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Charlotte Capstick
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Charlotte Capstick
Partner, BLM London
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“Seeing trainees or assistant solicitors
I was involved in recruiting rising to
partnership in the firm.”
Read Law at University of Oxford. Charlotte trained with a London law firm and upon qualification joined Berrymans in 1984. She was made partner in 1988 and was elected Senior Partner for the London office in 2002.
First impression of BLM: I joined Berrymans, as it then was, a City of London firm specialising in insurance work with six partners. It was very different from the present firm with eight UK offices and over a hundred partners. My first impression was that it was a friendly firm, and even with the smaller numbers then, there was considerable variety of work, personal injury work, international construction disputes and professional indemnity defence work which has been my own area of practice.
Best thing about BLM: I have no hesitation in saying people and the culture. Despite the tremendous growth, I like to think we have managed to retain the friendly working atmosphere. We are fortunate to have a lovely mix of people and although everyone works hard, there is a good social life too, and a good sense of camaraderie.
Worst thing about BLM: Perhaps the fact that the firm is now so large that inevitably you cannot know everybody and there is not always as much opportunity as we would like for staff to meet people who work in different offices. There is an annual fund raising walk for charity which provides an opportunity to meet colleagues from different parts of the country, and some of the charity and pro bono initiatives, particularly amongst the trainees, bring people together. Our support of the Princes Trust has also provided some good opportunities.
Best moment at BLM: I don’t think I can single out one specific event. It is always rewarding to have professional successes, particularly in cases which make new law. I have also particularly enjoyed seeing trainees or assistant solicitors I was involved in recruiting rising to partnership in the firm.
What do you know now, that you wish you’d known then: Hindsight is a great thing, but you have to discount it when dealing with professional negligence claims, so I don’t think it is necessarily very helpful to look back! The areas of law in which we all practice, and the insurance industry we serve are constantly changing and developing, so there is plenty to keep one focused on looking ahead. |