Karen Williams was group legal director at the facilities management giant Mitie before leaving in October 2024 to set up as an independent contractor. She shares and reflects on her career path with the Brief, and explains the importance of creating psychological safety within teams and building broad networks of colleagues when moving to an in-house role
Jeanette Burgess is the new managing partner at Walker Morris, and the first woman to hold the position in the Leeds firm’s long history. She tells The Brief about her regulatory practice, her priorities for the firm, and her passion for encouraging social mobility
Alice Kinder is the youngest ever president of Birmingham Law Society, became a fee-share consultant at four years PQE and is a passionate advocate for social mobility in the legal sector and beyond. She shares her story with The Brief.
Andrew Secker is head of Mills & Reeve’s London office, and also leads the firm’s employment team in the capital. He tells The Brief about his longstanding passion for employment law, the growth of the London office, and his opinions on the new Government’s employment law reform plans.
George Bisnought founded the fee-share firm Excello Law in 2009. He tells The Brief about why the consultancy model has proved so attractive in the intervening years, and how the firm is positioning itself for the future
The founder of Cheshire and Manchester-based Maguire Family Law tells the Brief about a career that has taken in some of the region’s top firms, the importance of personal relationships in his field of practice, and how the withdrawal of Legal Aid might, perversely, be putting additional pressure on the courts.
Britton and Time Solicitors is a fast-growing practice with offices in Brighton and Mayfair. Its founder tells The Brief about his route into the profession, buying a law firm shortly after qualifying and a recent case that has clarified the law on undue influence and coercion.
The managing partner of Scottish firm Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP (WJM) tells The Brief about the ongoing opportunities advising renewable energy developers, the importance of business skills for lawyers facing an AI-enabled future, and the recent investment made in his firm by Irwin Mitchell.
Lisa Shacklock, client services director at Knights, tells The Brief about the latest additions to the business in the North of England, and its continuing strategy for growth.
Kate Granville Smith’s career in pensions law spans a period of rapid and sometimes dramatic change for her specialist field. She tells The Brief about a high-stakes practice area with a collaborative ethos.
Emma Reid is group head of legal at Fraser Group. She tells The Brief about the excitement and challenges of working in-house at one of the UK’s biggest retail businesses.
Emma Lilley is head of legal, UK and Ireland, at the Payroll, HR and workforce management solutions provider SD Worx, and one of a growing band of “lawfluencers”, with a loyal following in Instagram. She talks to the Brief about her career to-date and why she always found in-house more appealing than private practice.
