I am an equity partner at Sweeney Miller Law heading up the Corporate and Commercial team. As well as day to day case work involving a wide range of commercial transactions across the UK, I also look after my growing team.
My routine work includes dealing with commercial refinancing projects, commercial developments from land purchase, through to plot sales as well as company share sales, share swaps, and management buyouts. We also regularly deal with smaller businesses being incorporated into bigger ones, including national brands and complex commercial leases. Many of our clients are from out of the area, often picked up following referrals and recommendations from other professionals such as surveyors, brokers, accountants, and other lawyers.
In my role, I closely supervise members of my team training them so that they can go on to manage their own clients and transactions. They receive close support at Sweeney Miller Law, giving them the opportunity to rapidly develop into specialised areas.
I have always had an interest in the Law as my father was a solicitor for many years. Several periods of work experience at law firms gave me a real insight into the profession. Despite this, at school I enjoyed more science based topics and anything that included problem solving. I went to Newcastle University to complete a Geography degree, following which I had a year out to explore my options. This galvanised me into pursuing a legal career that led me to complete the Graduate Diploma in Law conversion and then the Legal Practice Course at Northumbria University.
I started as a paralegal at Sweeney Miller Law. I saw it as my first ‘rung on the ladder’. I knew straight away at the first interview with the firm’s founder, Paul Miller and Managing Partner Surbhi Vedhara, that I wanted to work there – it was very welcoming and relaxed. I worked closely with Surbhi whose supervision and support enabled me to learn so much very quickly. In turn, I developed an excellent working relationship with clients, many of whom are still with us today. After just a few months as a paralegal, I was offered a training contract, following which I qualified as a solicitor in the Corporate and Commercial team. I continued to build the department, growing the number of both clients and staff. In 2018, I became a salaried partner. The most recent stage of my progression was becoming an equity partner last year when Paul took a step back.
Unlocking my inner entrepreneur, I have always had an interest in the business side of the firm, and as a partner was delighted to get more involved in its running and future direction. Knowing that the firm had the solid building blocks for continued future growth, I shared the partners’ ambition and vision. I always wanted to be in a place where I would see the results of mine and my colleagues’ hard work with a shared purpose to build the business and have control over that.
I enjoy commercial work as it is multidimensional and gives our firm the opportunity to offer a full service to our wide range of clients across the UK. I find it very rewarding to build relationships with clients and seeing the positive results that we deliver, in turn becoming their long term strategic partners. We have always aimed to offer a specialist commercial legal service to the small to mid-range commercial sector. Many SME clients have limited options when they need commercial legal services – they can either go to large national firms with much higher charges or they use their local high street firm that may not necessarily have the expertise needed for certain work. We fill a vital gap, providing affordable, quality legal services to growing businesses across a range of sizes and industries.
Busy with their “day job”, our commercial clients appreciate our partner-led approach, reassured that we are progressing their often complex and time critical transactions. We are often commended for explaining and demystifying complicated processes and for our pragmatism – skills developed through years of working with businesses.
This partner led approach has its challenges as we always like to be available, which often leads to working over the weekends and being contactable out of hours – difficult with a three year old, a house renovation and keeping active all to fit in! However, my view is that you can only develop if you’re constantly stretched.
In response to this increased demand and to ensure that excellent client service remains at the heart of everything that we do, we are continually growing the team and investing in the future, giving colleagues the opportunity to grow in and with the firm. As part of this process, we are heavily involved with a range of recruitment initiatives such as structured development schemes for paralegals, solicitor apprenticeships and building relationships with universities.
Looking to the future, I have a what I would call ‘grounded ambition’ and as an equity partner, my personal goals have in many ways fused into those of the firm. I hope to keep the firm driving forward and be the best that it can be both for the team and our clients – always looking ahead for new challenges and opportunities.
Jess Fenwick is head of Sweeney Miller Law’s Commercial Department. For more details call 0345 900 5401, email enquiries@sweeneymiller.co.uk or visit www.sweeneymiller.co.uk