Charles Russell Speechlys and Irwin Mitchell were pleased to co-host this year’s, Women in Chancery Building your Brand Seminar and Winter Drinks at the Supreme Court on 15 November. 

The event opened with Sarah Anticoni (Charles Russell Speechlys) sharing an inspiring quote from J. M. Barrie, “Courage is the thing. All goes if courage goes”.

All attendees were treated to top tips and personal experiences from the expert panel made up of, Fiona Fitzgerald (Radcliffe Chambers), Sarah Anticoni, Paula Myers (Irwin Mitchell) and Norah Durrant (Norah Durrant Recruitment). The panelists shared their own anecdotes of the courageous steps they have taken thus far in their careers, as well as the brilliant, hilarious and unexpected consequences that followed. 

The key take-out offered by the panel is to, “be courageous and be prepared to make mistakes as it is often our mistakes which provide the most important lessons.”

Attendees were encouraged to reflect on how they would describe themselves in three words, five words, ten words and ten sentences and to approach networking events knowing why they are there, who they want to meet, how to describe themselves and what they will do the next day to make the most of the opportunity. 

Here are the top tips and experiences shared by the panel:

• Be confident. Everyone gets nervous, even those at the top, so do not let this hold you back
• Building your brand internally within your firm is just as important as building your brand externally
• Identify your unique selling point and use LinkedIn or other platforms to showcase it
• Let your true personality shine through, even on LinkedIn. Clients and colleagues buy into you as a person
• Make the most of mentors and sponsors who guide and support you. A sponsor is someone who can talk positively about you when you are not in the room;
• Do not feel that you need to keep quiet about your successes or your ambitions, share and celebrate them with others

The event's final tip from the panel was to network with those outside of law firms, particularly directory researchers and journalists. If you are interested in talking to the press, the panel recommended participating in media training and to contact the press office at the Law Society to be referred press enquiries on your areas of expertise.

If you are interested in attending future events by Women in Chancery, please contact Tamasin Perkins or Katelyn Silver for more information.