In our latest My Life in Law, we speak to new recruit, Emma Hafez, who joined Pannone in April 2021 as part of our Real Estate team. 28-year-old Emma talks about her career so far and why she decided to join the firm earlier this year after taking a career break to have children.
Tell us a little bit about your career, before joining Pannone.
My route into law was the traditional route. In all honesty, this was the only one I really knew about. At college we had to lay out our career paths and this was the route I chose and stuck to.
I did a three-year degree in law, followed by the Legal Practice Course and then entered into a training contract with brief stints of working as a paralegal in between.
Prior to joining Pannone, I qualified and worked as an immigration and human rights solicitor, before taking a career break to have to have my two children, Ella and Oliver. It was during this time that I decided to pursue a career in commercial law.
Why did you decide to join the firm?
My partner is the managing director of a property development company in Liverpool. He’s genuinely passionate about his work and we often discuss it together in the evenings. As a result of this interest, I felt it was the logical step for me to pursue a career in Real Estate law.
What does a typical day look like?
Every day is completely different, as the work that we do is so varied. However, a typical day usually starts with a call with my supervisor to go through the day’s tasks, followed by liaising with clients and the other side’s solicitors in relation to large developments, leases, residential investment transactions and a whole variety of work.
What is the most satisfying aspect of your job?
I really enjoy getting positive feedback from satisfied clients which I get a great sense of achievement from.
What can lawyers / the legal profession do to better support clients?
I believe solicitors could always be more empathetic to clients, as I have the benefit and perspective of seeing the client’s point of view first hand and can appreciate the challenges faced from both sides.
Looking forward, what are your career ambitions?
I hope to be able to stay at Pannone and grow an impressive client portfolio.
If you were managing partner for the day, what’s the first thing you would do?
I would take all of the teams on a city centre canal party cruise!
What would you be doing if you didn’t have a career in law?
I’ve always said I would have enjoyed being a dentist.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy taking my children on days out to the zoo or farms, anything which is outdoors.