Stephenson Harwood LLP’s Post

Transcript

I'm Estella Bouguerra, I'm a pensions lawyer. So I do all of my work is pensions work and I do a combination of occupational pensions work, so advising employers, companies on their pension provision and also the people who run the pension scheme for those employers. But I also do pensions advice for individuals and for offshore international pension scheme trustees. So in terms of my career path so far, I trained and qualified at Magic Circle firm in their pensions team and I spent nine years there doing pure, if you like pensions work. I then decided that I would like to diversify a bit more. I felt drawn towards advising individuals and getting more involved in the individual side of law. I left that firm and I joined a. Have it with firm to do private client work for them and from there started a essentially became a private client pensions practitioner. That gave me a lovely niche, something that I really really enjoyed doing. But after a while I wanted to find a firm where I could have a. Proper top class pensions practice from which to do my niche pensions work alongside occupational pensions work. So at Stephenson Harwood with the regrouped employment pensions and private wealth that gives me the perfect combination of my practice areas which really gives me the best of both worlds. The support that I have received since joining has been amazing. I have had encouragement, guidance, advice. I've been introduced to clients, I've been introduced to contacts. I've had a phenomenal level of encouragement. I've had freedom as well as guidance. It's been amazing. Probably most importantly, I've had friendship which has been really, really lovely. First of all, I'd say an uncompromising desire and drive to do the absolute best for clients. I think that that's key. I would also say a generosity of spirit. In terms of kindness, helping engagements, being part of the firm, being part of the team, I have always hugely valued that in partners and really hope to be that sort of partner. So I suppose my proudest moment came about a year ago. I was doing a development course and as part of that I needed to obtain 360�� feedback and receiving that feedback was really lovely. I learned from junior colleagues and peers that seeing someone working mum, two young children working part time, making it work, having ambition, doing the job, loving the job, having fun at work, that it was. Possible and that they appreciated seeing that. I would say to my 21 year old self, you don't need to have all of the answers now. You don't need to know what the whole of the future is going to hold for you. Keep an open mind, try something you can change your mind, but I would also say everything that you do, commit to it. Just really go for it. Put in your full energy and seek out every opportunity there is so that you have got the chance to change your mind to do different things. To explore, to adventure your way through life and just stop feeling the pressure at 21 that you need to know what you're going to do until you're 61. I would say it's the opportunity and the challenge that it presents. I'm a partner in EPIP now, which gives me an amazing access to a team, colleagues and clients that perfectly fit my niche. But also and probably most importantly, colleagues that have got the same enthusiasm and the same energy as me to go out and do something really great within the market and. For our clients and for each other.