My background

I’m a specialist in serious injury cases, with almost two decades’ experience in the field. I started out in Hull and joined Burnetts in 2017 after 14 years with Thompsons in Manchester, where I advised on high-value serious injury, industrial disease and clinical negligence claims.

Previously I lived in Manchester city centre and then Didsbury and Wilmslow, so I’ve always been in an urban environment where I could walk out into coffee bars, shops and restaurants. I regarded myself as a city kind of person.

Relocating

While I had a great job in Manchester, ultimately my fiancée is from Cumbria. She was pregnant and we decided to relocate as a family to be near parents. We knew lots of people in Manchester, but we didn’t have any family.

I’d heard great things about Cumbria; that it was a lovely place to be and a great place to raise a family. I had worked with Burnetts’ Managing Partner Nick Gutteridge previously and he had great things to say about the firm.

Burnetts wanted someone with some significant experience in personal injury work. To be honest I had little idea what to expect. I’d come from a national firm, doing top end work, and I was moving to Carlisle to a firm I knew little about.

Life at Burnetts

From the outset I was incredibly impressed by the talent, experience and knowledge in the firm. I would put Burnetts on a par with those national firms I have experience of, no problem at all.

It could have been that I was going from a big life to a smaller life but actually I’ve gone to a better life and that’s across the board – the firm, the team and the type of work we’re doing.

In a national firm with thousands of staff you’re a small cog in a big wheel. Somewhere like this you have a say in how things are done. If you think there’s something that can be improved then generally you can do something about it. You can affect change.

I think most people come to Burnetts and think like that because it’s got so much going for it. It’s a young, progressive, dynamic, forward-thinking firm. You can see the investment with the new offices, the succession planning. The quality of work is great and so’s the talent.

What sets Burnetts apart is the partnership. There’s a real dynamism. They’re not sat in their ivory towers, winding down the clock and not driving the business forward. It’s the absolute opposite.

Whatever level someone comes into this firm you can see that the route further up is there. This is a firm that’s interested in investing in you and your career.

Burnetts has been incredible and it’s been a real eye-opener for me. I’m very happy here. This is my fifth law firm but without a shadow of a doubt I’m staying!

In terms of living in Cumbria, it’s beautiful. We’re converting a barn in a gorgeous rural setting. It’s so incredible, you can see the Lakeland views one way and Pennine views the other.

We have two children, with another on the way, and my view is this is a brilliant place to bring up kids. You can send them to good schools and have nice clean air to breathe and live in a nice community.

I’m an outsider but I’ve been welcomed in. What you might have thought was a closed community isn’t at all. I’ve found people to be completely welcoming.

It makes you feel part of something, and you don’t get that everywhere.

If you would like to register your interest in joining Burnetts, please send a copy of your CV to yourfuture@burnetts.co.uk.