Katie has joined CooperBurnett fresh from maternity leave after having her baby son, while she also has a daughter, who has recently started school.
Katie graduated with a degree in law from the University of Kent in 2005 and completed her Legal Practice Course (LPC) at The College of Law in Guildford in 2008.
“Having graduated, I worked as a Will writer in East Grinstead, before moving into a secretarial/assistant role with a local law firm,” says Katie. “While there, I was encouraged not to ‘waste’ my law degree, so moved over to DMH Stallard in Crawley to complete my training.”
She qualified into the firm’s Private Client team in 2012.
“I was always particularly drawn to Private Client work,” says Katie. “I like the fact that it is very client-facing and you meet all types of people. It’s a role in which one needs to be sensitive and sympathetic and that’s something which I’m really comfortable with. I’ve also found that I really enjoy working with older clients in particular.”
Within the Private Client team, Katie describes probate as her ‘bread and butter’.
“It’s an area I know well and it’s something which often really frightens people,” says Katie. “Many clients have enough to deal with emotionally at that time, without the paperwork and procedures which probate brings. It’s nice to tell somebody not to worry and to hand over all the paperwork for us to deal with. It takes some of the pressure away at a difficult time.”
Katie lives within walking distance of CooperBurnett’s office in Tunbridge Wells and admits to thinking ‘how lovely’ it would be to work there over the years.
“I always knew that CooperBurnett was a well-established and well-regarded firm,” she says. “Now I’ve joined it’s only emphasised to me how personable, approachable and friendly the firm is as a whole. As for me, everyone has been so welcoming and nothing has been too much trouble when I’ve had questions. It feels as if I’ve been here ages already, I feel so settled.”
Katie adds: “I like the way that the firm works together as a team, supporting each other and naturally referring business between departments.”
In her spare time, Katie enjoys arts and crafts – including card making, beading and jewellery making – and recently crafted hair clips for party bags for the children who came to celebrate her daughter’s birthday.
