As part of our Life at Irwin Mitchell campaign, we sat down with colleagues from our residential property team, Helen Hutchison, Partner and Chartered Legal Executive, Sophie Bray, Associate and Chartered Legal Executive – Associate and Taylor Crouchman, Paralegal.
We wanted to find out more about their day-to-day roles and how they work together and support one another, while helping their clients with their property needs.
How long have you worked at Irwin Mitchell and what roles have you had?
Helen Hutchison (HH): I’ve worked here since 1999. I started my career as a secretary in the residential property team and quickly realised that I had a real passion for conveyancing. I was very lucky that Irwin Mitchell offered to sponsor me to study for the CILEX qualification. I progressed in my role and qualified in 2007 as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives. I was made an Associate in the same year and continued to progress within the team. I was made a Partner in the residential property team in 2018, which was a really proud moment for me.
Sophie Bray (SB): I started as an assistant in the trust and probate department here in 2013. I moved to the residential property team around 11 months after that. I then completed the CILEX qualification and qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in 2020.
Taylor Crouchman (TC): I’ve worked at Irwin Mitchell for six years now. Initially, my role was on the legal helpline. In January 2022, I joined the residential property team as an apprentice paralegal and I’m currently studying to qualify as a CILEX lawyer.
How would you describe your job to someone who might not know anything about the legal industry?
HH: My role involves looking after clients who are moving house, re-mortgaging their properties, or transferring equity in property. Anything to do with residential property, our team can deal with.
SB: I would describe my job as being a legal expert who supports clients with any property related issues, whether that’s buying and selling a property, re-mortgaging or transferring a property.
Career progression is something that Irwin Mitchell is proud of. Is that something you value?
HH: I’ve stayed at the firm for such a long time because I’ve always felt supported with my progression over the years. I'm passionate about giving back and supporting my team in whatever they want to achieve. A number of them have qualified during their time here through various routes, including CILEX and the Council of Licenced Conveyancers, which makes me very proud.
SB: Career progression is extremely important to me. Helen recognised my ability to progress within the team and recommended the CILEX qualification. I already had a law degree and I’d finished the Legal Practice Course when I started working here, so I had to complete a work-based learning portfolio and a qualifying period of employment. Balancing the qualification alongside my day job was quite demanding, but I feel rewarded for the work I put in.
TC: Since I joined in 2017, the firm’s supported me in my career progression, which means a lot. I’m currently studying my CILEX advanced professional qualification alongside my day job, which will allow me to qualify. I’m really enjoying it.
Why do you enjoy your job?
HH: The best part of my job is seeing my team achieve their goals after they’ve worked incredibly hard. It's just a really great feeling.
SB: I enjoy my job because we make a positive difference to our client’s lives. Completion days are always a highlight and I feel a sense of satisfaction, knowing I’ve played a small part in helping them with their property needs.
TC: Getting to work with our clients each day is something I love about residential property. From supporting a first-time buyer with their purchase to helping someone complete on their forever home, it makes me proud to provide an excellent service to our clients. Residential property is an area I’ve always wanted to work in.
HH: Moving house can be one of the most stressful times in someone’s life. But being able to offer specialist legal advice, while being caring and considerate of our clients’ needs makes them feel reassured. Having an excellent team in place to support our clients and offer them the best service is comforting, and we see several clients return to us if they have a residential property issue later.
How important is it to feel like you’re part of a team?
HH: Working in residential property can be highly stressful, but we’re lucky to have an excellent team who always support and respect one another, which makes it a much happier place to work. There’s no hierarchy – we’re always looking to each other for help and guidance, and we’re all treated the same no matter what our role. It’s also important to have a diverse team with different skillsets so we can deliver for our clients.
SB: My team’s important to me, and I know that we can all rely on each other whenever we need to. Helen’s always supported me since I joined the residential property team. Not only is she my line manager, but I also consider her a friend. She has time for all of us and whenever we need support, she’s always there to help. Helen’s support during my CILEX qualification was so helpful. She made the experience much easier for me and I couldn’t have done it without her.
TC: As a new member of the residential property team, I rely heavily on my colleagues, especially Helen and Sophie for their expertise. I ask lots of questions and they’re always willing to support me and provide me with resources to improve my knowledge. We have brilliant relationships in our team because we regularly work on each other’s cases. We also have lots of respect and care about each other. We keep in touch regularly, which helps keep team morale high when we’re working from home.
Helen, tell us a little bit more about Sophie and Taylor?
HH: I really enjoy working with Sophie. She has an excellent eye for detail and technical knowledge. I can rely on her to work together to resolve difficult queries that come our way. I enjoyed supporting Sophie when she was preparing her portfolio, and we were so pleased to get the good news that she’d qualified - it was a real boost for her and the team. Sophie’s progressed through several roles within the team, and she can now help other members, including Taylor, with her progression. Taylor joined our team in January 2022 and has been a real pleasure to work with. She's bubbly and keen to learn which is really refreshing and she’s a great asset to the team.
Has Irwin Mitchell’s flexible by choice policy benefitted you?
HH: During my time here, there's been many changes, and I think the biggest change has been the move to flexible working. My team has benefited from this because it allows us to work more flexibly. People are enjoying not having to commute to the office every day but having an in-person team catch up in the diary is always valuable. The flexible by choice policy has given people much more freedom to manage their day, allowing them to do school pick-ups for example.
TC: Before lockdown, I worked in the office full-time, so when the pandemic hit and I was working from home, I really enjoyed the flexibility. I get the benefit of being able to focus on tasks at home and from going into the office to collaborate with my colleagues face-to-face. The flexibility has also made it easier to manage appointments and other commitments, giving me a better work-life balance.
If someone was considering a career at Irwin Mitchell, what would you say to them?
SB: If anyone’s considering a career at Irwin Mitchell, I would really recommend it. It’s a diverse and inclusive place to work and the firm places a strong emphasis on career progression, which is extremely valuable.
If you want a rewarding career in a supportive and successful environment, then come and join the journey we’re on.
Read Helen's professional profile
Read Sophie's professional profile
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