Tell us something people might not know about you? This is always a difficult question. I have two children or a tattoo?! Or, perhaps, I did my degree in art and psychology and am still very passionate about sculpture and painting. Although I do very little of it these days unless I am helping out with my children’s homework! At work, some might not know that I also have operational responsibilities across Totum. It really gives me the breadth of understanding of the legal market and working with different colleagues (outside of the business development (BD) and marketing team). I really enjoy that aerial view of the business and working on developing client relationships across the board. I am really passionate about Totum – is that a bit sad?! You’re treated like a grown up, the culture is great and you are given the best platform to succeed. Our staff turnover is only 5% and we all work flexibly in some capacity whether you have children or not. It is genuinely a lovely place to work and we laugh a lot! What is your background? My degree is in Art & Psychology. I wanted to become an Art Therapist, having done some work with young offenders. However, I went travelling for a year, where I worked as a nanny and when I came back, I got a job for Chambers & Partners, where I ended up in recruitment. I then moved to Carter Murray where I set up the team and worked a number of years before joining Totum nine years ago. I am still loving it here. What career advice would you give to your younger self? I remember my Mum saying, ‘Enjoy your time at University and love studying something you are really passionate about’. I did a degree in Art & Psychology and didn’t know where that would take me but loved the subjects and that is a big part of what matters. That’s not to say we are not passionate about our careers, but I would also say that you should make the most of those opportunities to focus on yourself, and not worry.

Variety in law

What are your favourite projects? Working with clients who are genuinely invested in the process. If a recruitment manager works in partnership with us rather than using us in a transactional way, there is no doubt they will find the perfect person for their team, department, firm. I have enjoyed the variety of roles I have worked on over the years. I have worked on some projects where we have recruited the whole team e.g. Client Relationship Managers for a newly created team in a global law firm and, for another client, we recruited two Co-Directors. For a recent global search, I worked with our partners in the US, Asia and Australia to recruit a brand new role, which would be a first for most law firms. Another recent project I was asked to recruit was for an industry specialist from the Rail Industry. I had little experience of this industry so meeting people outside the sector and from different jurisdictions has been great. These were all true business partnering projects, requiring real focus and collaboration. We had a great outcome for all concerned, including the candidates who had a better experience as a result of our collaborative approach. What is the next new role in law? Within BD and marketing, it will be roles like Pursuits Directors and Managers, similar to those that the Big 4 recruit. These are senior, often multi-jurisdictional roles, generally high profile to provide support on client pursuits, broader BD activities and profile-raising initiatives. Marketing Operations is another area where we are seeing more roles, and marketing technology. There are roles that are emerging from within the technology, innovation and change management areas. This is an exciting area to be in – where individuals with experience can really make a difference in the legal sector. It is likely more law firms will also begin to diversify into consulting businesses as the Big 4 are doing. It is no secret that law firms can be seen to be slow to change but there are areas that are making great strides forwards and that is great to be a part of. If you would like to find out more about Totum, or talk to Rebecca about BD and marketing roles she can be contacted at rebecca.ellis@totumpartners.com