THE Colne Valley just suits Kate Booth.
Cheltenham-born Kate, who joined Huddersfield solicitors Eaton Smith this summer, has lived in Wales and Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, where she did most of her secondary schooling.
Now the employment law specialist is enjoying her new home, a stone-built semi-detached in Slaithwaite – and the luxury of a seven-minute commute to work!
“For a long time, I thought I’d like to be a journalist,” said Kate.
“But I did business studies as a GCSE and economics at A-level and I became very interested in how business works. I had some notion of being involved in business in some way.
“After leaving school, I started a business studies and business law degree because I wasn’t sure which route I wanted to take.
“I liked studying business and commercial matters, but the business law classes really captured my interest.
“I did as much work experience as possible with firms in Leeds, Harrogate and Newcastle.
“I convinced them that if I went in for free to do the photocopying they might help me!”
Kate finally settled on taking a law degree at the University of Newcastle. “Both my parents come from Newcastle and it is a lovely city,” she says.
After graduating, Kate trained with Irwin Mitchell in Sheffield and Leeds and later joined DWF in Leeds. “By that stage, I was living in Sheffield and working in Leeds,” she explains. “I was working long hours and commuting.
“I moved to Slaithwaite in January. I’d been looking at various villages and just fell in love with it. But I realised I’d not really reduced my journey time by much, so I decided to look for a new job.”
When the opportunity came to join Eaton Smith, it was an easy decision to make. “It is nice to be working closer to where I live,” she says. “I’ve swapped an hour-long commute to a seven-minute journey.
“I also enjoy the work and I’ve been made very welcome by the team at Eaton Smith.
“Spending a bit of time in Huddersfield before I joined the firm has helped me get a feel for the town and I’m going to as many networking and business events as possible to get to know people locally.
“The nice thing about Huddersfield is that there’s a real community feel. Businesses work together, use local suppliers and help each other.
“Working with DWF was great experience and it was very exciting to be part of the expansion of the firm, but in the end I decided that it was time for a change.
“I thought about it for a while before moving, but I am happy that I made the right decision.
“Eaton Smith are a well established firm with a fantastic reputation; we have some really good clients. I am able to act for large commercial organisations in conjunction with our commercial teams as well as providing legal advice and support to private individuals.
“I'm getting to do the type of work I love and I feel happier about my work-life balance.”
Kate is getting to know other members of the business community through organisations like the Huddersfield Town Centre Partnership and networking events.
She has rekindled her journalistic interests by writing an email newsletter to update clients on employment law issues.
“I work for employees or employers on various cases,” she says. “There are always challenges for employers because employment law seems to change all the time. It is difficult for employers to keep on top of it, especially as employee rights seem to be increasing all the time.
“Employees are more and more aware of their rights and willing to enforce them.
"A big part of our job is to be an objective intermediary and see if there are ways to resolve issues without it going all the way to a full hearing. In many cases, we take a role of negotiator rather than being adversarial.”
Says Kate: “Eighteen months ago, a lot of cases were redundancy-related.
“Employment lawyers were advising firms on how to restructure their businesses or advising employees affected by those changes.
“Now the emphasis has switched from the private sector to local authorities and public sector cuts.”
Kate enjoys working in an area of law which involves dealing with people rather than “assets”.
She says: “I like the ‘people’ side of things. Whether it is a big commercial company or an individual, it is about helping people achieve what they need and giving them reassurance. It is nice to know you are helping somebody.”
And more help will be needed. Says Kate: “Employment law changes all the time. The key change at present has been the introduction of the Equality Act, which will consolidate all existing discrimination legislation, but also broaden its scope.
“It will pull everything together and ensure more consistency, but it will present employers with more challenges.
“The other big issues in the pipeline are: the Agency Workers Regulations, which will substantially increase the rights and protections of agency workers after 12 weeks in employment; the phasing out of the default retirement age; and, the potential changes to paternity leave and pay.”
Recognising the need to provide more support for firms, Eaton Smith and insurance specialist Eastwood and Partners have launched Employment Law Solutions – combining employment advice from Eaton Smith and insurance from brokers Eastwood and Partners.
The service, in which Kate is closely involved, aims to protect companies from potential claims which may be made under employment law.
“Over the past couple of years, employers have become more aware of how much employment-related disputes can cost them,” says Kate. “The new service aims to provide some peace of mind.”
Away from work, Kate enjoys nothing more than burying her nose in a good book. She says: “I am into ‘book groups’. I joined one in Leeds and I set one up in Sheffield. We meet every six weeks. Members take turns to pick a book which everyone reads and talk about – usually over a glass of wine!
“I’d like to join a book group in Huddersfield – or set one up here.
“I love any sort of fiction. At the moment, I’m reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, which I’m gripped by. It’s fantastic.”
Kate also keeps fit. “I’ve joined a gym and attend Zumba classes – Zumba being a sort of cross between salsa dancing and aerobics.
“I also go running, but because the Colne Valley is very hilly, I tend to stick to the canal towpaths where it’s level!”
