.jpg?sfvrsn=75ebd677_5)
What was your route into the profession?
Via Greece and Rome! After an undergraduate and then postgraduate degree in classics—mostly Latin and Greek literature—I was keen for a new challenge, and so I converted to law and trained at Lovells LLP (now Hogan Lovells). On qualification, I took the plunge to specialise in pensions law by joining Sackers and have happily been at the firm ever since.
What has been your biggest career challenge so far?
The fact that pensions law doesn’t stand still; we need to adapt to this. This is true of many practice areas but the interaction of private pensions with state pension provision, personal tax rules and other policy areas makes for a complex and changing mix. Day to day, the biggest challenge is making the impenetrable accessible for clients of all shapes and sizes. While the focus of my practice has moved to reflect most companies now offering pension saving on a ‘defined contribution’ basis (ie building up a pot of money that is invested for the long term), there are plenty of legacy ‘final salary’ arrangements that still need our help.
Which person within the legal profession inspires you most?
I was seconded in-house to a large organisation earlier in my career. The lawyers I worked with always had enormous to-do lists for multiple ‘internal’ clients but kept the wheels turning by being decisive in how they prioritised work and working highly efficiently—an approach that has always stayed with me.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you choose as an alternate career?
A teacher. My mum and sister have dedicated their careers to teaching and I’m in awe of the difference they make to individual lives every day!
Who is your favourite fictional lawyer?
‘Jimmy’ McGill, the underdog lawyer better known by his professional alias Saul Goodman in the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul TV series. It’s fair to say his ‘know your customer’ checks on various underworld characters are sub-optimal and he takes being ‘solutions-focused’ to new levels, but I love how both shows challenge the viewer with the difficult concept of the anti-hero lawyer.
What change would you make to the profession?
I’m lucky that Sackers is fully supportive of flexible working and recognises the important part this plays in achieving the mythical beast that is ‘balance’ in modern life (I work nine days in every ten). I see this happening in other practices too, but it needs to become much more integrated to ensure the long-term sustainability of careers in the law. I accept that there are challenges in this area but do think that a mindset that is open to the possibility that flexible-working actually ‘works’ is the starting point.
How do you relax?
With my family at home.
Ferdy Lovett is a pensions partner with Sackers.
