Can you tell us about your career so far?
Before working at Mills & Reeve, I worked for the Bishop of Birmingham at Bishop’s Croft in Harborne. After I graduated university, I took on a full-time role as an executive assistant to the Bishop. I was front of house greeting people who visited, and organised meetings for him. When he retired, I felt like it was my time to move on and try something new. I studied law at the University of Leeds and thought I would try my hand in the legal sector, so I applied and secured a role here at Mills & Reeve.
How does working at Mills & Reeve compare to your previous role?
I think the main difference I noticed when I first started working at Mills & Reeve was going from working in a team of 8 people to a firm with 7 offices and over 1000 people. I felt like it was a big step up, however, I’ve been surprised at the similarities in the culture of the work environment. Being in a smaller team meant it was easier to get to know the individuals you’re working with, however, the social activities I’ve got involved in since I’ve joined Mills & Reeve have allowed me to meet and interact with lots of people across the firm. Everyone seems to have the same sort of team spirit and friendliness that I encountered in my previous role.
What do you enjoy about working at Mills & Reeve?
The culture and community feel when working in a team. During my time so far in the insurance team, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone and working alongside my colleagues. As I said before, going from a small working environment to a larger organisation, you can very easily lose the community perspective and I feel at Mills & Reeve, that hasn’t been lost.
Can you describe a typical day as an AA?
There isn’t a typical day as an AA, it’s such a varied role. You may be tasked with something simple such as printing something off for a fee earner and sending it in the post, or it can be more complex, like preparing a bundle that needs to go to court and sharing with other lawyers who may be working on that case. Every day is different, and I really enjoyed the variety.
What are your aspirations career wise?
I’m not entirely sure, however, one thing I’m interested in is the business side of the corporate world. A friend and I have just set up a business together and I’ve really enjoyed the research that was involved in setting it up. It’s allowed me to explore marketing and branding, and also apply my knowledge from my law degree. I hope that my recent switch within the insurance team to a marketing capacity will enable me to build on the business experience I've already developed, learning from more experienced colleagues around me.
What’s it like working in the marketing team, and how did you find the move?  
It’s been an easier change than initially moving to Mills & Reeve as a new employer. Despite moving teams into marketing, I'm still assisting my old insurance colleagues, just in a different capacity. I enjoy being involved in the broader discussions about the vision of the insurance sector, its plans for future success, and how we can achieve these. Where previously as an AA I spent much of my time preparing documents for lawyers, booking travel etc, I now enjoy having the chance to be more client facing through being involved in webinars, conferences and the like.