time now. I think we’ve always been pretty good at working out how to recruit well - and every year, we take a close look at our processes to make sure we’re doing everything we can to be accessible to everyone and to practise truly diverse and inclusive recruitment.

A few years ago, we partnered with a company called Rare, who are experts in contextual recruitment. Their data helps us identify candidates who may not have had the same advantages as others, but who’ve achieved incredible things. It’s a powerful tool that helps us bring those candidates into our discussions and supports our ambition to level the playing field.

Our data shows that our recruitment system is fair, which is great, because that’s something we’ve worked really hard on. But it also shows that we’re attracting people from much broader and more diverse backgrounds than we were, say, ten years ago. I’m really proud of that work, and of the fact that it’s ongoing.

This past year, we’ve also recruited six apprentices across several of our offices, and we hope to do more in future. We’re offering different routes into the profession, which makes us more accessible to people who might not want to - or be able to - go to university. Being able to offer a job from day one and train people on the job is a very different proposition, and it’s something we’re now doing properly, not just occasionally. That feels like real progress.

Can you tell us about your time at Mills & Reeve so far, and what you enjoy about working here?

I’ve recently celebrated my 20-year anniversary here, which I think says something! When I joined, there were 22 of us who transferred over from another law firm. I had some perceptions of Mills & Reeve, I knew we were a great firm, but I hadn’t done a lot of research in the way you might if you were applying for a new role. What I didn’t know, and what I’ve been consistently amazed by, is just how great a place it is to work.

As lawyers, we spend a lot of hours working, and I didn’t want to do that in an atmosphere that felt awkward, difficult, or unsupportive. But from day one, I’ve felt surrounded by brilliant people who genuinely want to support and respect each other. When I read feedback from our client and employee surveys, the theme that comes through time and again is that we’re a caring, respectful firm where people look after one another and collaborate together to do the best job we possibly can for our clients.

I love the dynamics within our teams too - we’re great at giving people at all stages of their careers the chance to take the lead, including when it comes to organising fun things for us all to do! For a number of years, people in our team have run something called Pizza Club, which started informally and grew into a more structured event with a judging committee, monthly visits to independent pizza restaurants around Norwich, scoring systems, and even rules about who could score!

It was really inclusive - people could come along whenever they wanted, no pressure to attend every time. At the end of last year, we wrote up a funny report, crowned our best independent pizza restaurant, and even went back to present them with a toy trophy - which they were genuinely proud of! The head chef came out to receive it, and it was just brilliant.

I don’t think a partner could’ve organised that - it was the power of collaboration that made it happen, and it genuinely contributed to making the year more fun for everyone. It was lovely that, even with busy schedules, we all made time for it.

What are your goals as a trainee principal?

We’re committed to recruiting in a truly diverse and inclusive way. Our aim is to bring in the very best candidates to help drive our business forward - we want people who are curious, motivated and ready to make an impact. I value working with colleagues who bring new ideas and skills – it’s how we keep learning and improving. To do that, we need to attract talent from a wide range of backgrounds; otherwise, we’re limiting our own potential.

We’re working to open up as many routes into the profession as possible. Traditionally, we’ve followed the well-established trainee pathway, which is tried and tested. But with newer routes emerging, like the apprenticeships, we’ve had to think carefully about the additional training and support we offer. We’ve introduced a new programme, Empower, to help with this. It’s a menu-based programme with core modules, plus a range of optional ones designed to reflect different backgrounds and experiences. It allows us to tailor the training to each individual, helping them become the best-qualified lawyer they can be.

My remit officially ends at qualification, but Empower supports our trainees beyond that point. So for me, the key goals are making the process as fair as possible, and ensuring our people feel equipped and confident to thrive in their careers.

Any top tips for aspiring lawyers?

It goes without saying that it’s a really competitive process. If you don’t already know people in the industry who you can speak to for advice and insight, make the most of the online resources available to explore what a legal career looks like and how firms recruit. Firms and organisations run webinars and all sorts of events, and usually have loads of information on their websites and social media that you can dive into.

I’d also emphasise the importance of vacation schemes - not only are they the main route through which most firms recruit their training contract candidates, but they’re also the best way to get a real insight into what the job actually involves. They can feel like mini training contracts: at Mills & Reeve, you’ll sit with real supervisors (often the same ones who supervise our trainees), do real work, and get stuck into meeting people.

In terms of how to stand out, when you’re writing an application or preparing for an interview, take a step back and ask yourself: is anything I’m saying truly bespoke to me? There are lots of brilliant things people write about, but often they’re quite generic and could apply to anyone. I remember one candidate, who we ended up selecting, who talked about their Saturday job at a major UK retail company - they’d noticed the recycling wasn’t being handled properly and took the initiative to speak to their manager about improving green policies. That really stood out. It showed me they’re observant, proactive, and willing to influence change - and that’s exactly the kind of person I want in my organisation. It also told me something unique about them that couldn’t have applied to just anyone.

Something simple from your everyday life could be a brilliant example - it shows authenticity and can really help you stand out.

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