Getting the balance right

Head of Wholesale, Retail, Bids & Solution Claire Betty spoke to The Lawyer about the advantage of training in-house and how the business culture at Royal Mail allows for a healthy work-life balance.

In-house training contracts are on the rise, what are the benefits of training in-house?

‘The advantage of training in-house is that it provides a broad spectrum of work and a real taste of how a business operates day to day,’ said Claire. ‘It also teaches you pretty quickly what clients want from their lawyers, because if it doesn’t quite hit the mark the client will tend to turn up at your desk unexpectedly!

‘Our trainees learn early on how to provide advice in plain English that is both commercially focussed and of practical use to the business. We also encourage them to get involved in as wide a range of work as possible, and to develop practical skills like managing a budget and providing training to clients so that they get a rounded experience during the time that they are with us.

‘Training in-house is not a barrier to moving into private practice later on and vice versa, so the key is to find what you’re interested in and to pursue that rather than assume that there’s one prescribed route to success.’

How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

‘Maintaining a good work-life balance can be difficult, but particularly so for the legal profession where there’s often an expectation that you will be available to your clients around the clock,’ said Claire.

‘Many people are juggling demanding legal jobs with a myriad of other things such as childcare, looking after ageing or sick parents, relationship breakups, moving house or financial stresses, and it can all feel quite finely balanced sometimes. Keeping things on an even keel and ensuring that you have sufficient energy to deal with everything on your plate is really important, but often work takes up the lion’s share.

‘The culture of the organisation plays a big part in getting the balance right. It’s important that the tone is set from the top and that senior staff lead by example. I am fortunate in that my organisation is supportive of staff maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

‘Our GC has committed not to email the wider legal team after 7pm during the week, or during the weekend unless it’s genuinely urgent, and as a team we try to stick to that rule. Of course when there’s a need to work late we do so, but it is not considered to be the norm, meaning that people are respectful of each other’s time outside work, and that expectation extends to our relationship with the business as well.

‘On a personal level, I find regular exercise helps me to maintain the mental resilience required to manage the various demands on me at work and at home. I’m also a qualified yoga teacher, and the focus on meditation and breathing techniques in a yoga class is a good way to reset after a stressful day.’

You can read Claire’s full interview with The Lawyer here.