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Rachel Eldridge
Rachel's interview
You can find out more about Rachel by watching her interview, or by reading the transcript below, in which she discusses her career journey so far; including having ran her own pub and restaurant business before joining Devonshires.
Take us through your career journey so far.
My career journey started back in 1997 when I completed my first degree in criminology, and then I carried on and completed my master's in criminology. Then I worked in different departments throughout my career, including having my own pub and restaurant business for the next eight years. So with a colleague of mine that I used to work with, we decided to run our own pub and restaurant business. It had previously been closed, so we renovated the place. It was a nice little country pub, and that helped me get more experience talking to people from all walks of life and knowing the difficulties that can happen when you have your own business.
Then I felt that I was ready to change and go back into law, I wanted to get some life experience first. So in 2008, I decided to do the conversion course in law and then complete the LPC after. Then I was able to obtain a Paralegal job in a high street law firm in Felixstowe in Suffolk, they offered me a training contract and then in January 2016, I qualified as a Solicitor and joined Devonshires in April 2016 as a newly qualified Solicitor in the Securitisation department.
Please could you outline your area of expertise and what attracted you to it?
I've always been interested in property law. That was my best subject when I was doing the conversion course was land law. When I was given the opportunity to become a Paralegal in the high street law firm where I first started, that was the area that I went into. I did do a bit of family law on the side, but I didn’t enjoy family law. Property was what I enjoyed. So when I was given the opportunity to move to Devonshires, first of all, I didn't know what securitisation was because it's a very niche area, but I knew it was property based and I just really enjoyed working in this area. I think it's important for you to find a niche area that you enjoy, because realistically, you're going to spend the rest of your career doing that area.
What would you say to yourself as an NQ now that you’ve made Partner?
I think it's very important, if you'd like to become Partner, to get your name out there. Progress with your clients, set up a good relationship and a good rapport with your clients. Know that you'll go above and beyond when required to help your clients out. It's also important to set up a good team within your department, I'm based in the Colchester office and we've got a very good team in the Securitisation department who work with each other and help each other. I think that's very important to have going forward.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
In my spare time, l enjoy gardening. I re landscaped my garden over the COVID time period when we were all in lockdown. I enjoy decorating, I also enjoy cooking, and going out with family and friends. I enjoyed travelling around the world, when I had the opportunity to do that.
What do you wish everyone knew about Devonshires that they don’t currently know?
I've found, having worked at Devonshires for eight years now, they’re a very approachable and friendly firm. If you got any questions at all, if you just ask, they're willing to help you and assist you. Also, if you want to grow to become a Partner, they are very helpful for you to be able to do that or if you want to obtain a training contract, there's always the help and guidance there for you to be able to do that.
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