Caroline Rayner

Employment Law

As a teenager…
I was mad about dancing – ballet, tap, acro, modern in particular – and I danced in shows and competitions both locally and further afield.  I attended a local dance school and a Ballet school in Chester.  I gave it up at around 15 years old and found that there wasn’t that much to do for teenagers outside of school, one of the reasons why E2M is so great!  My dad died when I was a teenager which was hard, and I didn’t try as hard at school as I should have done after this.  Luckily I passed my GCSE’s and A levels which allowed me to go away to University to pursue a career in Law.
After school…
I went to Nottingham to study Law with French.  I studied hard and was lucky enough to live in France for a year as part of my course, where I had the best year of my life! When I came home for holidays I did work experience in law firms locally, and was very happy to be offered a training contract with one of these firms in Lancaster.  After 5 years of studying at University and beyond to be a solicitor, I trained for a further 2 years at a law firm and eventually qualified as a solicitor in 2008.  Practising as a solicitor in Lancaster has brought with it many great opportunities and I am so glad I came home to do this.
Now I’m…
I am a Partner in the Employment team at commercial law firm Knights.  It is a really interesting role acting on behalf of employers, from small family run businesses to large global organisations.  It is varied and involves everything from disputes in the employment tribunals and courts to providing support to our corporate team on the employment aspects of corporate transactions, such as buying and selling businesses.  Our team also conducts a lot of training and seminars for employers, we love to be out and about talking about Employment Law!    

5 bits of advice to my teenage self…

  • Adults don’t always know best and are not always right.
  • Be yourself – nothing good ever came from trying to fit in.
  • Surround yourself with good people who support you and want what is best for you.
  • Always trust your gut instinct.
  • Most things happen for a reason. Don’t stress about things along the way as it usually works out for the best!

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