Citywealth Future Leaders Awards: spotlight on shortlisted lawyers

Date: 27 Sep 2023

Ashleigh John

On 14 November 2023, Citywealth will be hosting its annual Future Leaders Awards, which celebrates young professionals in the wealth sector and highlight the leaders under 40 of today and tomorrow. In the run up to the Awards ceremony, when our winners will be announced, we are getting to know some of the professionals who have been shortlisted for an award this year.

Citywealth Future Leaders Awards: spotlight on shortlisted lawyers

In this week’s spotlight, we are focusing on those shortlisted in the Legal categories:

Benjamin Faulkner, Wilberforce Chambers – nominated for Barrister of the Year

Camellia Buckmaster, Payne Hicks Beach – nominated for Family Lawyer of the Year – Senior/Managing Associate

Sarah Jane Lenihan, Dawson Cornwell – nominated for Family Lawyer of the Year – Partner

Joshua Viney, 1 Hare Court – nominated for Barrister of the Year

Nerys Thomas, Michelmores – nominated for Lawyer of the Year – Senior/Managing Associate

Natalia Fortuna, Ogier – nominated for Lawyer of the Year IFC – Associate

Rebecca Alexander, Family Law in Partnership – nominated for Family Lawyer of the Year – Associate

What is one part of your job that comes easily to you, and one part that does not? How do you approach/overcome the part that is more challenging?

Benjamin Faulkner:

I like to think that courtroom advocacy is the thing that comes most naturally to me. That’s not to say that it’s easy. It takes hours and hours of preparation to work out exactly what I want to say (and not say!) and, importantly, how to say it. I think one challenging aspect of litigation is how volatile or unpredictable it can be. You can try and prepare for everything, but something unexpected can happen. A witness can suddenly remember a key new fact when giving evidence at trial. A document can turn up, which changes everything. Or something mundane, like a hearing having to be vacated because a judge can’t be found, can have huge tactical consequences. I think my solution to deal with that is to remember my experiences of all the times when these unexpected factors have benefitted me and my clients.

Camellia Buckmaster:

I enjoy obtaining the financial facts, précising the case for the team and considering the bigger picture in order to advise on strategy. Finding the right approach to child arrangements is often challenging. You have to work closely with your client to ascertain what is in the best interests of the child(ren). It is an incredibly child specific and focused process.

Sarah Jane Lenihan:

Easy – empathy. From a young age I have volunteered for various charities which has given me insight to many life experiences different from my own. Hard – the ability to say no. I believe most solicitors in this area of law do it because they want to make a difference and improve individuals lives for the better. I therefore struggle to say no when someone needs my help whether this be a client or a colleague. I write myself a to do list for the following day so I know what I need to get done and I have this separated into tasks that must be completed and tasks that are less urgent. If my list is full of must do tasks I find it easier to explore the urgency of a task and either say no or suggest an alternative time.

Joshua Viney:

My favourite part of the job is working in a team and it is something I find very easy. Since I became a barrister the size of cases has ballooned and to manage this you have to be able to work well in a team. Different insights, skillsets and knowledge are vastly more important now and lend themselves to success. Similarly, the judiciary is far more demanding (rightly sometimes) as to the speed of cases. Complying with that pressure can only be done through good teamwork. I’ve made some great friends through the process! The part of the job that comes least easy to me is establishing boundaries so that I can carve out time for myself and my family. I care deeply about my cases and I struggle to switch off which I am firmly aware can be a great irritant to friends and family! I tend to be quite strict about my holidays as downtime which gives me a chance to reset.

Nerys Thomas:

A particular aspect of my job which I feel comes easily to me is the ability to build solid professional relationships with my clients from the outset. I consider myself to be personable, empathetic and a good listener which I feel are qualities which help me in my day to day role as a private client solicitor. I often meet with clients and their families in a range of settings, from an office which is the hub of the family business to perhaps a meeting around the family farm’s kitchen table. I find it easy adapting to these different settings which is key to being able to fulfil my role. Generally, it is only when I meet with clients in their preferred surroundings where they feel most comfortable that we can really start to get to the crux of the legal support which they need. My clients will also often require my input at the most difficult times of their lives, such as following a bereavement or a terminal diagnosis.

Whilst it can be challenging to deal with those situations, it is almost instinctive for me to want to support them in any way I can, not only through providing legal support but also a friendly, reassuring ear when needed. Whilst I feel I have good interpersonal skills, one of the more challenging aspects of my role is how to provide feedback to junior colleagues in a constructive way which does not discourage them. I feel that there is a delicate balance between highlighting the issue and what might have been done differently whilst also avoiding making the individual feel demoralised. I try to approach feedback conversations in a positive way where clear communication is key. Discussing experiences with supervising partners and other senior associates has helped significantly together with professional training on giving feedback which included role play scenarios.

Natalia Fortuna:

I enjoy collaborative work and working in private wealth allows me to work closely with my clients to help them navigate their legal queries and issues, helping them to achieve their financial and personal goals with respect to wealth structuring, estate planning, and philanthropy. Private wealth work requires us to be empathetic to the human situations and problems our clients are experiencing with a solution-focused attitude. I enjoy taking a collaborative approach with intermediaries and my colleagues in other practice areas to provide pragmatic advice to my clients while also being sensitive to the very real human relationships and problems at play. Ogier has a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and this translates to the services that we provide to our clients, with an emphasis on understanding and accommodating our clients based on their individual requirements and backgrounds.

I am detail-oriented and naturally take an analytical approach to my work. I enjoy advisory work in particular and being able to focus on legal technicalities, however this is something that I am continuously working on balancing with a commercial approach. Ogier strives to give our clients advice which is to the point. What makes us stand out as a firm is a pragmatic application of the law to provide comprehensive advice which requires a balance between these two skillsets.

Rebecca Alexander:

I’ve been practising as a family lawyer for over 5 years now and what I’ve learnt, particularly during my time at Family Law in Partnership, is that to be a successful family lawyer you need to have not only excellent technical legal skills, but also an understanding of the emotional impact that the legal process can have on clients as individuals. For me, personally, it is very important not to see my work as a “battle to be won” but to do what is in the best interests of my client to successfully resolve their case.

I am acutely aware that my clients are often facing challenging situations, both legally and personally. They need a lawyer who is a good listener, and who is both sensitive and understanding of the issues that they are facing, but non-judgmental. Often, and understandably, emotions can be heightened in the cases that I am involved with, and that can be a more challenging aspect. In my role as a lawyer, I try to remain objective to provide clear sighted and strategic advice, whilst also fully appreciating the personal situation that my client finds themselves in.

Which qualities do you think are necessary to make a good leader?

Benjamin Faulkner: I think a good leader isn’t proud, isn’t a show off, and parks their ego as far away as possible. It’s so important to listen to the whole team, in search of the best ideas. It doesn’t matter who thought of it. It doesn’t matter if someone in the team points out a better approach than yours (well, it does matter, because then the team can adopt that better approach!). What matters is that everyone feels the freedom to contribute, and feels that it is team effort that leads to a team result.

Camellia Buckmaster: Approachability, decisive decision making and gravitas.

Sarah Jane Lenihan: Kindness. Kindness is key in family law to clients, colleagues and 3rd parties. It is an emotive area of law and working in this way makes it slightly less hard on all those involved this is very important especially where there are children involved. I also believe it is infectious and it spreads making the working environment a happier place to be!

Joshua Viney: To me it is a well-proportioned mixture of decisiveness, the ability to listen to the team around you and your client, and being organised. Without decisiveness you are rudderless. Without listening to those around you, you miss out on everything they offer. Being organised and setting aside the proper time to consider your case is crucial.

Nerys Thomas: From my perspective, the qualities which make a good leader include being self-aware and emotionally intelligent. It is important that a good leader is confident in what they stand for but also that they can take a step back and be able to pre-empt and recognise wider issues. Being a good leader is also based on good communication. This should involve being a good listener as much as being able to convey ideas clearly. A good leader must be able to receive feedback and take responsibility when necessary. I think that this includes being able to recognise that even good leaders sometimes get things wrong. For me, a good leader must be trustworthy and must be able to garner the respect of those whom they are leading. Perhaps more importantly, that respect must also be retained. Those being led will only follow where there is good rapport and mutual respect.

Natalia Fortuna: I think that a good leader is empathetic, responsible, and encouraging. I think a good leader works consistently to remember that everyone in their team is at a different stage in their learning process and can tailor their instructions to suit all capabilities and levels. Taking responsibility and leading by example is also key to ensuring that people feel supported and aligned as a team. Lastly, to have a motivated workforce, I think it’s crucial to help people to see their own strengths and nurture these when possible; rather than spending time and energy trying to change who we are and how we work, I think we excel when we are working to be the best version of ourselves and this comes most naturally when we lean into our strengths.

Rebecca Alexander: There are a number of qualities necessary to make a good leader. For me personally, the most important qualities are self-awareness, respect and empathy. Self-awareness is paramount for successful leadership. I believe that the better you are able to understand yourself and recognise your own strengths and weaknesses, the more effective you can be as a leader. Treating people with respect is one of the most important attributes of a good leader. Being respectful will ease tensions and conflict, create trust and generally improve effectiveness. Respectfulness can be shown in many different ways, but it often starts with simply listening to the people around you and seeking to truly understand their perspectives. Empathy is the key pillar of emotional intelligence. It is imperative for improving teamwork and I believe that if you show empathetic leadership, your team are more likely to value you as a leader.

Tell us about something new that you’ve tried recently outside of work.

Benjamin Faulkner: Last year my husband and I went backpacking in Mexico. We booked flights in, and the first night’s accommodation, and then just went with the flow when we got there. At work I’m so used to such meticulous planning, and I had always taken the same approach to holidays too. But this time I really enjoyed the freedom of not knowing what was next, of not having to leave a place we really liked because the itinerary said so, and instead of being able to get under the skin of the places we really loved the most.

Camellia Buckmaster: Bodyboarding in Cornwall – I was terrible!

Sarah Jane Lenihan: My husband thought it might be a good idea to sign us up for a fitness event later on this year called Hyrox which involved 1km run followed by 1 functional movement which is repeated 8 times. I have therefore just dusted off my running shoes and started a training plan! This will be the first event of this type I have ever done and I have run more in the last couple of weeks than I have in the last 15 years!

Joshua Viney: In August I undertook an intensive day skipper course and passed! So I can now skipper a yacht / power boat. It was really refreshing learning an entirely new skill, nautical language and also pretty exhausting – particularly staying up until 4 am navigating a yacht in pitch black with only a few flashing lights to work out where we were going! It was also difficult to read emails on my phone when I was miles away from land without reception and with the sails up!

Nerys Thomas: I purchased my first house just over 12 months ago. Whilst the DIY inside the property is almost at an end, I have more recently turned my attention to the garden which was the previous owner’s pride and joy and in an immaculate condition when I first moved in. Over the summer months, the garden has been ablaze with all sorts of flowers, plants and shrubs most of which I could barely identify at the outset let alone pronounce. Whilst I have no previous gardening experience or any particular interest in that area, I have been keen to at least try to develop green fingers.

With a little help from Google and some input from Mum, I have found myself trying to learn about different species of plants and how to look after them. Who knew that certain plants could only be pruned at specific times of the year or that others could be killed through over-watering?! Whilst gardening is not a hobby I thought I would ever take up, it has surprisingly been very enjoyable and spending time outdoors is great. It is also a positive that I have so far only managed to lose one plant through negligence!

Natalia Fortuna:

I started taking adult ballet classes recently after a break of 8 years from dancing. I’ve always loved classical dance; it’s great for fitness and is also a way to express creativity. Starting lessons again has been a good opportunity to connect with a community of women of all ages and from different backgrounds. I’ve made friends with ladies of all ages; our classes have attendees in their 20s through to their 80s. I think it’s fantastic that we can all share a love of ballet.

Rebecca Alexander:

I’ve always enjoyed swimming and it’s been a big part of my life. Over the past few months, I have started swimming outdoors at a lido. I won’t say I have started cold water swimming, given that I started in June, and the veterans at the lido would probably say I have to swim in December before I claim that. Although I personally do find the water cold, even in the summer months!