A day in the life
How some members of Ward Hadaway spend a typical day
Name: Hilary Brown
Post: Associate, Property, Newcastle
Like most days I am in the office by about 8am catching up on emails from clients.
Keeping good lines of communication open is a vital part of my job and I have to say that email is a real help with this and something clients have really embraced over recent years.
After dealing with initial correspondence, I’m off to a marketing meeting with other members of the property development team to discuss business development ideas, marketing plans and PR.
Working as part of a team is very important at a large firm like Ward Hadaway and my role sees me liaising with colleagues from several different units including the countryside team on rural property issues and the private client team on matters relating to wills, trusts and divorce.
It’s great having lots of people to bounce ideas off and call in for advice and specialist expertise.
After that I have a meeting with a client at our offices. For a lot of the more complex instructions I deal with, there is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting.
While the nature of the business is important, it is also good to establish a rapport with clients and to build up trusting relationships – especially so in an area like property.
For some clients, particularly older people who can find it more challenging to get into the city, I carry out home visits, which also help me to get a feel of the property I’m dealing with.
Lunch is often taken at my desk, although I also enjoy business lunches with contacts in the property industry from time to time. It’s always good to keep in touch and keep your ear to the ground when it comes to latest developments.
Following a quick chat with the firm’s PR manager on the next column I’m writing for local newspaper The Journal’s Homemaker housing supplement, much of the afternoon sees me on the phone and dealing with correspondence to progress various matters towards completion.
It’s a great moment for clients when they are able to walk into their new home – and a nice part of the job for me.
I generally leave at about 5.30pm for the drive home to Catton, near Allendale in Northumberland.
I love country life and country properties and it’s well worth the commute to live in such a beautiful place.
Name: Duncan Reid
Post: Partner, Corporate Finance, Newcastle 
A typical working day starts around 8am with checking my emails on my Blackberry from home to see if anything has come in overnight. Then, after having breakfast with my family, I leave for the office to arrive at around 9am.
On arrival I make a coffee, log in and update my voicemail message as it’s important for clients to know you’re in the office that day if you are unable to take their call. I then draw up a list of things to do that day and prioritise them accordingly.
After catching up with the rest of the team, the initial part of my morning will involve making calls to clients to give an update on current transactions and find out if any issues have arisen in the meantime. Good communication with clients is key as it builds up a strong relationship, ensures that transactions run smoothly and any issues are dealt with promptly.
Drafting documents in relation to a transaction would normally take up the latter part of my morning, whether drafting the documents myself or checking documents drafted by the assistants working with me. As a partner, I work closely with the assistants throughout the day, giving constructive feedback on their work and identifying any training that they may require.
Lunch is often used to catch up with a client or potential target to discuss business opportunities, the results of which will be reported back to an internal marketing meeting with the rest of the team later in the week.
In the afternoon, I’ll often have a meeting with clients and the other side and their lawyers to negotiate the legal documentation on a deal. The remainder of the afternoon is used to ensure the daily correspondence is responded to and in making further calls to clients and solicitors.
Unless I am attending a business dinner or networking forum (it’s important to keep in touch with contacts in the market to keep on top of developments), I usually leave the office around 6.30pm for the drive home to Tynedale, Northumberland.
Alternatively, I may be going out for drinks and a pizza with other members of the corporate finance team. These regular team nights out are a great opportunity to swap ideas and gossip and to let off steam as the occasion demands.
Name: Laura Potts
Post: Assistant Solicitor, Property, Newcastle
I arrive at the office between 8.30am and 8.45am most days, and begin by writing a task list. This allows me to gather my thoughts and focus on the day ahead. Prioritising my time is vital as it enables me to stay on top of my workload and effectively manage my files and ultimately meet my clients’ expectations.
After going through my post and emails, I meet with my supervisor to discuss the files I am managing. We discuss my existing workload and whether I have the capacity to take on more matters. These meetings offer me an opportunity to take advice from a senior colleague and also highlight other areas in which I need to expand my experience.
I then attend, along with a number of other colleagues, a review meeting with a client and the other party’s advisors. Review meetings are an ideal way of keeping on top of complex transactions which involve a number of legal disciplines. Working within the Property Development team provides exposure to construction, planning, banking and employment amongst other areas of law. This allows for a more well rounded approach to legal advice.
I normally take lunch at my desk, but occasionally meet up with colleagues I have trained with who work within the North East. The North East is a close-knit legal community so it is helpful to maintain good working relationship with lawyers outside my firm.
After lunch, I visit a development site I am currently involved in. Undertaking a site visit gives an insight of what the site and surrounding area is like on the ground. Any subsequent drafting carried out in relation to the required legal documentation will then reflect the reality of the situation.
Upon returning to the office I work through my task list. However, it is not always possible to control what you do in any one day and when a client calls stating that they need to be on site by the end of the week you have to react to the situation.
My working day ends at about 6.00pm where I either go home and relax or socialise with friends.
Name: Damien Charlton
Post: Partner, Commercial, Newcastle
Most days, in I am in the office by about 8.30am, and catch up on emails from clients that have arrived overnight. I then generally read through the business pages of the Journal, so that I can keep up to date with developments which may affect my clients or target clients.
I generally see at least one client in every day. Given that I specialise in commercial contracts, client meetings generally involve me gaining a proper understanding of the client’s business, and how they trade with their customers or suppliers.
One of the most interesting aspects of my work is that I get to see how a very broad range of companies operate. Taking the time to understand the commercial drivers behind my clients’ businesses really helps when it comes to drafting contracts for them because it enables me to identify key legal issues, and also produce a document which is commercial and workable.
I often eat lunch at my desk, and sometimes take the opportunity to catch up with recent legal developments using one of our online continuing professional development facilities.
In addition to my own work, I am responsible for supervising more junior members of the company commercial team, and frequently spend time assisting them and making sure that the matters they are dealing with are running smoothly.
I generally spend at least some part of each day working on practice development. Sometimes this relates to managing existing accounts, and maintaining the firm’s relationship with an existing client. This might mean arranging to see the client and reviewing with them the work that was carried out for them over the previous year, or sometimes it could be a more informal lunch appointment.
The time that I leave the office in the evening depends on the amount of work that needs to be done to meet client requirements/deadlines. Some evenings are also spent representing the firm at networking events, or formal dinners with clients, referrers or trade associations. However, if time allows I try to leave the office early enough to get some exercise before going home.