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❖ How did you feel winning the inaugural award Business Champion of the Year?
I find it very difficult to describe with words how I felt… It was one of the most special and memorable moments in my career (if not the most!). I felt truly honoured. I realised that all the effort and hard work throughout the years has paid off, and I cannot be grateful enough to my fantastic NLS Legal team who nominated me, and especially to Laura for her unconditional trust and support.
❖ In your role as Practice Manager, what does a typical day look like?
Every day is completely different, and that’s one of the things that I like the most about my job – you cannot get bored! My day-to-day role is very varied, and every day has a bit of making sure we are compliant, preparing for meetings/working groups/committees, supporting student volunteers, going through admin processes, meeting with internal/external stakeholders, pulling some data or stats we’ve been asked to provide, replying to enquiries from students, colleagues or members of the public, developing new projects, or organising an event… no day is the same!
❖ What do you enjoy the most about your role?
If I have to choose just one thing, I would say it is the interaction with so many different people from different backgrounds, departments or organisations (from student volunteers, clients, other members of Nottingham Law School or Nottingham Trent University staff, to staff from other universities, law firms, external stakeholders…). I’m a people person and I enjoy learning from others and exchanging experiences, while being able to help at the same time.
❖ What does it take to be a successful Practice Manager?
I think you need to be a very organised and goal-oriented person and be able to multitask and prioritise. It’s also very important that you like the law, and everything around procedures and compliance!
❖ What might you be doing today if you had gone down a difference career path?
Before moving to the UK 10 years ago due to my husband’s job assignment, I was living in Brussels, working as a Parliamentary Assistant to a Spanish Member of the European Parliament. European affairs, international relations and languages are my other passion (now shared with NLS Legal!), so I’m sure I would still be working in Brussels for the European Institutions if we hadn’t moved to Nottingham.
❖ How important are the Practice Manager meetings at Nottinghamshire Law Society?
I really enjoy these meetings and find them very helpful, and I’m grateful to Michelle for this initiative! Being the only Practice Manager within your own organisation makes it sometimes difficult to share best practice and discuss certain aspects of your role with colleagues. I welcome the opportunity to meet regularly and share challenges and ideas with my fellow Practice Managers, and I also enjoy these meetings because they are a truly nice bunch of people!
❖ What else do you enjoy outside of the law and you achieve a work/life balance?
Being a mother of 3 young boys makes it hard to achieve a work/life balance and doesn’t allow me to have a lot of free time outside of work 😉 But I try my best, and NTU is a great place to work in that sense. I enjoy spending time with my family, travelling, and exercising (I’ve always been passionate of golf, a sport that I enjoy playing since I was a child, and I’ve lately joined the runners’ club too!)
