Dear Listeners,

 

Thank you for joining me as I share the unlikely conversation that prompted my passion for continually developing myself and others.

 

Following my graduation story, I ‘hot footed’ it to London for the bright lights as I did not want to be a solicitor. I thought they were old ‘fuddy duddies’ with lots of dusty files. This meant I started my career on a graduate management training scheme at Citibank. I transferred to their legal department where I took my ‘articles’ to become a Solicitor. This was at a time when lawyers rarely worked for corporate organisations – of course now this is a very popular destination for legal careers.

 

I loved being an in-house so much I stayed for 28 years where I worked for a number of financial institutions plus Next plc and Crest Homes.  During that time, I led and manged a variety of teams and offered opportunities to excel. For example, as Head of Legal for The Co-operative Bank, I provided two graduates with training contracts, enabled a Legal Executive to qualify as a Solicitor, another to graduate in law and others to become Legal Executives. I was really proud of my team when we achieve 100% client satisfaction rating in 2003.

 

I translated my desire for reaching our potential to my profession when I became Chair of the Law Society Commerce and Industry Group. I initiated six firsts for the Group including a ‘scapegoat or saviour survey’ followed by various forums which allowed in-house lawyers to raise their challenges. This led to the Group producing a booklet on ‘Corporate Governance Guidelines’ for in-house lawyers. I was delighted to be recognised as a top 100 lawyer in 2002/3.

 

Since 2003 I have been privileged to provide business training, coaching and mentoring to over 7000 lawyers. Business skills are a range of skills that promote the success of the business and its people. Therefore, this includes leadership, management, marketing, client relationship management and interpersonal skills to name a few. I have travelled all over the UK and Europe from Brussels (divine chocolates) to Cyprus (lovely warm beaches) before settling in Yorkshire – God’s own county!

 

I now predominately work with Legal Business Owners on a 1-2-1 basis to enable them and their teams to achieve their business goals. These range from strategic growth planning, market and SM plans, leading and managing their team. In the current climate, resilience training is key.

 

So, what can you listeners expect from my Yorkshire Courses for Lawyers website?  Obviously, there is information about my coaching packages and workshops to support lawyers to grow and develop. You will also find a complimentary toolkit and various blogs on a range of topics from leadership, personal brand to resilience. You can even see me in action!

 

My own proud moment is becoming an author, especially as l left school with no O’levels. I wrote two books for in-house lawyers with a colleague. ‘Managing External Legal Resources’ and ‘The In-house Lawyer’s Toolkit’. These books enable us to pass on our joint experience and guide new (and old) lawyers working in house with valuable tips, techniques and precedents.  My first book even has cartoons!

 

Last but not least is my third book ‘Business skills? Don’t be daft I am a lawyer!  These skills are so important in the changing legal landscape; especially with the advent of AI and legal tech. This means that lawyers have got to be more than a legal technician. My book contains five sections of practical advice, tools and techniques to guide lawyers through their career and busines journeys. It also includes 29 inspirational stories of legal professionals who forged their own path, including what worked and what didn’t to keep it real. I am delighted to say that it has been endorsed by three managing partners and has 5* reviews on Amazon.

Resources – Book

Ann Page’s book ‘BUSINESS SKILLS? Don’t be Daft I Am a Lawyer’ shows lawyers why business skills are so important in today’s changing legal/professional landscape and shouldn’t be a ‘poor relation’.

Continue the conversation with Ann

If you have questions for Ann or want to discuss the show, please contact her on –

• LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/annpage/ 
• Website – https://www.yorkshirecoursesforlawyers.co.uk/