Hi Amy … thanks for joining us. Can you tell us about your career? When did you join Hatch Brenner?
Hello. I joined Hatch Brenner in 2015. I started my career in marketing after completing a Psychology degree at Birmingham University. Since then, I’ve with a variety of businesses but this is the second law firm I’ve worked with.
What do you enjoy about your job?
It is fascinating to work alongside complete experts in their respective fields. The lawyers are dealing directly with individual people helping them to navigate massive milestones in their lives. They provide support to people moving house, getting married, setting up businesses, dealing with conflict or personal injury and helping to manage the death of loved ones.
The whole team approaches these situations compassionately and professionally, and it is very rewarding to receive the positive feedback we get from clients once the work is completed.
Hatch Brenner really is a lovely firm, and everyone there is hard working, down-to-earth and caring.
What does your role include?
I am responsible for the overall promotion of the firm. This includes traditional marketing communications like brochures, banners, online and adverts, as well as encouraging the lawyers to build relationships within the business community and going networking myself.
We also do a lot of work in the community, and I help to manage our ongoing sponsorship and charity projects and events.
What makes a good lawyer?
Patience, a good listener, empathetic, solution-focused and detail-orientated.
What is a typical day like at Hatch Brenner?
Varied! The management meetings usually take place in the morning, when the post is distributed and staff catch up with emails. We have a very busy office at 4 Theatre Street, with clients coming in for meetings, as well as ‘walk-ins’ from the city, when people pop in to ask about our services.
I work part-time, and when I am in the office, I try to get round to see as many of the lawyers as I can face to face to catch up.
What do you love about your job? And what can make it difficult?
Again, I enjoy the variety. A law firm is like lots of smaller businesses under the same umbrella, as each area of law works in different ways.
Our conveyancing and wills teams can have a much shorter turnaround for completing a house move or writing and signing off on a will. In other departments, like dispute resolution, a case can progress for many years before eventually settling at mediation, or going to court.
Each, therefore, needs a different approach for marketing. As a result, each lawyer has a different approach to promoting their work and building new relationships.
What makes Hatch Brenner special?
We are a family firm. It’s a small team and it has a special feel. Having been based in Norwich for such a long time – since 1905 at 4 Theatre Street – we are embedded in the community. We take a lot of pride in supporting other Norwich organisations in their work.
Our staff are all very accessible, open and welcoming – it can feel daunting for people to go to a solicitor for help, but we can genuinely put people at ease and guide them through the process.
What positive feedback do you get from clients?
A lot of our clients have been with the firm for a very long time and have used us for generations. They would never look to use another solicitor, which is a credit to the firm.
We are all very dedicated to delivering a high level of client service, in line with the firm’s core values. This is reflected in our client satisfaction scores – our most recent figures showed 100% of clients would use us again, and 100% would recommend us to a friend.
What advice would you have for anyone thinking of entering the legal profession?
I would say you do have a career for the longer term if you are willing to work hard, and flexibly approach any opportunities.
Things are changing in the profession. Individuals access information and services in new ways – but this will result in a changing landscape for the legal profession, which is very exciting for new trainees.
There are lots of routes in, and a career in our vital support functions of administration, IT, marketing and finance also offers lots of great opportunities for career satisfaction. I would approach firms for work experience, and talk to people already in the profession about entry options, which include university but there are other options too.
What do you like doing with your time off?
Spending time with my family, walks on the beach, camping, sewing and crochet, and running.
Hatch Brenner is very active in the community. Why do you think that is important?
We are all really proud to support community and charity projects in Norwich. As a long-established business, it is right to give something back as best we can, and the lawyers get massive satisfaction from giving their time and expertise to our charity partners where they can.
For me, it is all about building relationships, and we have a great network of friends and supporters in the community. Norwich is a fantastic place to do business, and the support we are able to give each other makes it even better!
Find out more: www.hatchbrenner.co.uk/community
