Female CEO Excellence 2017 Awards

CEO MONTHLY / FEMALE CEO EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2017 15 , “Ultimately, it is essential at Cavendish Employment Law that the lawyers all share the same values and ethos. This is a very carefully selected team and I believe it is crucial to the overall success of Cavendish. We have an excellent team, some of whom I have worked with for many years now and they bring skills and experience that is hard to find elsewhere.” Contact: Caroline Walker Contact Email: [email protected] Address: 101 Finsbury Pavement, Moorgate, London, EC2A 1LS, UK Phone: 0207 167 4800 Web Address: cavendishlaw.co.uk Cavendish Employment Law Limited is a niche City lawfirmwith a head office inMoorgate, London. They have also recently launched an office inMalaga, Spain. CarolineWalker provides us with a breakdown of the firm’s services and her own success. Best Employment Law Director – South East England Cavendish Employment Law was established by Caroline Walker in 2009 as a niche City law firm. Their clients consist largely of senior/board level employees with a strong reputation for dealing with those in finance or education. Caroline describes how it feels to work in the city, stating that it is challenging and rewarding, before going on to detail about her past experience and how she came to launch Cavendish Employment Law Limited. “The City is not always an easy landscape for a female, particularly if you want to maintain a healthy work and family balance, but I want to encourage others and let them know it is possible. I have four children and have been an employment law Partner or Director for 17 years. “Regarding my previous experience, I started Cavendish Employment Law after leaving a City law firm, Sprechier Grier. I had been working in the City for a number of years and had become disillusioned with the culture. My vision, then as it remains now, was to offer a highly specialist employment law service for transparent and reasonable fees where we really go the extra mile to secure the best outcome for our clients. Prior to launching Cavendish Employment Law, I carried out my training with Andrew Wills and Company, becoming a partner upon qualifying and launching Wills Walker. I then joined Sheridans to head up their Employment Department before moving to Sprechier Grier (SGH) to head up and launch their Employment Department in 2005.” Caroline mentions how the law industry has changed and developed over time, she has seen many changes since she started her career. Despite some positive changes, such as an increase in compensation for unfair dismissal, Caroline still believes more could be done in the industry to protect employees. “Interestingly, I have always seen employment law as a constantly evolving area and I feel it is important for the business to review the needs of the clients on an ongoing basis. Since I started my career as a trainee in 1998 there have been significant changes. At that time, compensation was limited in unfair dismissal cases to £12,000. Whilst there have been many positive changes, the current cap on unfair dismissal of approximately £80,000 still operates unfairly for senior and highly paid employees. As a result, we have had recent success in High Court claims in respect of bonus and commission claims, to ensure that justice is obtained for those individuals.” Commenting on the firm’s diverse client base, Caroline states that clients are usually senior individuals and SMEs, as the firm is well known for dealing with all aspects of employment advice for its clients. FCE17016 “Fundamentally, our client base is largely comprised of senior individuals and SMEs and we have built up a reputation for dealing with all aspects of employment advice for these clients. I do however ensure I always carry out pro bono work as I feel it is important to give something to those who could not otherwise afford access to justice.” Attributing her passion and thirst for justice to her success, Caroline clearly believes that everyone should be treated fairly. This is integral when running a law firm, and helps Caroline and Cavendish Law to stand out amongst other similar firms. Alongside the mission to secure justice for clients, Caroline signs off by acknowledging that all staff at the firm work together in order to secure the best result for the client, and Caroline cannot emphasise enough how proud she is of her team. “Driven by the need to secure justice for my clients, I believe that this is behind the success of Cavendish Employment Law. To lose your job or be discriminated against can be detrimental to your life in ways that it is difficult to imagine. There is the obvious loss of income, but also individuals can suffer from mental health issues, loss of confidence and devastating damage to a career they have spent years to build. It is important therefore that they have support at this time and are given the ability to secure justice that enables them to move on.”