On 1 April 2025, Ayça Öztürk and Charlotte Wailes joined Jones Chase on a 6 month secondment from esteemed city practice, Bolt Burdon Kemp, as part of their training contracts.
Switching from dealing with high value personal injury cases to the fast moving world of employment law, they also had the opportunity to attend the pro-equality Modern Woman Show in their first week with us, of which Jones Chase is a proud sponsor.
Here, Charlotte and Ayça describe their experience in their own words.
Attending the Modern Woman Show 2025
“On 3 April 2025, we had the opportunity to attend the Modern Woman Show. Founded by Rosie Coxshaw in 2018, it focuses on empowering women and tackling real-life issues we all face.
This year, Jones Chase was once again one of the sponsors for the Modern Woman Show. In addition to the sponsorship, the firm also hosted a legal clinic, further demonstrating their commitment to supporting and empowering women in meaningful way.
The day began by Rosie perfectly, introducing the event by addressing the power of women’s collective voices in the workplace and globally.
The first speaker was Avril Palmer-Lavery who shared her remarkable journey to the top of the automotive industry and the challenges she faced over the years in a highly male dominated industry. Avril highlighted the importance of believing in yourself and having the confidence to succeed. A powerful point Avril made was the importance of helping the next generation to climb up the ladder. We resonated with this mindset deeply, highlighting the supportive environment we can create to thrive.
Following this, we attended the first panel discussion, titled with the eternal question “Can you really have it all?”, featuring one of Jones Chase’s Partners, Susanna Rynehart. The discussion candidly reflected on the expectations we impose on ourselves as women, the external pressures we face and how these can shift as we experience different stages of our personal lives and professional careers. As trainee solicitors, we are early on in our careers and found the insights invaluable for our own journeys.
We then took part in Patricia Seabright’s workshop: ‘A Woman’s Voice’. The workshop centred on how women’s voices are often silenced or overlooked. Patricia started by quoting Thomas Sankara, “I can hear the roar of women’s silence”. Patricia led an informative discussion on the effect of visibility on career progression which is linked to making sure that our voices heard and listened to. Patricia provided some practical tips we can use to articulate ourselves with confidence.
Following a lovely lunch break, we joined our second panel discussion of ‘Overcoming Adversity’ with Allison English, Helena Hudson and Chris Tuck. Each speaker shared their story and the challenges they’ve had to overcome. Their honesty and openness made for a raw and moving session that was both fresh and inspiring. We discussed the disparity in access to funding between women and male owned businesses. The discussion was a reminder of the importance of supporting one another, especially in the face of adversity.
The last speaker was the inspirational Dame Kelly Holmes, who spoke about adopting a winning mindset from her athletics career into her business and philanthropy endeavours, the challenges she has faced, and the lessons we could take away.
Throughout the day, the inspiring speakers shared their personal career journeys and explored the qualities and abilities that they believed helped them get to their positions. We took away the importance of believing in yourself and learning your “brand” in whatever industry you are in.
We thoroughly enjoyed attending and being part of the Modern Woman Show. It was truly an event to remember from our first week as trainees on secondment at Jones Chase.”
Ayça Öztürk and Charlotte Wailes
