Josephine is a senior specialist employment lawyer with over 15 years of practical experience working primarily with senior executives and individuals. She has returned to Jones Chase after her second period of maternity leave. Here is how she has found her return and what she is looking forward to.
How have you found the transition back to work at Jones Chase from maternity leave?
Surprisingly smooth. It has been a nurturing break and it is a further breath of fresh air to return to work to a place and a team who have really embraced my return and gone the extra mile to make me feel truly welcome. The team is busy and so it has been great to sink my teeth into some interesting and dynamic employment work from day one. Its always tricky as a mother to let go of your babies, but it is important for me to do what gives me autonomy and freedom, to feel that I am contributing and making a difference to people’s lives, and to feel valued. That way I can Mother my children from a place of abundance.
What aspects of your role have you missed the most?
Am I allowed to say the money? The quick paced nature of resolving employment disputes in real time and the interesting insights into people’s work and how the current economic landscape is affecting how businesses need to operate and how people’s work lives respond to that. I’ve also missed being a part of a team.
What challenges if any have you come across so far?
Whenever you have a period away from doing what you do, especially where the landscape is always evolving (as it is in law), I think there are nerves about being on top of changes, case law and so forth. But you just have to remember to take your time, trust your instincts and accumulated knowledge and know that you can always find the answer that you need, or more importantly, the person who knows how to get it. After all, its not my first rodeo!
What are you looking forward to?
Time away from my children! I am looking forward to getting down to London and integrating more within the team. I am looking forward to being part of something bigger, that is beyond my family, in terms of the work that I do for clients, but also in terms of the fantastic community of lawyers that I have built around me over the past 15 years. I look forward to taking on a case that really resonates with me and has a gritty legal challenge at its core. I’ve already taken on a matter that fuses employment and commercial law and I look forward to the opportunity it may provide to work with other top professionals, to broaden my network, knowledge and enhance my skillset.
There is potentially huge change on the horizon at the end of this year with the pending law reforms following Brexit and I look forward to participating in the debate around what we absolutely need to retain in the way of minimum employment rights, what we could forego and what we can possibly improve on domestically.