“When I was looking for a new role, I was very specific about what I wanted,” says Ayla. “In addition to something which suited me in residential property, I was looking for a firm which offered me flexibility to work from home part of the week. I have to say I feel really happy, as this is the absolute dream job for me, it’s just perfect.”
She continues: “What struck me is how supportive and forward-thinking CooperBurnett is as a firm. This came across in my initial interview with Joseph [Oates] and Victoria [Sampson], as they were just so open and friendly. I already knew CooperBurnett has a great reputation in the marketplace and this role is giving me the opportunity to get involved with some really high-quality work.”
When she was still at school, Ayla initially had plans to be an author but then The Spice Girls came along, sharing their message of ‘girl power’.
“They gave me the impression that girls could do anything and it got me thinking,” she says. “I realised that a career in law was held in high esteem and I thought, well I can do that.”
Ayla has joined the firm after a career break with her children although, during that time, she threw herself in a number of projects, including organising a music festival with live bands and getting involved with a forest school.
She has always worked in residential property and, while at law school, had a part-time role with an in-house property firm. Ayla says she likes ‘dealing with people’, so residential property is an area which suits her.
“In some areas of law, you don’t actually get to talk to clients that often but with residential property you do it regularly; it’s a very ‘human’ area of law,” she explains. “I also enjoy the transactional nature of my role and the fact that every transaction is different. Often there are challenges and I like that too.”
While she’s working at home part of the time, Ayla has been spending more days in the CooperBurnett office initially.
“I am so enjoying getting to know the team and learning the systems,” says Ayla. “The atmosphere is lovely and everyone is just so supportive and welcoming.”
In her spare time, Ayla is very much into her fitness, working out at the gym whenever she can, while her children have recently discovered ice skating, so she’s enjoying that too. Last summer she enjoyed a two-day walk with friends, which took her from Ramsgate to Deal on the first day and then onto Dover.
“It was just so liberating to just have everything in a back-pack and set off and I’d love to do more of that,” she adds.
