Mills & Reeve partner Kate Watkins reflects on her career as an employment lawyer, how her time in-house has influenced her journey, and why you’ll never find one of her trainees on bundling duty
“I’ve always been interested in employment law,” says Kate Watkins, an employment partner at Mills & Reeve. “During every seat rotation as a trainee, I chose employment law as my first preference, but ironically, I never actually got a seat in it!” she jokes. “So, when it came time to qualify, I knew employment law was my passion, so I took a bit of a gamble by qualifying into an area I hadn’t yet dipped a toe into.”
Having qualified at a regional law firm that specialised in advising housing, social care and charities, I begin by asking Watkins about her diverse career, which includes experience both in-house and at law firms. “I had an ‘itch to scratch’ when it came to working in-house, after nearly nine years at my previous firm,” she tells me. “So, when the opportunity arose to work for health and beauty retailer Boots as an in-house employment lawyer, I jumped at the chance.”
Moving from advising housing, social care and charities to a huge company like Boots must have been challenging, I suggest. “Well, anyone will tell you that employment law is employment law,” she responds. “The key is about understanding your sector and applying the law in a sector-specific way. So, transitioning from the housing, social care and charity world to a company like Boots was about learning about the client, my stakeholders, their objectives, and then applying my advice accordingly.”
Now a relatively new employment partner at national outfit, Mills & Reeve, Watkins fills me in on what inspired her move to the firm. “Part of the reason I moved back to private practice is because I missed being able to collaborate more with different clients in varying sectors,” she reveals “At Mills & Reeve, I enjoy working with our corporate team on the employment-related aspects of acquisitions and restructuring work.” But it’s also the variety of clients at the firm that spurred the move, Watkins explains. “One day I could be working for a client that has several retail stores, and the next day I could be working with a car manufacturer or a brewery client! So, each of my clients brings a new style of work, different challenges and different overall client objectives to bear in mind,” she says.
“I also enjoy the client relationship and business development opportunities of being in private practice, which is a huge part of my role now as a partner. I love the clients I work with, but I also get to network with and meet potential new clients all the time, which is really exciting.”
But in-house work doesn’t exist in a vacuum, Watkins is keen to stress. “Through my in-house experience, I’ve learned an incredible amount that adds value to my current practice at Mills & Reeve. When I was at Boots, we instructed external law firms on some employment matters, so in effect, I was the client. This gave me insight into receiving good advice. For instance, something as simple as keeping clients updated is incredibly effective for building strong relationships,” she explains. “My in-house experience has provided valuable insights into client needs, the internal pressures they face, and the importance of fostering a collaborative relationship with external law firm partners.”
Part of selling yourself as partner is emphasising your abilities to build these relationships, Watkins tells me. “In the legal market, you have to have a USP that attracts and retains clients. So, part of my ‘pitch’ is my experience of getting to know a client’s key aims, having an intimate knowledge of their business objectives and knowing how they like to work,” she explains. “Often relationships come before fees when attracting new business. I also instil this in the people in my team.”
So, how has the transition to partner been? “Actually, it’s been quite a soft landing!” says Watkins, who was elevated to the role just over four months ago. “At Mills & Reeve there’s an amazing amount of support throughout the process and so I never felt “in at the deep end”.” Inevitably, her day-to-day responsibilities have shifted slightly, with a significant portion of her time now focused on managing existing clients whilst also bringing in new business for the firm. “There’s an element of strategy that becomes important as a partner. It’s varied slightly, but I still have my incredible team around me that help with the day to day — I couldn’t do my job without them quite frankly!”
For those at the start of their legal careers, I’m keen to ask Watkins what role trainees play in her team at Mills & Reeve. “There’s a huge variety of work that our trainees in employment get involved in at the firm,” she begins. “Our employment team is split into three core sectors: commercial, health, and education. So, there’s a huge variety of clients to work with, and also a real full-spectrum experience of employment law as a whole,” she adds.
Watkins tells me that one day trainees could be drafting a settlement agreement, and the next day talking to a client about a national minimum wage issue or a restructure. “This is before you get to litigation experience through tribunal work!” she says. But variety is not the only USP of the firm’s employment practice for trainees; Mills & Reeve are very hands-on, Watkins emphasises. “You’ll never find a trainee here sat at the photocopier doing bundles! This is just a waste of their time and isn’t going to excite them. So, certainly at trainee-level we’ve had trainees running with Tribunal cases, drafting claims and putting together pieces of advice for clients,” she details.
So, with trainees forming a core function in the employment team, what are Watkins’ views on what makes a trainee exceptional? “Some of the best trainees I’ve seen are those that are appropriately inquisitive,” she answers. “They want to do more than understand what they need to do with a piece of work, they also want to understand why a client may have made a certain decision and not be afraid to have a view,” she replies. “It’s about understanding the bigger picture and how their task fits into it. This, for me has been what makes an impressive trainee experience.”
Drawing the conversation to a close, Watkins talks to me about what makes Mills & Reeve a special place to work. “It’s certainly the culture and how we look after people and collaborate. I remember my very first week as a senior associate at the firm, and I genuinely couldn’t figure out how to work the photocopier and all of its password protections (thankfully they’re gone now!). A partner in the team came over and helped me. I remember thinking — ‘I’m wasting your time here, but it’s a breath of fresh air that you’re so happy to help me’.” she tells me, reminiscing. “That culture genuinely breathes through the whole firm and is why we Achieve More. Together.”
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