Virginia Clegg, Senior Partner
“At DAC Beachcroft we are very clear about the behaviours that support a diverse and inclusive environment. Our cultural principles: Supportive; Determined; Creative; and Clear, represent our shared commitment to each other, our clients and our communities. They describe the way in which we work together to deliver our strategy of helping our clients and our colleagues succeed, creating sustainable value.
It’s our aim to foster an environment for all colleagues that is supportive – with approachable, open-minded and inclusive people who take time to listen and understand, and who value and respect others’ abilities, contributions and views. Supporting the ways in which people choose to integrate their working and home lives is an important consideration in our People Strategy.”
James Tallant, Partner
“I joined the firm as a filing clerk in August 2004 when I was 17 – I worked in the Leeds Injury Risk Group. In the 15 years since I joined, my role and responsibilities have changed substantially. Having started out in admin, I was really keen to develop into a fee-earning role. So I attended night school for eight years – fully supported by senior colleagues. In March 2007, I was promoted from a filing clerk to a paralegal and from there, I enjoyed various roles from claims handler and supervisor to team manager.
After qualifying as a chartered legal executive in 2011 and as a solicitor in 2015, I was appointed an associate in 2016 and was made partner a year later. I’m now Head of Product for Casualty Claims Handling, with responsibility for 24 paralegals.”
Sukhvinder Kaur, Litigation Executive
“One of the things I love about life here is that everyone is encouraged to be innovative. We even have a dedicated Innovations Lab. An idea I put forward to the Lab about introducing an SMS service for our clients has now been launched. The idea came to me when I noticed that one of our clients had contacted an insurer by text. I asked for another text to be sent requesting contact with DACB.
As I had been given authority to run the matter for my client it really got me thinking, why aren’t we able to provide the same SMS service? So I fired an email across to our internal Innovations Lab, no more than a sentence or two. I was pleasantly surprised to see it was accepted by the Innovation Agents and the Executive Steering Committee. It’s great to see the idea come to a reality.”
Zahra Khan, Solicitor
“I qualified with DAC Beachcroft LLP in September 2019 having completed my training contract in the Manchester office. During my training, I gained practical experience in a number of different areas of law including Corporate and Commercial, Real Estate and Employment. The opportunity to move around the business helped me to gain a greater understanding of the firm as a whole. In my new role, I continue to be supported to take on a varied and challenging workload and I also have the opportunity to work with a wide range of high profile clients. I particularly like the culture of the firm; people are approachable at all levels and there are many different initiatives to get involved in outside of my day-to-day role which I find incredibly rewarding.”
Gill Weatherill, Partner
“I did a politics degree at university and this sparked an interest in the state, the individual and how the law was the glue that was an important part of how our society functions. The interest in politics and the state continued when I was attracted to regulatory work – helping providers deliver safe, effective, accountable health and social care services. Joining DACB’s regulatory team was a great move for me. Although it can be perceived as academic, the really important skills in law are listening, judgment, persuasion and working in teams – be that internally or with clients and other stakeholders. DACB attracts fantastic people and interesting clients and it is working with them that makes my career – and life – interesting. All businesses talk about the opportunities they offer people – and we certainly do. What I have been more impressed with though is that when I and many others have had ideas and plans we have been given enough rope – with enough support – to get on with them.”
Helen Staines, Partner
“I’d been doing Legal Indemnity work on a small scale for our existing clients on an ad hoc basis, seeking expertise from our Real Estate team as and when.There was one person who was particularly helpful, Tessa, so when she was looking for a new opportunity, I thought she could retrain as an insurance lawyer.After Tessa had moved over to our Insurance team, we both realised that there was a gap in the market for Title Indemnity work that required insurance-style handling, but with Real Estate knowledge and capability. So we drew on our different skills to create a new Title Indemnity claims product. We marketed this unique service to our clients and as a result, we’ve won Title Indemnity work from a number of insurers, creating a new revenue stream for the firm.”
Dan Preddy, Partner
“When our Commercial Dispute Resolution team received a claim relating to the conduct of an insolvency practitioner, it was anything but straightforward. The claim had multiple strands relating to criminal, investment, regulatory and civil law.Over four years, the various threads involved significant work to set out a clear position that would allow the client to make commercial decisions relating to the claim. The case was very challenging technically, with a highly strategic focus for the client and multiple overlapping legal arguments.The claim was eventually settled; an excellent outcome for the client who said: ‘That claim was the most difficult matter I have ever come across, with a very convoluted and complicated background. The handling of the matter wouldn’t have been possible without DACB’s work and attention to detail.”
Caroline Dean, Associate
“I returned to legal practice after a five-year break.I had advice from recruiters that this would be difficult, if not impossible so I was thrilled to join DAC Beachcroft through a returners programme. I have received so much support from my team and from the firm as a whole. I have been put in touch with other returners and mentors. Here I am valued on my competencies and abilities, rather than my time away being a barrier to progression. The fact that the firm chose to work with Women Returners on a UK returner programme supporting people to come back into law through supported hires is testament to how committed and supportive the culture truly is.”
Olu Dansu, Partner
“I joined DACB as a Trainee in 2005 and one of the great things I have observed during my time is the Firm’s open culture. People are generally approachable and, irrespective of their role, you will always find someone who is willing to give you the time if you need to ask a question. I lead our BAME network group called ‘ACCESS’. Diversity & inclusion is important to the Firm (and to me personally) and that we encourage a diverse culture. Since launching ACCESS I’m most proud that we are giving junior colleagues the confidence to come up with ideas on how to promote diversity internally, and in the knowledge that they have the support of the Firm. It was great to learn that in our most recent engagement survey 83% of colleagues believe the Firm actively encourages equality, diversity and inclusion. The aim is for ACCESS to continue to play a key role in delivering on this essential part of the Firm’s objective.”
Emma-Jane Orchard, Senior MI Analyst
“I work from home twice a week and it works for me in a number of ways.The time I save by not having to travel those days mean I can see my children off to school, making sure they’re packed and ready, and helping them with any last minute preparations they need for their day. To me this is invaluable and one of the best advantages of working from home.Then, when everyone’s left the house and I log on, I have the ideal working environment. Peace and quiet, with no interruptions or distractions. I’m fully connected to the network with tools like Skype messenger that allow me to stay connected to the team. I have access to the helpdesk too – but I rarely have any issues. It’s brilliant to have this level of flexibility.”
Olivia Jones, Solicitor Apprentice
"I didn’t know if I wanted to go to university, but I still wanted to carry on my education and get more qualifications. An apprenticeship seemed the best option as it combined working and learning at the same time. The people I work with are really nice and everyone is really helpful. I feel like I learn so much at work, as well as during my university hours. It is a really good balance. DAC Beachcroft allows me to have one day off a week to do my studying, which is great and it is really easy to keep on top of everything. Also, as I work with lots of people who already have degrees, they are able to advise me if I ever have any questions about anything I have learnt. The culture at DACB is very warm and welcoming. My team were very helpful and patient with me when I first started. Even though I am confident in the type of work I do now, my team are still really supportive and are happy to answer any questions I may have."