Kate spent nearly two decades in automotive retail, rising from cashier to management accountant and looking after the numbers for as many as five dealerships at once. When she felt ready for a new challenge, Steele Raymond appealed for a simple reason: the firm wanted her skills, not a legal CV. The interview, her first in nineteen years, was relaxed and personal and convinced her that transferable experience really mattered here.
Kate joined at the busiest point of the accounting calendar – year end and budget season. Instead of easing her in gently, the team involved her straight away, pairing her with colleagues who explained the Solicitors Regulation Authority rules as they worked. Learning the sector from the output backwards was demanding, but the pace helped her understand quickly how each team feeds the final figures.
Excel formulas, visual dashboards and ratio analysis were second nature to Kate from her dealership days. Those tools are now informing a refresh of the management accounts pack so that partners can see trends at a glance. While she masters legal terminology, she also teaches long-serving colleagues new shortcuts and reporting ideas; the exchange runs both ways.
Kate’s path underlines that Steele Raymond looks for capability, not background. If you bring the disciplined skills we’re looking for from another sector and the curiosity to learn the legal overlay, the firm provides the support, responsibility and trust you need to make the shift.
Friendliness is what strikes Kate most – she was invited to the Christmas party before her first day, enjoys lunchtime chats with colleagues she’s never met, and finds everyone happy to answer questions without comment. That openness gives her the confidence to shadow other teams, deepen her legal-sector knowledge and build relationships across the firm.
