Women Lawyers Division Returner Course Friday 31 March - Saturday 1 April 2017 Milton Hill House, Oxfordshire

Women Lawyers Division returner course Friday 31 March - Saturday 1 April 2017 Milton Hill House, Oxfordshire

SRA Competency: A2

Women Lawyers Division returner course

Friday 31 March

10:00 - 10:15 Registration, refreshments and networking

10:15 - 10:30 Welcome and introduction Leah Glover, associate, DWF LLP and chair, Women Lawyers Division, The Law Society

10:30 - 11:30 Delegate introduction Facilitator: Leah Glover, associate, DWF LLP and chair, Women Lawyers Division, The Law Society

Each delegate will be given two minutes to say a few words about themselves.

11:30 - 11:45 Morning refreshments and networking

11:45 - 12:45 Top tips for CV writing and getting a job Facilitator: Sarah Austin, council member and member, Women Lawyers Division, The Law Society

Rachel Brushfield, founder, EnergiseLegal and is a „talent liberator‟; a career, talent, learning & development strategist and coach and published author Sejal Raja, head of employment and partner, at RadcliffeLeBrasseur

12:45 - 13:45 Lunch and networking

CV Clinic - 30 minutes per clinic

13:45 - 15:15 Various career options Facilitator: Sarah Austin, council member and member, Women Lawyers Division, The Law Society

Sandip Sohal, managing director, My Business Counsel Tony Roe, principal and founder, Tony Roe Solicitors Melanie Wright, department of education legal adviser, Government Legal Department Elizabeth Joyce, legal counsel, Lucy Group Limited and member, Women Lawyers Division, The Law Society

15:15 - 15:30 Afternoon refreshments and networking

15:30 - 16:30 Social media master class Facilitator: Jane Flaherty, head of private client, McMillan Williams Solicitors Kevin Poulter, partner and head of employment, Child & Child

17:00 - 18:00 CV Clinics – 30 minutes per clinic

19:00 - 20:00 Drinks reception

20:00 - 21:30 Dinner

Saturday 1 April

09:00 - 09:15 Arrival refreshments and networking

09:15 - 09:45 JAC selection Facilitator: Jay Bhayani, solicitor and managing director, Bhayani HR & Employment Law Alexandra Marks, judicial appointments commissioner, Judicial Appointments Commission

09:45 - 10:30 Professional requirements as a returner Facilitator: I. Stephanie Boyce, director, Create Positive Possibilities Mary Morgan, senior ethics advisor, SRA

10:30 - 10:45 Morning refreshments and networking

10:45 - 11:45 Available support Facilitator: Catherine Slattery, solicitor, Irwin Mitchell LLP LawCare: Bronwen Still, co-ordinator for England and Wales, LawCare SBA: Sue Ellis, services manager, Solicitors Benevolent Association Practice Advice Service: Peter Irvine, practice advice solicitor, The Law Society Law Society Library: Alice Tyson, assistant librarian, The Law Society

Delegates will be separated into four groups for this session. A speaker will be allocated to each table and will give a five minute presentation followed by 10 minutes questions and answers. After 15 minutes, the speakers will rotate tables until each speaker has visited each table. 11:45 - 12:15 Personal journey of a returnee – my story Facilitator: Laura Barrell, solicitor, Veale Wasbrough Vizards Rachael Williams, ombudsman, Financial Ombudsman Service

12:15 - 13:15 Lunch and networking

CV Clinics – 30 minutes per clinic

13:15 - 15:15 Crash course confidence - bulletproof your confidence and conquer your professional challenges Facilitator: Jane Huttly Deborah Simmons, director, Quest Coaching Tips for self improvement  identifying goals and setting development plans  networking and building contacts  building confidence.

15:15 - 15:30 Closing remarks

15:30 Conference close

Women Lawyers Division returner course

Delegate list Correct as of 20 March

First name Surname Job title Organisation

Maria Black Solicitor

Hannah Davies

Christiane de Waele

Katya Dunitz

Undiga Emuekpere

Anne-Marie Fong

Manisha Gajjar

Karen Hacon

Lucinda Haywood Deputy Administrator Guernsey Legal Aid Service

Dalbir Kaur

Shirley Khoo

Democratic Services Natalie Lennon Officer

Katherine Lloyd Solicitor Non practising

Sheena Macaulay Non practicing Solicitor

Carmel Manley Solicitor Carmel Manley

Lucia Mitchell Solicitor Solicitor

Anita North Solicitor

Kanwulia Lilienne Odogwu Solicitor Sandgross Limited

Rachel Salthouse

First name Surname Job title Organisation

Kate Swann

Karen Trott Teacher Self employed

Balwinder UBHA Solicitor

Claire Watson Solicitor

Women Lawyers Division returner course

Speaker biographies In alphabetical order

Sarah Austin, council member and member, Women Lawyers Division, The Law Society Sarah is one of three of the Women Lawyers Division representatives on the Law Society Council. Sarah has been a member of the Law Society's Equality and Diversity committee since 2010 and has recently been appointed to the Legal Affairs and Policy Board. She is particularly interested in issues affecting small businesses. Sarah qualified as a solicitor after a career in investment banking and a first degree in Business Administration (International Business). Sarah studied law part time (evenings and weekends) to qualify as a solicitor in 1996. In 2001 she became a fully qualified member of the Society of Trust Estate Practitioners and in 2006 qualified as an offshore STEP practitioner. Sarah's legal experience has covered all genres of firms from sole practice to global city practices. In 2004 Sarah set up her own firm Austins which is a private client niche firm, located in Chiswick. When not volunteering or working, Sarah enjoys sharing foreign travel, good food and books with friends and family.

Laura Barrell, solicitor, Veale Wasbrough Vizards Laura is a commercial solicitor for Veale Wasbrough Vizards based at its Watford office. Laura provides clients with advice on a wide variety of matters from general commercial contracts to specialist intellectual property matters. Laura returned to work after having her first child on a part-time basis, eager to help women in law who face serious challenges in the workplace and beyond.

I. Stephanie Boyce, director, Create Positive Possibilities I. Stephanie Boyce is the director of Create Positive Possibilities and interim head of governance at the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists. Stephanie was admitted as a solicitor in 2002 and has a wealth of experience in corporate governance, regulatory frameworks and professional regulation. Stephanie holds a Master of Laws in public law and global governance from Kings College, University of London. Stephanie began her career in private practice before moving in house with the General Council of the Bar providing legal advice to the then complaints commissioner. In 2007 she joined the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) providing legal and procedural advice to ACCA‟s disciplinary and regulatory committees and latterly with non-ministerial, non-governmental departments, professional regulators and membership bodies advising on regulatory frameworks, governance, and legislation. Stephanie is a council member of the Law Society of England and Wales representing the Women Lawyers Division, chair of the Council Members Conduct Committee, a member of the Regulatory Affairs Board of the Law Society, a solicitor member of the Joint Tribunal Service, and an ex-officio committee member of the Women Lawyers Division. Stephanie also sits as an independent person to the Standards Committee of a local authority and chairs the Independent Educational Appeals Panel.

Rachel Brushfield, founder, EnergiseLegal and ‘talent liberator’; a career, talent, learning & development strategist and coach & published author Rachel Brushfield is a „talent liberator‟, a career strategist, coach and published author and founder of Energise, established 1997. Rachel helps her clients to achieve career breakthroughs at major career transitions, including marketing themselves. Creating a second or portfolio career are specialisms. Rachel is co- founder of her own network PWHub for senior women.

Jay Bhayani, solicitor and managing director, Bhayani HR & Employment Law Jay is a specialist employment law solicitor and has 25 years‟ experience of dealing with all aspects of HR and employment matters, She established her independent law firm in 2014 offering bespoke solutions to SMEs, charities and individuals and is based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

Sue Ellis, services manager, Solicitors Benevolent Association Sue Ellis is services manager for SBA The Solicitors‟ Charity, which she joined in 2014 after seventeen years developing services in grant-making, housing and social care for a City Livery Company. Sue is one of SBA‟s two front-line case- workers, supporting solicitors and their families in personal financial need.

Jane Flaherty, head of private client, McMillan Williams Solicitors Jane started her career in housing and went back to study law at the age of thirty as she did not want to have regrets that she didn't follow her passion. She is a private client solicitor specialising in later life advice and also a trustee and estate practitioner (TEP) and a fully accredited member of the Solicitors for the Elderly. Originally from the North West but recently relocated to Cornwall, where she is now head of private client in Devon at McMillan Williams Solicitors.

Leah Glover, chair, Women Lawyers Division, The Law Society Leah has sat on the committee of the Women Lawyers‟ Division for three years, and took up the position of chair of the Division in September 2016. Leah is a senior solicitor in the banking team at DWF LLP. She read law at the University of Nottingham. She also sits on her firm‟s diversity committee.

Jane Huttly Jane qualified in 1987, completing articles in local government before moving into private practice in the City. She specialised in Clinical Negligence then focussed on lecturing and working in the voluntary sector. Jane now advises and coordinates policy training and development in Safeguarding and Mental Health. She also sits on the Learning and Strategy Panel for Surrey County Council and does freelance work advising on policy and raising awareness of abuse linked to faith and belief.

Peter Irvine, practice advice solicitor, The Law Society Peter Irvine was admitted to the Roll in April 1993. He undertook his training contract with a firm in the City of London and thereafter spend twenty years working in civil litigation and personal injury. Peter joined the Practice Advice Service (PAS) at the Law Society in September 2013.

Elizabeth Joyce, legal counsel, Lucy Group Limited and member, Women Lawyers Division, The Law Society Elizabeth graduated in law from Trinity College, Dublin and after qualifying in Ireland, was admitted to practise in England in 1991. Elizabeth has spent most of her career working as an in-house lawyer and joined the committee in September 2014. She particularly enjoys helping out at the Women Lawyers Division‟s flagship returner course. Elizabeth is keen on programmes which support women lawyers, especially those with families. Since 1999 she has mainly worked part-time and works three days a week as senior legal counsel for a small conglomerate in Oxford. In her spare time, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with family and friends, swimming and visiting stately homes and gardens.

Michael Maher, library services manager, The Law Society Michael has been a law librarian for thirty years, covering a variety of roles including head of IS at Eversheds and at DAC Beachcroft, director of the shared library service at Integreon selling law library services into numerous law firms. He is now librarian of the Law Society of England and Wales, as well as past chair and hon treasurer of the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians. Michael has been invited to speak about many different areas of management and law librarianship at numerous courses and conferences over the years including WLD's returners course.

Alexandra Marks, judicial appointments commissioner, Judicial Appointments Commission Alexandra Marks qualified as a solicitor in 1983, and was a partner at Linklaters (1990-2003). She now sits as a recorder, and as a deputy high court judge. She is also solicitor commissioner at the Judicial Appointments Commission, and a commissioner at the Criminal Cases Review Commission. In 2008-09, she was master of the Worshipful Company of Solicitors of the City of London, and president of the City of London Law Society. Alexandra is also chair of Prisoners‟ Education Trust, and a council member of JUSTICE.

Mary Morgan, senior ethics advisor, SRA Mary Morgan is a senior ethics adviser in the SRA‟s ethics guidance team. She has responsibility for delivering guidance to the profession on the code of conduct and the SRA Handbook. Mary leads a small team of ethics advisers while maintaining high quality guidance on complex conduct and compliance issues. Ethics guidance is recognised as a flagship service of the SRA and has won numerous awards for its service to the profession. A qualified solicitor, Mary returned to the SRA in 2011, having spent several years working as a prosecutor firstly for the Crown Prosecution Service then in local government. Early in her career, she also worked in private practice, specialising in divorce and criminal defence work.

Kevin Poulter, partner and head of Employment, Child & Child Kevin is a partner and head of the employment team at London law firm Child & Child. He advises commercial and not for profit organisations, senior employees and directors, on the full range of employment issues. He is well-known for providing practical, commercial advice to his clients, particularly on emerging social media issues. Kevin has spoken extensively on the impact of digital media on the workplace and frequently comments in the media on legal, digital media and diversity issues and was the first editor at large of Solicitors Journal. Kevin is a 'business expert‟ for SAGE and maintains a blog on social media and the law at www.kevinpoulter.com

Sejal Raja, head of employment & partner, at RadcliffeLeBrasseur Sejal Raja, who is ‘commercially-minded, open and honest’, leads the ‘excellent’ team. Legal 500 2014. Sejal advises employers and employees on all aspects of employment law, from drafting and negotiating employment contracts, disciplinary procedures to dismissal and redundancy. She has extensive employment tribunal experience, particularly with discrimination claims and was involved in the high profile pregnancy litigation for the Ministry of Defence.

Tony Roe, principal and founder, Tony Roe Divorce & Family Law Solicitors Tony Roe is the principal and founder of niche practice, Tony Roe Divorce & Family Law Solicitors, Berkshire. He opened his firm in February 2008 after the firm, in which he was a partner for ten years, closed its family law practice. Within a year or so, his new firm was the only Thames Valley niche divorce and family law practice to have made both the Legal 500 and Chambers directories. The firm has grown, employing several others, including two solicitors. It is looking to recruit an additional solicitor and another paralegal. Tony qualified in 1990. Tony was previously a member of the National Committees of Resolution (Solicitors‟ Family Law Association), the Young Solicitors‟ Group, where he contributed to its guide, “Becoming a Partner”, and the Trainee Solicitors‟ Group, where he was its national public relations officer. Tony was invited to join the Law Commission‟s Advisory Group on Marital Property Agreements looking into the legal status of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, the only solicitor in private practice, based outside London. In the light of the government‟s response to The Family Justice Review, the Law Commission conducted a targeted review of two aspects of the law that entitles married couples and civil partners to claim financial provision from one another on divorce or dissolution of their partnership. The Law Commission's Advisory Group on which Tony sat has sought to clarify the law on financial provision for couples when such relationships end. Tony contributed a chapter to the Law Society/Junior Lawyers‟ Division book, “Career Planning for Solicitors” on starting a law firm. The book also includes a chapter entitled, “Changing direction: careers outside the law”. Tony is only one of the first sixty, nationally, to have passed the Family Law Arbitration Course. He is also a trained Collaborative Family Lawyer. Tony has written and lectured widely on family law and practice management. In 2015 and 2016 he was shortlisted as family law commentator of the year by Jordans Family Law. Tony is a visiting fellow in Family Law at the University of Reading.

Deborah Simmons, director, Quest Coaching Following a successful career in the legal profession, Deborah qualified as a coach studying Coaching to Diploma level, mastering both the academic and practical elements involved in effective coaching techniques. She continued her education into development interventions by qualifying as a neuro-linguistic programming practitioner. She is passionate about continuing her learning as well as improving her knowledge and proficiency of coaching so undertakes a carefully selected and focused personal development programme annually. Recent areas of development have surrounded resilience as well as mindfulness and employee engagement. She is currently studying for a Masters in Organisational Psychology with the University of London focusing on areas such as leadership, performance management and learning and development. Deborah specialises in working with individuals who are serious about and committed to being successful in the workplace – either through enhanced focus, motivation and confidence, identifying and achieving satisfying career goals or through becoming inspiring leaders and managers who enable the development of their teams. Prior to working as a coach, Deborah spent seven years working as a banking and finance solicitor in the City. As a result, she understands the culture and pressures that people can face on a day-to-day basis within their work environments. She is passionate, therefore, about assisting clients in identifying and creating their work/life balance. Her legal client base has included organisational and individual contracts with staff at The College of Law, Pitmans LLP, Boyes Turner LLP and Resolution Family Lawyers Association. As well as providing training and coaching for the Women‟s Legal Division (WLD), in particular the returners course, Deborah is currently involved in delivering leadership and management programmes within the NHS. She is also delivering a number of workshops on resilience to organisations nationally – both private and public sector - who are finding themselves having to deal with change in challenging circumstances.

Catherine Slattery, solicitor, Irwin Mitchell LLP Catherine qualified as a solicitor in 2015. Although she is based in Sheffield, her work involves claimants from all over England and Wales. She works on cases involving product liability and group actions claims. The work involves individual cases as well as assisting on a number of different group actions involving metal- on-metal hip replacements, defibrillator cases, knee replacement cases, cosmetic procedures and non-medical product liability cases.

Sandip Sohal, managing director, My Business Counsel Sandip is the managing director of My Business Counsel and is responsible for implementing the strategic direction and growth of the firm. Sandip‟s background stems from working within the in-house departments in the telecoms industry for Sendo Telecom that was transferred to Motorola. Before setting up My Business Counsel, Sandip qualified with DLA Piper and then went on to establish and lead the Business Legal Team for SFS Global. As well as managing the day to day operation of the firm, Sandip avidly continues to practice law and advise clients on general commercial, corporate, intellectual property (IP) and IT matters. Sandip works with clients as their in-house counsel or head of legal, essentially managing the in-house function for a client. This allows him to work more closely with a client‟s business in order to add value from three angles: commercial; technical and regulatory.

Bronwen Still, co-ordinator for England and Wales, LawCare Bronwen is a solicitor and has been a trustee of LawCare for twenty years and has recently been appointed chair of the Board of Trustees. She is also chair of the recently formed Legal Professionals Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce which has been set up to share best practice across legal professional, regulatory and educational organisations. Bronwen is also a director of Infolegal Limited. She advises firms on regulatory compliance generally and specialises in helping new firms become authorised. She is on the editorial board of the Law Society‟s Legal Compliance Bulletin and is a contributor to Cordery on Legal Services.

Alice Tyson, assistant librarian, The Law Society Alice is an assistant librarian at the Law Society of England and Wales, and has been in this role since 2014. As an assistant librarian, Alice is involved in answering legal research enquiries from solicitors and their staff; promoting the library through tours, talks, training and articles; contributing to the library‟s social media; cataloguing and maintenance of the library collection. Prior to working at the Law Society, Alice had roles in the libraries at Ashurst, Bingham McCutcheon and at the University of Westminster.

Rachael Williams, ombudsman, Financial Ombudsman Service Rachael started out at the Bar and transferred over to be a solicitor in 1994. By the time her first child arrived in 2000 she had worked for Eversheds Manchester, Field Fisher and Eversheds Bristol and made it to associate partner. Her family expanded and so this led to part-time work in Ipswich, a Masters Degree from City Law School and plenty of court work experience. Then a career break led to her attending the WLD returner course in October 2014. She secured a job at the Financial Ombudsman Service a few weeks later, and now is an ombudsman there. Rachael says: “The key factor in making a successful entry into work or coming back to the career you once had is confidence", the returner course really does help with that.

Melanie Wright, Department of Education Legal Adviser, Government Legal Department Melanie qualified as a solicitor in 2003 in a high street firm specialising in legal aid criminal and family law. Post qualification she specialised in family law and really enjoyed representing parents and grandparents in care proceedings. Melanie then moved into Local Government in 2006 and had two children who are now aged eight and five. Since having children Melanie worked four days, three days and two days (hoping to find the right balance!). She moved to the Government Legal Department in 2012 to work as part of the litigation team where she worked part- time, three days per week. She then moved to the advisory legal team in the Department for Education in 2015, where she continued with her part-time working pattern. She has a strong interest in social mobility and became one of ten Law Society social mobility ambassadors in 2016.

Speaker presentations Friday

17/03/2017

Sejal Raja partner, RadcliffesLeBrasseur

Top tips for CV writing and getting a job

Before you begin

Target: be clear who (firm) and what (practice area/type of work) you are targeting

Offer: understand what skills you can offer and have plenty of examples

Presentation: make sure your presentation is first class

1 17/03/2017

Target: Establishing Goals

• Establish your targets: – Firm/in-house/charity/government? – Area of law? – Full time/part time/flexi time/contract? • Are the above realistic for you at this point? If not:- – Should you adjust? – Should you improve your position? – Should you consider working towards your ultimate goal in stages?

Offer: Be clear on your skills

Circumstances: What was the situation or task?

Action: What did you do? What skills did you use?

Result: What was the positive outcome?

Presentation: Creating Your CV

• Traditional (chronological) version: – If you have had a career break and are confident you can highlight relevant key skills obtained during this time; or – Your career break is relatively short; or – You wish to focus on your most recent jobs; or – Your experience/skills directly match the crteria

2 17/03/2017

Presentation: Creating Your CV

• Skills based version: – You have had a long career break and and do not want this to be the first thing the reader sees – You have undertaken a variety of roles and you want to clearly show what you can offer by skills set – You want to emphasise skills / experience gained earlier in your career

Presentation: Creating Your CV

• Clear headings • Adequate spacing • Dates: – Set out history from O’levels/GCSE to current date ensuring there are no gaps • Work experience: – Scene setting not as important as facts so focus on your responsibilities and what you achieved

Presentation: Creating Your CV

• What have you done to keep up your knowledge or get back up to date in your field? • Have you kept up to date with regulatory changes or issues affecting the profession generally or your field in particular? • If you have created a training plan to ensure up to date knowledge, use that to demonstrate your enthusiasm and approach to the employer – eg, Having been out of practice for [x], I developed a training plan to refresh and update my knowledge and key skills including: [list]

3 17/03/2017

Creating Your CV The basics

• Include: – All relevant information based on firm requirements – Short explanations of any major gaps in experience – Consider what the employer is looking for and include examples of work which demonstrate the skills sought*

* Not giving enough detail or examples is a common issue on CVs

Creating Your CV The basics

• Avoid – Waffle – Flowery language/management speak unless appropriate or in context – Spelling and grammatical mistakes

Optional Personal Profile

• Keep it short and to the point (one, maximum two, punchy paragraphs) – Make sure you tailor it for each application to illustrate briefly why you are the right candidate for the job • Perhaps using the person specification / essential criteria in the order listed so the reader can easily see you meet the criteria?

• Use your profile to explain (briefly) the reason for your career break and your reasons for return

4 17/03/2017

Other points

• Avoid meaningless profiles: – “dynamic, results driven, personable, team player” • Include voluntary roles: make sure you include sufficient detail and examples • Do not ignore “desired criteria” even if you do not meet it • Instead, explain and give examples of the transferrable skills you have which will meet the criteria or explain what you can do to gain the criteria

Skills and Work Experience

• ALWAYS tailor key skills and experience to the job – Demonstrate • That you understand what the employer is looking for • That you have the right skills to fit the role • After a career break you need to demonstrate – How you have kept your skills and knowledge current – Commitment • Use your initiative – Include relevant experience – Judicious use of bullet points and headings

Qualifications

• Keep this section short • If the firm indicates that strong academics are a priority, you may wish to include all grades and subjects • If your academic achievements are overshadowed by your more recent experience, a short summary will usually suffice. Most employers really will not have strong feelings about what ‘A’ Levels you did years ago! • Highlight any additional qualifications obtained during your career break

5 17/03/2017

Interests and Social

• Keep it short • Do not repeat yourself – if you have any relevant voluntary roles, include them in the experience section • Avoid: – hobbies that may suggest you are lacking in social skills (eg, reading, listening to music, solitary hobbies) – overused phrases such as “socialising with friends” • Consider: – Including further potential useful skills – team work, computer and online skills, leadership and networking

Referees

• It is fine to say “referees available on request” • Naming referees on CVs is generally a waste of your limited space • If you are asked to name referees, give the employer what it wants [eg “one personal, one professional” etc] • Most employers will only contact referees after interview

6 17/03/2017

Understanding the firm

• Do your homework. For example: – What type of cases have they been involved in? – What is the firm looking for? – What current and future issues are they facing? – Who are their clients; their competitors? – Do you have a Unique Selling Point (USP) which fits with the firm overall? – Do you have contacts at the firm you can (re)connect with? – Consider why you selected this firm over its competitors

Understanding the firm

• Don’t’ forget…: – Be knowledgeable about the business, economic and political world – Think about how the above may impact on the firm you are applying to – Think about how one sector can impact on another

Recruiter v Direct Application

• Recruiter: – Firm may never see your CV – Many recruiters will provide feedback and assistance with your CV – Often become aware of jobs sooner – Possibility of speculative application – Recruiters may be less modest than you are!

7 17/03/2017

Recruiter v Direct Application

• Remember if you use a recruiter: – Always ask to see the recruiter’s version of your CV before it is submitted – Do not sign up to lots of recruitment agencies – Know where your CV is being sent

Recruiter v Direct Application

• Direct application: – You have control – Can you use your network to make an introduction/recommendation? – Do your homework: review JD; their website; twitter feed; LinkedIn page etc

Other Issues

• Do not exaggerate or seek to mislead • Do not engage in false modesty; if you are reluctant to blow your own trumpet, get help from a friend – do not sell yourself short • If you still have potential client contacts, let the employer know • Do not forget that you are still bound by confidentiality requirements relating to former clients; be careful what you say • Suitability Issues – Do you need to disclose • Any history of poor financial management (CCJ’s or bankruptcy) • Any convictions • Regulatory history

8 17/03/2017

Common Issues

• Attention to detail – Employers expect it; • Spelling mistakes; – 50% of CVs have spelling mistakes! – “practise” is not the same as “practice” – Autocorrect does not pick up on incorrect word usage – notably “form” instead of “from” etc • Include your contact details; • Save the soft copy with an appropriate file name; • Read CV on your computer and in hard copy.

The cover letter

• Keep it short and formal (use the C.A.R. acronym) • Identify clearly and concisely – The role you are applying for (include any reference given) – Why you are an ideal candidate for the role – Why you are attracted to the firm – Your contact details – Be enthusiastic! • Spelling and grammar • Is this an appropriate place to explain your career break if not in the CV itself?

Feedback

• Keep your CV under review and up to date • Always ask for feedback whether post interview or in the event that you are not invited for interview • Take on board any feedback and review your CV accordingly

9 17/03/2017

Key messages

1. Use a targeted approach rather than “scatter gun” approach 2. Develop a strategy which identifies your goal and a timeline 3. Consider the firm/company/area and then the job 4. Think outside your comfort zone 5. Use your CV in the right way 6. Always ask for feedback

And finally …

• Confidence, passion and enthusiasm go such a long way • We can never know it all so do not worry if you believe you have forgotten everything: – You will not have forgotten it all – You can (and should) always double check the law – People buy people and that it is true for your new employer and clients.

10 17/03/2017

Tony Roe principal, Tony Roe Solicitors

Panel session

• Conclusion

• Useful website links : • “Setting up shop: building a new family practice”, Tony Roe. (Law Society Gazette): http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/features/setting-shop-building-a-new-family-practice • “Starting a law firm from scratch”, Tony Roe. (Law Society Gazette): • http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/in-business/starting-a-law-firm-scratch • “Setting Up and Managing a Legal Practice” (4th edition) Martin Smith published by The Law Society: • http://bookshop.lawsociety.org.uk/ecom_lawsoc/public/saleproduct.jsf?catalogueCode=978190769837 8 • Small Firms Division: http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/communities/small-firms-division/ • Law Management Section: http://www.lawmanagementsection.org.uk/pages/home/home • Solicitors’ Sole Practitioners’ Group: http://www.spg.uk.com/ www.tonyroesolicitors.com @tonyroedivorce

Law Society/Women Lawyer’s Division

Returner Course 31.03.17

What are the Career Options? Private Practice; Setting Up Your Own Firm: Tony Roe

Private practice is all I know. However when retired from your partnership because the firm does not see its future in your area of work, what do you do? I have put together a few pointers below if you are thinking of setting up a firm.

Tips for Setting Up Your Own Law Firm:

1. Buy and read “Setting Up and Managing a Legal Practice” (4th edition) by Martin Smith published by The Law Society, £62.95 (or even cheaper on Amazon, possibly).

2. Prepare and plan. Research & write a business plan. Review it.

3. Think about how you will finance the firm.

4. Get a good accountant.

5. Get a good book keeper.

6. Register with the SRA and ensure that, if you are a sole practitioner, your firm number is on your letterhead, fax headers, e mails and website.

7. Research and shop around as much as possible for professional indemnity insurance.

8. Remember to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

9. If you look for an office, get advice and remember location is as important with commercial property as it is with the domestic variety.

10. Watch cashflow.

Some articles/publications:

“Setting up shop: building a new family practice”, Tony Roe. (Law Society Gazette): http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/features/setting-shop-building-a-new-family-practice

“Starting a law firm from scratch”, Tony Roe. (Law Society Gazette): http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/in-business/starting-a-law-firm-scratch

Setting Up and Managing a Legal Practice (3rd edition) Martin Smith published by The Law Society: http://bookshop.lawsociety.org.uk/ecom_lawsoc/public/saleproduct.jsf?catalogueCode=9781907698378

Useful websites: Small Firms Division: http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/communities/small-firms-division/ Law Management Section: http://www.lawmanagementsection.org.uk/pages/home/home Solicitors’ Sole Practitioners’ Group: http://www.spg.uk.com/

Tony Roe: Profile for Law Society/Women Lawyers’ Division Returner Course

Tony Roe is the principal and founder of niche practice, Tony Roe Divorce & Family Law Solicitors, Berkshire. He opened his firm in February 2008 after the firm, in which he was a partner for ten years, closed its family law practice.

Within a year or so, his new firm was the only Thames Valley niche divorce and family law practice to have made both the Legal 500 and Chambers directories. The firm has grown, employing several others, including two solicitors. It is looking to recruit an additional solicitor and another paralegal.

Tony qualified in 1990. Tony was previously a member of the national committees of Resolution (Solicitors’ Family Law Association), the Young Solicitors’ Group, where he contributed to its guide, “Becoming a Partner”, and the Trainee Solicitors’ Group, where he was its national Public Relations Officer.

Tony was invited to join the Law Commission’s Advisory Group on Marital Property Agreements looking into the legal status of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, the only solicitor in private practice, based outside London. In the light of the government’s response to The Family Justice Review, the Law Commission conducted a targeted review of two aspects of the law that entitles married couples and civil partners to claim financial provision from one another on divorce or dissolution of their partnership. The Law Commission's Advisory Group on which Tony sat has sought to clarify the law on financial provision for couples when such relationships end.

Tony contributed a chapter to the Law Society/Junior Lawyers’ Division book, “Career Planning for Solicitors” on starting a law firm. The book also includes a chapter entitled, “Changing direction: careers outside the law”.

Tony is only one of the first sixty, nationally, to have passed the Family Law Arbitration Course. He is also a trained Collaborative Family Lawyer.

Tony has written and lectured widely on family law and practice management. In 2015 & 2016 he was shortlisted as family law commentator of the year by Jordans Family Law. Tony is a Visiting Fellow in Family Law at the University of Reading.

E mail: [email protected] Web: www.tonyroesolicitors.com Twitter: @tonyroedivorce Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=68013735&trk=tab_pro Tel: 0118 9302360

Speaker presentations Saturday

20/03/2017

Alexandra Marks judicial appointments commissioner, Judicial Appointments Commission

Four key messages

• Solicitors 5-7 PQE eligible for appointment • Lots of judicial opportunities available • To be appointed, you must apply • Prepare, prepare, prepare!

A brief history

• Solicitors eligible for judicial appointment since 1971 • In 1970 – 300 Judges; by 2016 – 8,500 Judges! • Appointments used to be handled by Lord Chancellor’s Dept., then briefly Dept. of Constitutional Affairs • Now Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) • JAC comprises 15 Commissioners • We “select” for all HM Tribunals, and all HM Courts (up to and including High Court)

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Tribunals chart

JAC’s statutory duties

Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the JAC has very specific duties in the selection of Judges and Tribunal members, both legal and non-legal.

Our key statutory responsibilities are: • to select candidates solely on merit; • to select only people of good character; • “to have regard to the need to encourage diversity in the range of persons available for selection for appointments”.

Essential pre-requisites

Key attributes for judicial appointment are: • Intelligence • Integrity

+ (desirably) management skills

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Merit = competency framework

The JAC assesses “merit” according to a competency framework of behavioural indicators for the role:

• Exercising judgement • Possessing and Building Knowledge • Assimilating and Clarifying Information • Working and Communicating with Others • Managing Work Efficiently • [Leadership]

JAC Process

The JAC’s process varies from exercise to exercise but typically involves the following steps: • Advertisement • Application – including “self assessment” • Qualifying Test (and sometimes written work) • Shortlisting, including references • Selection days • Selection & Character Committee • Appointment by Lord Chancellor/Lord Chief Justice/Senior President of Tribunals (depending on judicial post)

Preparation

To be a credible candidate, it is advisable to: • Plan months, if not years, ahead • Try the JAC’s online “Am I Ready?” tool • Collect specific examples of your work to demonstrate your qualities and abilities in the self-assessment • Read up, work shadow, sit-in, attend courses, watch from the public gallery • Carefully identify suitable referees

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Follow up

• JAC website: http://jac.judiciary.gov.uk • “Judging Your Future” – JAC’s free monthly email bulletin

• Law Soc. website: http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/law- careers/judicial-appointments/ • Contact me through LinkedIn (mentioning this Returners’ Course April 2017)

Vacancies coming up soon

Forthcoming vacancies

• District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) Launch date: 21 March, 2017 - 13:00 • Circuit Judge 2017 Launch date: 23 March, 2017 - 13:00 • Chief Bankruptcy Registrar Launch date: 28 March, 2017 - 13:00 • Salaried Judges of the First-tier Tribunal • Chancery Master • Salaried Surveyor Member of the Upper Tribunal, Lands Chamber • Fee-paid Professional Members of the First-tier Tribunal, Property Chamber • Fee-paid Judges of the First-tier Tribunal, Health, Education and Social Care Chamber and of the Mental Health Review Tribunal for Wales - Restricted Patients Panel • Fee-paid Medical Members of the First-tier Tribunal, Health, Education and Social Care Chamber (Mental Health) and Fee-paid Medical Members of the Mental Health Review Tribunal for Wales

4 3/17/2017

Returning to work as a solicitor

Mary Morgan, Senior Ethics Adviser April 2017

We will cover…

Basic requirements - practical steps you need to take Getting your skills and knowledge up to date Deciding whether you need a practising certificate The SRA Handbook The legal landscape

Getting in touch with the SRA

Basic requirements

Before you return, you must:

• Register with mySRA

• Be on the Roll

• Hold a practising certificate

• Notify SRA of your practising address within 7 days of start date

1 3/17/2017

Getting back up to date

Continuing competence (the new CPD)

1 Reflect… 2 Plan… 3 Address… …on your practice to …how you will address …your needs and assess identify your learning and your learning and how your learning can be development needs. development needs. integrated into your practice.

4 Record… 5 Make an annual For more …how you have carried declaration… information visit: out this process. …that shows you have addressed your needs and www.sra.org.uk/toolkit acquired the required knowledge.

Do I need a PC?

Examples of when a PC will be required: • Rule 11 of the SRA Practice Framework Rules 2011 – to provide any “legal services” in private practice, if on the Roll

• Section 21 Solicitors’ Act 1974 - in any context, to use a description which implies you are qualified to act as a solicitor

• To be held out as a solicitor through a non-solicitor business which provides legal-type services, or if the name of the business indicates it’s a solicitor’s practice, such as Mary Morgan Legal Consultants

• To undertake work which requires you to be a solicitor, or you supervise unqualified staff who undertake such work

Do I need a PC?

Examples of when you do not need a PC include:

• To work in a law firm’s HR department only

• To do legal work for friends and relatives, not in the capacity as a solicitor

• To witness or certify documents as a non-practising solicitor

• If you are exempt from the requirement to hold a PC under Section 88 of the Solicitors’ Act 1974

• If you can rely on your position as an employee rather than as a solicitor e.g. under s223 of the Local Government Act 1972

2 3/17/2017

SRA Handbook 2011

The SRA Code of Conduct 2011 must be read in conjunction with the SRA Principles 2011

Code of Conduct  Principles are mandatory and overarching

Specialist Accounts services Rules Each chapter lists outcomes which must be achieved Principles

Glossary Auth &  It is for firms to decide how best to Overseas practice achieve outcomes

Disciplinary Client  Indicative behaviours (positive & negative) & costs protection recovery are not mandatory, but aid compliance

The legal landscape

LSB fully operational - independent The Law Society separates statutory body overseeing complaints handling Legal Services the approved and regulatory Act 2007, functions SRA founded regulators

Legal Ombusman opens - deals with consumer Draft Legal complaints, i.e. Services Bill poor service published

Help and guidance

www.sra.org.uk

Contact centre Tel: 0370 606 2555 Email: [email protected]

Professional Ethics Tel: 0370 606 2577 Email: [email protected] Webchat

3 3/17/2017

Any questions?

4 17/03/2017

Law Society Library Michael Maher Library Services Manager April 2017

Law Society Library

• Collection • Services – Using us now? – Using us later? • Opening Times/Contact details

Collection

• Hard copy – One of the most comprehensive legal collections dating back to 14th century – 55,000 volumes – Reference only but can provide copies – Corporate Archive • Online services – Lexis, Westlaw, Justis • Law Society’s Catalogue or Knowledge Base

1 17/03/2017

Using Us Now

• How can you use the Library services?

– Visit the Library – in London for meeting/interview? – Research - send us an email or telephone us – CV material – update on the law – Use Law Society Knowledge Base on web page

Using Us Later

• What services do we offer?

• Enquiries • Lawdocs • The Library • Training in legal research?

What Services Do We Offer

• Enquiries

• We deal with around 10,000 member enquiries pa • We cover a wide area of legal research – cases, articles, legislation, precedents, historical etc. • We are used by all types of member – High Street to global law firms, retired, paralegals, Legal Execs etc.

2 17/03/2017

What Services Do We Offer

• Enquiries – contact details

• Phone 0207 320 5946 between 9am and 5pm • Email us at any time – we will respond during our opening hours - [email protected] • Visit us

What Services Do We Offer

• Enquiries - costs

• First 30 minutes free • Longer research - £30 + VAT per 30 minutes

What Services Do We Offer

• Lawdocs

• Our popular document delivery service • Copies of precedents, law reports, legislation, articles and commentary from books can be emailed to you for a small fee • Phone us or email us to place your order

3 17/03/2017

What Services Do We Offer

• Lawdocs - costs

• From £22 + VAT depending on what you order. Includes payment of copyright fee

What Services Do We Offer

• Library Knowledge Base

• FREE, fast, access to indexes of legal information for Law Society members, available 24/7 • Unique content created by the Law Society Librarians

What Services Do We Offer

• English Heritage Grade II listed interior • Hard copy collection • PCs for Google and email • Access to online • Library staff • Photocopiers • WiFi

4 17/03/2017

Library opening times

• Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

• Emails answered during opening hours • Phone lines open 9am – 5pm • Closed on bank holidays and at weekends

Contact the Library services

• 0207 320 5946 • [email protected] • www.lawsociety.org.uk/library

17/03/2017

Rachael Williams

ombudsman, Financial Ombudsman Service

Why I am here

• What I am not going to do: • lecture • recruit for the OS • talk too much about myself

• What I am going to do:  give you real facts  suggest you do a plan  instil confidence  warn of a couple of pitfalls

Me over 25 years

• Quick CV rundown • 3rd child • Law Degree • Part time solicitor • Bar • LLM full time • Eversheds • Back to bar – 14 months • QLTT • Some lecturing • Field Fisher • Returners Oct 2014 • Travel 11 months • Job at FOS Jan 2015 • Eversheds again • Senior Legal Counsel at FOS March 2016 • Home & family 2 children • Ombudsman Jan 2017 • 3 year official career break

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• example plan Do a plan 1. do LinkedIn profile on Monday 2. browse LinkedIn and learn how it Before you leave may help today – this is 3. with or without LinkedIn call two your space – people you know from your past order some more professional life tea and write it. 4. apply for a job within 2 weeks short 5. beginning of week 3 contact the other Milton Hill House new with deadlines contacts and ask how everyone is book in the time doing. to do it

Hints & Pitfalls

• confidence is key You will garner • prep that interview confidence from the • beware complacency • have the guts to ask – others around you here you may get it today – keep in touch • you are up against the I’ve seen great stories of success posted on the younger people LinkedIn Groups for WLD and returners. Read • contacts breed them. Post something yourself. Contact those people. Gather information and help from those contacts going through the same. • bumps • cheese

kaleidescope What does it mean to you? This is my private thought from my young adulthood years & I wish to share it with you all. Attribute photo to shelleyduffer.com

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Remember this? acknowledgement for the photo to media.kids-myshot.nationalgeographic.com/2012

A twist and it can be this. Acknowledgement for the photo to muchpics.com

Other points

• if you choose to do LinkedIn join AWS or WLD group to stay in touch • here is my LinkedIn web address https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rachaelwilliams3 OR • get the emails or numbers of the people you meet here so that you can all keep in touch • join your Local Law Society

3 17/03/2017

The ombudsman services

Several to choose from • Pensions ombudsman • Property ombudsman • Financial ombudsman • Legal ombudsman • Local Government • Housing • Parliamentary & Health

Financial Ombudsman Service

Final Word Do not undersell yourself.

4 17/03/2017

Deborah Simmons director, Quest Coaching

RETURNING TO WORK

How confident do you feel?

THE GOOD NEWS….

Confidence is a HABIT!

so it's something you can develop...

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SUCCESS FORMULA

WHY > HOW

WHY BOTHER BEING

CONFIDENT? Teams 1 THE MAIN REASON THAT I WANT TO ENHANCE MY CONFIDENCE IS......

Teams 2 THE RESPONSE I GET FROM OTHERS WHEN I AM MORE CONFIDENT IS....

Teams 3 BEING MORE CONFIDENT WILL ENABLE ME TO…..

WHAT'S MY WHY?

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HOW… Dealing with Confidence Knockers Think about your biggest confidence knocker – and write it down on a Post-It. In your teams, stick the Post-It on the wall. Swap over and consider each of the confidence knockers that the other team have identified.

What you would do to overcome that knocker

HOW…

positive feedback

SUCCESS LOG achievements Compliments appraisals/reviews

HOW… MODELLING

what do they do?

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HOW…

BODY LANGUAGE

- what makes you feel confident?

HOW…..

“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.” Muhammed Ali

What's Your Affirmation?

POSITIVE, PERSONAL & PRESENT TENSE.....

DAILY CONFIDENCE WORKOUT Spend FIVE minutes each day and bullet proof your confidence: 1 MINUTE: Daily Power Question 1 MINUTE: Positive Affirmation 1 MINUTE: Perfect your Posture 1 MINUTE: Visualisation 1 MINUTE: Smile!

4 17/03/2017

Tell the person next to you one thing that you have decided to do .....

By agreeing your actions (and checking in with someone), your Success Rate will ROCKET from 40% to 95%!

(American Society of Training and Development)

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.” Henry Ford

A SPRINGBOARD? SPECIAL OFFER FOR RETURNERS COURSE PARTICIPANTS *90 for 90*

£90 for a 90 minute session address your own personal confidence challenges and ensure a successful return to the workplace (or £45 for a 40 minute session)

CRASH COURSE IN CONFIDENCE

Bullet proof your confidence & conquer your professional challenges

Saturday 1st April 2017 The Law Society & WLD Returners’ Course

Crash Course in Confidence

HELLO AND WELCOME!

This session is designed for lawyers returning to work who are aware of the benefits of updating their skills and polishing their talents. The session and accompanying manual are packed with useful information, practical tools and effective techniques to enable you to feel more confident and make a more positive impact with clients, colleagues and other professionals.

Our aim is to give you the opportunity to take a fresh look at how you interact with others, raise your awareness of what you do and how this affects what you get. We‟ll then demonstrate how you can make simple adjustments to the way you communicate to get the results that you want.

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES

Over the course of the workshop we will provide the opportunity for you to:

 Understand what your personal triggers are that knock your confidence  Learn how to manage confidence challenges more effectively  Take control of your nerves and raise your performance to a whole new level  Develop individual strategies and an action plan for a more confident, effective approach.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?

 A step-by-step plan to face fears, worries and concerns head on and forge ahead with renewed levels of self-belief.  Strategies for adopting an effortless, more confident approach by highlighting your core competencies and building on your unique strengths.  Heightened awareness of your current confidence levels  Practical tools to develop a more confident, persuasive and impressive style.  Effective techniques that will enable you to extend a sense of inner confidence to your colleagues, team or entire department.

APPROACH

The main approach underpinning the CONFIDENT COMMUNICATION WORKSHOPS is Neuro-Linguistic Programming. NLP is not simply „another training programme‟. Rather than teaching you how to communicate, it gives you a set of tools to manage yourself so that you can be more consistently effective. It assumes that you already know how to communicate (you do it everyday), how to set goals and how to manage your emotional state. It also acknowledges that you may not, in practice, do all of these things together. This impacts on the extent to which you get the results you need. NLP is the modelling toolkit that enables individuals to understand and replicate the consistently high performance of an intuitive skill.

Crash Course in Confidence

YOUR TRAINER

Deborah Simmons is a qualified and experienced coach, a licensed, certified NLP Practitioner and a qualified solicitor. She is currently studying for a Masters in Organisational Psychology.

Her primary focus is helping her clients get excellent, inspiring results. Deborah works with individuals who are serious about and committed to being successful in the workplace – either personally or through the development of their employees.

Using a variety of coaching tools and techniques, Deborah provides each individual with a positive, confidential environment in which they can ascertain what is important to them and what steps they wish to take to accomplish their objectives.

Working with corporate clients, Deborah assists employees in developing their skills in areas such as communication, practice building and networking. She is also engaged by companies to work with senior executives in developing their role and improving their performance, whether in leadership, team building or simply gaining focus and clarity.

Prior to working as a Coach, Deborah spent seven years working as a solicitor in the City. She has extensive experience of coaching and its benefits through working with junior members of her team and support staff. She also understands the culture and pressures that people can face on a day-to-day basis within their work environments.

Crash Course in Confidence

BULLET PROOF YOUR CONFIDENCE

Some people seem to light up a room with their charismatic confidence and graceful gravitas and manage to make it all look completely effortless. However, most of us could use some help with our confidence, especially in new and challenging situations. Whatever level you are at right now, there are probably some specific areas that you could work on to bullet-proof your confidence. Each of us has the power within to do just that, but you need to believe in yourself and your capabilities before anyone else will. We‟ve introduced a number of tactics, tools and techniques in the following sections to help get you moving in a more confident direction from this point forwards. Onwards and upwards!

FEEL-THINK-DO

If like many people you‟re not totally thrilled with your self-confidence level, there are a number of highly effective techniques that you can try out to turn this situation around. One way of creating a more beneficial, confidence-boosting state of mind is by considering the interplay between your feelings, thoughts and actions. The FEEL-THINK-DO cycle works like this: ‘I FEEL worried and under confident. I THINK things will go wrong. I feel paralysed about what I can do and therefore DO nothing about it. And I still FEEL worried and under confident.’ Obviously, if this cycle is left unchecked, then it can escalate feelings and thoughts of negativity and lower levels of confidence.

It doesn‟t have to continue in this way, however. It can be broken. The simplest and most effective place to disrupt this cycle is at the point of action. If you DO something about your worries, fears or concerns, then your behaviour will influence how you THINK about the current situation, which in turn will affect how you FEEL. You end up feeling more confident as a result.

Crash Course in Confidence

What will you DO over the next week to help you feel more positive and confident?

Crash Course in Confidence

TIPS & TECHNIQUES

MODELLING

One of the fundamental principles of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is modelling. In short, it is a tool that involves modelling the behaviour of someone who possesses certain qualities that you would like more of, eg confidence. The first step is to determine what specifically you wish to emulate. You then scrutinise precisely what it is that they do. And then you replicate it yourself. For example, you may admire a politician‟s ability to remain consistently confident despite what comes her way. Observe what the person does in great detail, taking note of the words they use, what their body language is saying, their facial expressions, posture and the clothes they wear. You might even consider what internal messages are going on in their heads.

If you know the person that you‟re modelling, you could interview them to find out if they have any particular rituals or routines they go through to keep confident or if they make a habit of using certain gestures to lock in positive, confident internal messages (eg holding onto a finger to steady nerves). Practise what they do and make minor adjustments to suit your individual style.

Modelling someone‟s successful strategies can be a wonderful way of turning potential feelings of envy, jealousy or even inferiority into a constructive process that enables you to experience their success for yourself.

Who will you model?

What do they do that you will put into practice?

CONFIDENT BODY LANGUAGE

What does your body have to do with your mind? Recent research suggests that the body-mind connection may be much more integrated than we think. Your brain communicates messages to your body to make it function and it does this through a network of neurotransmitters – chemicals that transmit impulses along your nerves. The thoughts you think translate into actions or bodily responses. What hasn‟t been understood until recently, however, is that this process seems to also work in reverse, whereby neurotransmitters are produced by the body, eg in the internal organs, and relayed back to the brain. The concept of „bodymind‟, refers to this integrated communication system which does not separate the mind and the body.

Crash Course in Confidence

This could explain why our personal body language patterns can profoundly influence our state of mind - and vice versa. If you want to really maximise your confidence, start using the power of body language and get your body talking for you. Also, notice how the body interprets your confident thoughts and feelings.

Our top 5 tips for creating confident body language are outlined below.

1. Eye contact – You can give out a very positive, confident message when you‟re engaged in conversation by simply establishing good eye contact . Rather than staring with bulging eyes, your gaze and blink rate should be natural and relaxed.

2. Posture – An open, relaxed posture not only affects how confident you feel, but also how others perceive you. Shoulders are dropped, back is upright with feet firmly planted on the ground. Hands can rest on the table, in your lap or by your side. If you only do one thing, this is the one to get right if you want to get off to a positive, confident start.

3. Facial expressions – Even your eyebrows can reveal anxiety or worry when they rise and come together. Pursing or biting your lips can signal nerves and anxiety. Make a habit of relaxing your facial muscles and breaking into a gentle, pleasant smile that‟s appropriate for the situation.

4. Gestures – Avoid clutching your thumbs, sitting on your hands, folding your arms or locking your fingers in a death grip – these can be signs of fear, insecurity and defensiveness. A confident speaker has open, relaxed hands that move in line with what they‟re saying.

5. Smile – Even when all seems like doom and gloom around you, try keeping a smile on your face. And remember to smile with your mouth and your eyes – it‟s much more genuine and will ensure that you look like you believe what you are saying.

CONFIDENCE BUBBLE

Imagine how you would feel if you could walk around all day within a bubble that buffered you from any negativity or safeguarded you from attempts to put a dent in your confidence. Ask yourself these questions: What kind of day would you have if you were able to remain in a state of heightened confidence? What would become possible? What difference would this make?

If you like the idea of being able to walk around with a layer of confidence that is difficult to break, you might like to try this exercise as part of your morning routine or in preparation for a challenging situation such as your first day back in the office. This is what you can do – and it only takes a minute:

Take a few deep breaths as you allow your negative thoughts to be cleared away from your mind. Now fill your mind with just one image – it may be a big bubble or a gigantic jar. What colour is your bubble or jar and what shape is it? Now that

Crash Course in Confidence

you have a crystal clear image in your mind, imagine yourself stepping into the bubble or jar. Allow yourself to be completely within this protective layer. Zip up your bubble or tighten the lid on your jar. You can fill this space up with positive thoughts or music and visualise any negativity bouncing off the outside wall. Hold onto this image as you take in a couple of more deep breaths. And tell yourself that you can remain within this confidence bubble or jar all day long.

This is a tool that many sportsmen and women have used to great effect to block out the negativity from the opponent‟s supporters. Try it on for size yourself.

DO A SWOT!

Have a good, hard look at yourself. What are you really good at and what kinds of things are you less adept at doing? Taking time to assess your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats – or in other words doing a SWOT Analysis - can provide valuable insights and information that can then be reflected upon and put into practice to create greater confidence.

The SWOT tool was developed for strategic planning for organisations, but we have adapted it here to use at the individual level. The 2 x 2 matrix is split horizontally, with internal factors in the top half (your Strengths and Weaknesses) and external influences in the lower half (Opportunities and Threats).

Use the SWOT matrix below to carry out your own analysis. Consider your strengths and weaknesses in terms of skills, knowledge, attitudes, aptitudes, experiences and motivations. Opportunities and threats can describe the environment around you, including issues such as competition, events at your work, or more generally within the sector, industry or the wider economy.

Crash Course in Confidence

SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths (INTERNAL) Weaknesses (INTERNAL)

Opportunities (EXTERNAL) Threats (EXTERNAL)

After completing the four sections, you can decide what you can do to turn your weaknesses into strengths and convert threats into opportunities. You might, for example, decide to enrol on a course, secure a mentor or rewrite your CV to help create a more confident impression.

What things can you do to turn your weaknesses into strengths?

How can you convert threats into opportunities?

Crash Course in Confidence

SUCCESS LOG

For those who find it difficult to visualise, another useful tool for influencing your state of mind is the success log. Buy a notebook and note down your successes – any achievements – either in the workplace or personally. Also note down any compliments that you get from your colleagues, from clients, from your boss. Read through your notebook before you go to bed at night, so you fall asleep with lots of positive thoughts in your head, but also use it during the day when challenges present themselves or if you need to be re-inspired or re- energised, for example, shortly before your first big meeting. It will help you to focus on the great things that you have achieved and the great things that people think about you. Remember to refer to it often – and watch the impact grow.

THE MIND MATTERS

Take stock of your feelings by writing down a few of your current concerns, worries or even fears to capture how you feel in the face of your return to work.

Did you ever wonder where these feelings came from and why some people experience totally different feelings when faced with exactly the same situation? Our minds are indeed fascinating things! It‟s truly mind-boggling what they do on a nanosecond-by-nanosecond basis. There is some anatomical truth to the statement: „I‟m in two minds…‟ given that the mind has both a „conscious‟ and a „subconscious‟ part. We could go on at length about their functions, however the main point is about their distinct roles in determining our feelings.

In a nutshell, the conscious mind is operating from a place of awareness and taking „conscious‟ decisions which translate into actions. It is, in a sense, the epicentre of our thoughts and actions. The subconscious mind works very differently. It serves as a repository of information - its purpose is simply to accept any new information which is transmitted to it (eg via behaviours, perceptions, thoughts) and store it for future reference. Unlike the conscious mind, the subconscious is not discerning. It does not evaluate, consider or judge - it can be seen as the epicentre of our feelings.

When something happens, for instance when we feel a flurry of nerves prior to an important interview or presentation, our subconscious mind stores that incident away. The next time we have an interview or presentation to make, it scans its internal database for indicators of how we will feel. It doesn‟t take a brain surgeon to guess what that will be. We will undoubtedly feel nervous again, provided the

Crash Course in Confidence

most recent or frequently occurring data stored in the subconscious is along the lines of: „I feel nervous in these kinds of situations’.

How, then, can we have any hope of changing our behaviours or breaking negative thought habits if this involuntary process is ticking away behind the scenes? We may know that we should just relax, be positive and believe in our abilities, but sadly behaviour change is not merely a matter of knowledge or skill. If you need proof of that last statement, simply consider a couple of major health issues such as obesity and smoking and how ineffective health promotion and education can be. Many people fail to create lasting change in their behaviour and will repeat their failures over and over again in their lives.

We have some great ideas on how to free yourself from potential harm that your subconscious mind is capable of causing. These are described in the following sections.

MANAGING SELF TALK

With all of the work that the subconscious mind is doing behind the scenes to find „evidence‟ to reinforce what it regards as fact or truth, it‟s no wonder we sometimes talk ourselves into feeling negative or under confident. If, for example, you are worried about losing your job and are constantly telling yourself and others that this is a big concern, the subconscious will be looking for signals that this is indeed what is going to happen. Each time you mention your worry, the subconscious stores this away and builds a stronger belief based on this „fact‟.

As you become more aware of your feelings and thoughts, you can take your awareness one step further by tuning into your self-talk. We all have the voices inside our head that tell us what we can and can‟t do – sometimes they tell us we are completely capable of doing what we‟re trying to do, sometimes they remind us that we‟re aiming too high or getting too big for our boots (our „Gremlins‟). Listen to what you say to yourself on a regular basis that may be having a negative effect on your confidence.

Take charge of this talk and make sure it‟s all positive – be your own best friend and tell yourself how capable you are, how well suited you are to the job, how many talents you have and how well you are going to perform.

You will soon discover that the more you tell yourself something (either positive or negative) the more you will start to believe that that is the reality. This is definitely a case of mind over matter.

AFFIRMATIONS

An affirmation is a statement that is POSITIVE, PERSONAL and in the PRESENT TENSE. It is designed to work on your subconscious mind, changing its reality. Create this statement, then play around with it to make sure it‟s inspiring so that when you say it to yourself you feel excited, motivated and confident in your own abilities.

Crash Course in Confidence

Once you feel you‟ve got the affirmation right, repeat it 5 times each morning, 5 times before you go to bed and randomly throughout the day – preferably in front of a mirror. Also use it in situations where you find yourself feeling a little under- confident

MY AFFIRMATION IS: ______

WORRY NOT!

Fear is, well, scary! It makes you want to avoid it and run away from what is frightening you. The best thing to do is to face it and acknowledge it. This takes courage but just facing the fear will defuse its charge and empower you. Fear can cause you to panic, especially if others are sharing that fear and magnifying it. Grasp the actual facts of the situation and their potential consequences.

What is the worst that can happen? Take some time to consider what you are really afraid of. What is it that is making you nervous? Note it down and then come up with a strategy to conquer it. If you are afraid of not being able to answer questions in a meeting or following a presentation, spend extra time preparing text-book answers. If you are worried that your colleagues won‟t think you‟re up to the job, focus on your strengths and identify which of these make you an asset to the team. Even the most obvious, practical step can have a major impact on how secure you feel.

There will ALWAYS be something that you can do to overcome the fear – and taking responsibility to conquer it can only impact positively on your overall confidence.

My fear is: ______

My strategy for conquering my fear is: ______

Crash Course in Confidence

MAKE YOUR THINKING WORK FOR YOU

NEGATIVE/RATIONAL/POSITIVE THINKING

The other part of the FEEL-THINK-DO action cycle is about the thoughts that go through our mind which either help or hinder confidence. Influencing the THINK step begins with thought awareness, followed by thinking rationally about the negative thought and finally transforming it into a positive thought. This 3-step process, Negative/Rational/Positive Thinking, is a simple tool that can help to create consistently more positive, confident thoughts. It is a matter of identifying what your negative thoughts are, considering these in a more rational, less emotional way and then reframing it into a more beneficial, positive thought.

1. Negative thought awareness – raises your awareness and understanding of any negative thought patterns, unpleasant memories and misinterpretation of situations that may interfere with your performance and damage your self- confidence. It goes without saying that negative thinking can knock your confidence, harm your performance and disrupt your ability to think clearly. These are profoundly damaging effects from mere fleeting thoughts that often enter our minds almost unnoticed. Thought Awareness is the process by which you observe your thoughts and become aware of what is going through your head. You can write down your thoughts about a particular issue or situation that you are concerned about. Relax your mind as you enter into a "stream of consciousness" state, allowing any thoughts to enter into your mind. Take note of your thoughts and then let them go.

2. Rational thinking – gives you an opportunity to question and challenge these negative thoughts, and either learn from them, or refute them as incorrect. Look at every thought you wrote down and challenge it rationally. Ask yourself whether the thought is reasonable. What evidence is there for and against the thought? Would your colleagues and mentors agree or disagree with it?

3. Positive thinking - is then used to create positive affirmations that you can use to counter negative thoughts. These affirmations neutralise negative thoughts and help to build your self-confidence. It is also used to find the opportunities that are often present, to some degree, in a difficult situation.

Use the grid below to note down some of your negative thoughts in column one. Evaluate each thought in a more rational way in column two. And in the third column record a positive approach to dealing with the initial thought.

ORIGINAL NEGATIVE RATIONAL POSITIVE THOUGHT THOUGHT THOUGHT

Crash Course in Confidence

A QUESTION OF POWER

Daily Power Questions

Each morning, when you wake up, simply ask yourself the question “What powerful action will I take today to boost my confidence …?” and pick a simple action that you can undertake. This action can be something small – it‟s amazing the changes that can result, even from a small change in how you behave – or large.

DATE WHAT POWERFUL ACTION WILL I TAKE TODAY TO BOOST MY CONFIDENCE?

Powerful Questions

Consider the questions that you ask yourself when you are feeling under confident. They usually fall within the “Why me?” type of questions. What other questions could you ask yourself that will turn any negative questions into an opportunity to build your confidence? For example, What have I learned from this experience? If this happens again, what will I do to make it turn out differently? What’s the upside of this? Other questions you can ask yourself to help you to deal with a situation effectively are: Who will I talk to to make me feel inspired? What music will I listen to that will energise me? What step will I take to feel more confident? Looking at any situation from this perspective can affect your confidence in profoundly powerful ways. Be warned!

Crash Course in Confidence

5 – MINUTE DAILY CONFIDENCE WORKOUT

We recommend getting into good daily habits that will help give you bullet-proof confidence. Try our 5-step daily plan for a week and see what difference it can make. It‟s only five minutes of your day, but the impact can be seen for 24 hours a day.

STEP 1. Ask yourself a Daily Power Question every morning: What powerful thing can I do today that will make me feel more confident? Answer out loud in front of the mirror. Commit to putting it into action.

STEP 2. Decide on an appropriate Positive Affirmation and say it up to 50 times a day. Every day.

STEP 3. Perfect your posture: stand up straight and sit tall throughout the day, wherever you are and whatever you are doing – even if you are alone.

STEP 4. Transport yourself into a confident haven using the power of a vivid Visualisation. Intensify the colours, sounds, feelings and emotions.

STEP 5. Smile! At your friends, colleagues, boss, staff and even at yourself. It‟s guaranteed to make you feel better instantly.

Crash Course in Confidence

NOTES

Crash Course in Confidence

NOTES

Crash Course in Confidence

DEBORAH SIMMONS

[email protected]

t: 07900 408055

Quest Coaching are always happy to deliver any or all of the workshops in our „Talk Your Way to Success‟ series to companies and organisations. We also create training programmes specifically tailored to your developmental needs. Please contact us to discuss how we can assist your team to communicate more effectively.

www.londoncoachingassociates.com

M: 07900 408055 E: [email protected] W: www.questcoaching.co.uk

CONFIDENCE CONTRACT WHY The main reason I want to enhance my confidence is:

HOW

One thing that I will now commit to doing on a regular basis from today to boost my confidence is:

My Daily Affirmation is:

My biggest challenge to becoming more confident is:

To master that challenge, I will:

I will know that I am more confident when:

Signed______Date ______