I have worked for DWF for almost 4 years, joining the Debt Recoveries department as a paralegal in 2019. My role has changed in the time that I have been a part of the business, developing from one primarily based in fee-earning, to one much more oriented around managing the outputs of my team and ensuring that we are delivering successful outcomes for clients.
As a Lead Paralegal, I oversee a team who focus on recoveries for Utilities & Pensions clients. My role consists of volume litigation and enforcement, where we litigate against individuals and corporate bodies for non-payment of invoices and/or overpayment of pensions. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time working at DWF, and I am particularly proud of the Rubie Award (DWF's staff awards) for 'Role Model of the Year', which I received in December 2022.
DWF were prevalent in law fairs I attended whilst at university and I became increasingly interested in the company after becoming aware that it would be floating on the stock exchange. I found the IPO to be innovative at the time, and was interested in my potential prospects in terms of my Learning & Development (L&D), within a firm with such an ambitious outlook. I have since taken it upon myself to produce training materials for members of my team to assist their progression and I also enjoy taking part in L&D webinars on the DWF Academy (DWF's e-learning platform). Many of these training sessions have allowed me to develop quickly in my department, having received two promotions in two consecutive years as a result.
I actively try to implement L&D into both my professional and personal life and take opportunities to ensure that I am up to date with market trends, and perform in my role as effectively as possible. For this reason, I'm an avid user of the DWF Academy, where I sign up for various webinars depending on my availability. The courses I enjoyed the most have been:
- Personal Brand;
- The DWF Professional;
- Complaints: Handling and Prevention;
- Personal Effectiveness; and
- DISC Personality types.
Many of the above develop interpersonal skills and provide an opportunity to reflect on ways to achieve our goals professionally and impact how we are perceived by our clients. These sessions have ultimately assisted me in becoming a better-rounded professional who can cooperate and liaise with others. I am also very much looking forward to the upcoming training sessions on MBTI and Strengthscope in particular.
I've also taken part in 'Ask The Expert' webinars, which are an opportunity to learn more about the business from specialists in different sectors. I have found the sessions to be very informative in understanding how our growing business operates and how we can make the most of other divisions in the organisation to diversify our ultimate product offering to clients.
From my experience, DWF have been overwhelmingly successful in providing me with opportunities to learn and develop. Overall, I feel that I have been incredibly lucky to work inside an organisation that puts such an emphasis on the L&D of colleagues and actively encourages employees to enhance their skillset whilst understanding the business more thoroughly. This is particularly important when considering the scale of the business in terms of its international presence and its broad product offering for clients.
