Making
the Move
Ashley & Emily
“Fletchers have one of the country’s largest
and most specialist Serious Injury teams.
The team deal with life changing injuries
and have over 20 years of experience.
Ashley Nolan and Emily Meadow started at
Fletchers in other departments than Serious
Injury, however by gaining the relevant
experience and knowledge; they joined the
Serious Injury team. We caught up with
them to find out how they made the move
and what it’s like to be part of the team.”
“What is your role?”
Emily: I work in the Court of Protection team; we work with
clients who have suffered a brain injury following an accident,
so we work closely alongside the Serious Injury Team. When
the Personal Injury claim has been settled, we’ll manage the
client’s finances and assist the client and the client’s family
with anything they need.This can be anything from organising
and paying for care and rehabilitation to massive changes to
their housing situation. We also assist with fatal cases too,
for example obtaining a grant of probate. I thoroughly enjoy
the work that surrounds Court of Protection; it is a very
satisfying job.
Ashley: I joined SIU from the fast track post-issue team in
2012 after successfully applying for a position as an Assistant
Fee Earner. There had not been many internal promotions to
SIU, so I was a little unsure about what to expect, however
I had always wanted to join the team and was delighted to
be given the opportunity. Originally my role was to assist
Julia (Julia Eyton – one of the firms most experienced Senior
Serious Injury Lawyers), however, within a relatively short
period of time I gained the necessary experience to begin
handling my own serious injury cases. I now handle my own
reduced caseload and work alongside Julia.
“Where were you before
you moved to
serious injury?”
“It must be rewarding the cases you get to work on.”
A: Yeah, it is incredibly rewarding, it really is.
E: Definitely, very rewarding.
A: We were both in Team B, (pre-issue), in
the RTA team.
E: I joined Fletchers in the support team
in June 2010, and I stayed there for a little
while, then I applied for a new funding role
that has been created, this entailed taking out
funding policies to insure the cases, I got an
insight into what the cases were all about from
then off and knew I wanted to progress in
Fletchers. From then on I moved and assisted
with a few teams in the firm (inception team
and also post issue team ) while I was in the
funding role to gain even more knowledge of
how to run a caseload and also valuable client
care skills for when I start to fee earn. I then
moved on to MOJ RTA work and I remember
getting 11 cases, back when it wasn’t
paperless, so I had actual folders to work
from. I then went on to Team B (pre-issue), I
was there for a while before I wanted to move
to somewhere different in the company and
I found a role in serious injury was available.
I was successful, and I started as a paralegal
and did that for 6 months, before a job in the
court of protection team came about, which
is where I am now. It’s only a small team but
there is so much room for expansion and
growth in the future. I am definitely stopping
here.
A: Before moving to the serious injury team,
I joined Fletchers in the pre-issue team before
moving into the post issue team, then to
serious injury. There is so much opportunity
with a role in serious injury, and jobs do come
up often to join the team.
E: Maybe people find it a little intimidating at
first because there are so many experienced,
long-standing people in the team
A: And people might see it as stressful and
daunting but I can if this is the type of work
that you’re passionate about, then you’ll be
undoubtedly successful. It’s a different kind
of pressure, it’s less fast-paced, and I think
more rewarding.
E: Yeah, it’s not a fast job, you might have a
case for 4 or 5 years, and you get to progress
personally alongside the case too.
“It is incredibly rewarding,
it really is.”
“Where did you work before Fletchers?”
A: I worked at Scott Rees, I applied for a job in SIU and didn’t actually get the role but about a year
later I saw an ad in the paper for a job in the RTA department, applied, and was successful. That was
about 7 years ago and I have never looked back. I suppose it shows that you shouldn’t give up if you
want a particular role or to work within a certain team.
“5 words to describe your typical day”
E: I worked in BHS just as a part time Saturday job, and was told about a job in support, so I applied
and was offered an interview, then was successful in getting the job.
“What was it like moving to the Serious Injury?”
VARIETY
E: For me it was great coming in to something that was new. Coming into a team where the stresses
are completely different, it’s so much different.
A: There’s an element of a new challenge, something new to take on.
E: Your expectations are completely different, to anyone not knowing SIU, or the team, I would
think that it’s stressful, but it’s different, in a good way.
ENJOYABLE
“What is the support in Serious Injury like?”
E: It’s brilliant, everyone, including supervisors and Heads of
Department, will support you if you need it.
A: Definitely, the support available in SIU is second to none. There
are so many experienced file handlers who are happy to spare you
their time to answer any questions.
E: I was assigned a buddy immediately, who I could ask any questions
too, but everyone is so friendly you can literally ask anyone around
you and they’d be happy to assist.
A: And the team of paralegals in Serious Injury have a wide range
of experience too, so they’re always on hand to support other team
members with things such as detailed reviews, statement drafting and
general assistance too.
E: I was quite scared when I first joined the team, I knew about
cases but I’d never dealt with anything catastrophic before, but I
quickly found the general consensus was that no questions was a silly
question.The team meetings with Adrian (Head of Serious Injury) are
a great support too, they let us know of any news or changes to keep
us in the loop, it’s also a chance for us to have our say too.
A: There’s a lot of expectation in moving to the team, but people forget that if you’ve been successful
in another team, then you’re equally as capable of succeeding in serious injury too. It might seem
daunting to new starters, but if you have the skills to work in one team, they’re transferable and you
can bring them to SIU too.
“What is your biggest achievement?”
Inside or outside of work?
A: Mine is my children, without a doubt, but in terms of work, getting into the team was a big
achievement and the work we do.
E: My biggest achievement is getting distinctions in my last two CILEX exams. I came straight
here after A-Levels and hadn’t studied anything legal based, and I’ve not failed an exam yet and got
distinctions recently which I am proud of.
“What would you say to others wanting
to join Serious Injury?”
E: Give it a go. If you do come to the team it does take a while to get used to things. It can take
several months to understand everything. I remember not being able to get my head around time
recording but I spoke to Adrian about it and he was supportive, everyone is supportive.
A: People should come into the team and try it out, the team are more than happy to have someone
sit with them and see what kind of work we do, and what each role involves.
E: Absolutely, don’t be scared to come and get the experience.
If you want to join the Serious Injury team and work alongside
Emily and Ashley, check out our current vacancies
www.fletcherssolicitors.co.uk/careers/vacancies.