In this instalment of ‘Five minutes with’, we caught up with Matilda Lloyd, our Senior Account Manager, to discuss life at Byfield, the value of strong teamwork and what she has learned about her own strengths as her career develops.
As a Senior Account Manager in the disputes and investigations team, what does a typical day look like for you now?
On Disputes & Investigations, I’m not sure there’s really such a thing as a typical day. The nature of the work means things can move quickly and priorities can shift at short notice, so a lot of the role is about staying adaptable and keeping multiple moving parts on track at once.
How has your role evolved since you first joined the agency, and what do you enjoy most about it at this stage of your career?
When I first joined Byfield, I was entirely focused on profile-raising and corporate communications for different law firms and practice areas. I moved over into Disputes & Investigations last year, which has been a really interesting shift, as it is often a very different pace and style of working.
What I enjoy most is the clear sense of momentum each project has – there’s always something progressing or developing. I also really appreciate the range in the scale of the work we do at Byfield, from a relatively contained crisis brief for an individual through to supporting the launch of a large, multi-million-pound class action. That variety keeps the work engaging and means you’re constantly learning.
What do you find most compelling about working on disputes and investigations, and how does this area of legal PR differ from other practice areas?
What I find most compelling is the process of clients coming to you with a problem or a very specific objective and being able to contribute to the solution. Developing a strategy and then executing it – drafting the messaging and seeing it come to life in the press – is extremely rewarding, particularly when it produces a clear reaction or outcome for the client.
Disputes work can also be particularly interesting because of the constraints involved. There are often limitations around what you can say, when you can say it, and how you frame things. Navigating those constraints requires a lot of careful judgement and subtlety, which is part of what makes the work so engaging.
How do you approach managing accounts and supporting both junior team members and senior colleagues across complex, high-pressure matters?
With disputes and crisis work, you very quickly learn to expect the unexpected. Being ready to adapt and pivot when circumstances change is a key part of managing those situations effectively.
Something I think is really important in high-pressure environments is making sure people feel recognised for the work they’re doing. These projects can be intense, and everyone tends to be working extremely hard, so acknowledging that effort goes a long way.
Ultimately, strong teams are what get complex matters over the line. When people feel supported and know they have each other’s backs, the team is always able to achieve far more than any individual working alone.
Looking back on your time at Byfield, what achievements or moments stand out as ones you’re particularly proud of?
Helping deliver the communications for London Arbitration Week 2025 was a particularly rewarding moment. It was the inaugural year for the event, so there was a real sense of building something from the ground up, and it was great to see it land so successfully.
I’m also very proud of some of the pro bono work I’ve been involved in. For example, securing BBC London coverage for an important report on the Windrush compensation scheme and access to justice. Work like that feels especially meaningful because of the wider impact it can have.
And finally, how do you like to switch off when you’re not working?
I love swimming and try to go after work as many evenings as I can. I find the rhythm of going up and down the pool incredibly therapeutic – it’s one of the few activities where you can either switch off completely or think things through in a very calm, focused way.
