As part of our 'meet the team' series, we talk to Clare James, EA to the Mewburn Ellis management board, about her move from London to Bath, organising busy fee-earners and what she enjoys most about her job.
Clare has been an executive assistant for many years, working in big corporations and private equity firms, supporting board level executives including chairman and CEOs.
She left school at 16 and got her first job, working as a customer service assistant. “I didn’t think much about what I wanted to do,” explains Clare. “I didn’t consider the possibility of taking further qualifications, I just knew I didn’t want to go to college and got straight into work. Sometimes it’s about taking a leap of faith and so far in my 39-year career, I’ve had no regrets - my degree in life is serving me well”.
In the early 2000’s Clare’s career took a major change of course when she moved to London and started working for a private equity firm. “This was another leap of faith for me,” says Clare. “I had lived in Basingstoke all my life and overnight found myself working with high-net-worth individuals, organising events at amazing venues - St Paul’s Cathedral, Kensington Palace and the Royal Courts of Justice. I was having the time of my life.”
“I also worked in Bahrain for two years for an amazing gentleman who taught me so much. On occasion, I found myself running around shopping malls trying to buy a bow tie for a photo shoot or assisting his wife who lost her car in the souk. I’m sure there’s a book in me somewhere with all the tales of the people I’ve worked with - they should have had me sign an NDA!”
A new position
Before the first covid lockdown, Clare’s partner was offered a new job and the couple decided to relocate from London to Bath, somewhere they had always enjoyed visiting. “When the opportunity came up to move and do something different, it was a good moment to take a step back and look for a role that gave me a good work life balance,” says Clare. “Not needing to check the phone 24/7 has taken a bit of getting used to, but I’m so happy with my role at Mewburn."
Clare joined the firm in September 2020, working first from home and then from the firm’s Bristol office.
“The position of EA to the management board was new,” explains Clare. “My job didn’t exist before, so I have really been able to make it my own. There’s a lot to do and only one of me so it’s not always easy – it can get very busy but everyone is approachable and understanding. I had never worked in a legal organisation, so it’s been a great learning experience”.
“There’s a lot of variety, and I’m lucky as I have had the chance to visit most of the firm’s offices. Being responsible for the organisation of all the partner meetings, means I know people across the firm and get to speak to everyone – from finance and marketing to attorneys, paralegals and partners.”
The trickiest part of her job is trying to organise large scale meetings and events. “Coordinating busy attorneys’ diaries to find time for a call that works can often require some gentle persuasion on my part to make it happen,” says Clare. “If I haven’t met you yet, you’ll know me from the outlook invites.”
She describes herself as a “self-motivated and positive person”. “I think you need to be like that when you are a EA as you are working by yourself most of the time,” she explains. “It’s up to you to make sure things are organised and run smoothly.”
Discovery days
A recent highlight for Clare was working on the Crest Discovery Days project involving local schools. “Young people aged 12 to 13 were invited into our offices to learn about patents and trade marks,” says Clare. “They took part in a Dragon’s Den themed activity where they came up with their own ideas for a product and pitched it to a panel. It was a really rewarding project to be involved in.”
Since moving down to Bath, when she’s not working Clare has been able to indulge her love of gardening. “The move from London has meant we are lucky enough to have a lot more space. I’m a big gardener and our large, tiered garden is our main project. I still get back to London a lot and recently went along to the Chelsea Flower Show, a great way of getting inspiration. I love sports too, not playing, but watching tennis, Formula One, football and cricket. In June I went on a yoga retreat to Croatia and so am feeling inspired to join MewbYoga, the firm’s virtual yoga class.”
