Q: How did you find yourself doing legal PR at Byfield?
A: I did a degree in history and was always interested in society, politics and current affairs, so the newsjacking element of PR appealed. I came across the graduate job at Byfield on LinkedIn and it was interesting. I wanted something fast-paced and certainly got it with this role!
Q: what did you do before Byfield?
A: I was working in insurance in the London market beforehand.
Q: What is a normal day like for you?
A: I start with news-scanning by reading The Times and the FT to start thinking about what the news of the day means for my clients. I’ll then be working with colleagues sharing stories and ideas, and then we have our daily newshooks meeting to discuss pitches. Then it’s straight into pitching to journalists and liaising with clients for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. Then later in the day I will catch up on my account admin tasks.
Q: What do you enjoy most about the job?
A: I get to learn about different topics and areas of the law and how it relates to business and society all the time by keeping up to date with current affairs. I have friends who are trainee lawyers and it’s fun to engage on news with them. I also love landing a successful pitch and making my clients happy – it’s really satisfying.
Q: How do you find it speaking to partners and other senior people
A: At times it is a bit stressful but I was slightly prepared because of being an insurance underwriter, so was used to speaking to people much more senior than me.
Q: What achievements are you most proud of so far?
A: I’m proud of the skills I’m learning like identifying the stories my clients want to comment on and immersing myself in new areas. It’s always great hitting target publications and getting good media opportunities for clients. Integrating in the team at Byfield has been easy because everyone is so nice. In terms of a specific win, getting coverage in Forbes on the topic of London IPOs for some of my clients was great, and arranging a Times interview about AI legislation.
Q: What do you want to do next at Byfield?
A: I want to get more involved in litigation PR, but that will happen after I have been here a bit longer.
Q: Tell us something people don’t know about you
A: If my headphones are in, I will always be listening to a podcast – that helped me get the job here as I listened to Byfield’s Counsel Culture podcast before my interviews. Meg Tillay hosts it and she interviewed me, and is now my line manager. I knew what she was going to be like and sound like before I met her! Outside of work I love comedy podcasts.
