After studying in Bristol, I moved to London and worked as a litigator at a firm in the City in a specialist team dealing with product liability and pharmaceutical matters. Despite loving the work opportunities offered at the firm, I missed Bristol, particularly walking to work and being so close to the countryside.
After looking around, I found that Burges Salmon offered an opportunity for me to do equivalent quality work to the work I had been doing in the City, while giving me the chance to live in a better environment. I now work in the dispute resolution team at Burges Salmon which is made up of over 70 lawyers. I tend to work on a mixture of commercial litigation, regulatory and health and safety work spanning a broad range of sectors including transport, food and drink and energy. Since joining the firm three and a half years ago, my caseload has included a diverse mix of civil litigation, arbitrations, regulatory investigations, criminal investigations, prosecutions and inquests. The international nature of the dispute resolution team’s work has also meant that I have had the opportunity to apply my French language skills to my day-to-day work. Client-wise, I have done a lot of work for high profile clients such as Coca-Cola Hellenic, John Lewis and FirstGroup – proof of the calibre of the firm’s client base.
The option to work agilely means I work from home a couple of times a month. I’ve been involved in a number of the firm’s regular CR and social opportunities, including team volunteering days.
I love the culture of the firm and feel a highly valued member of the team. Bristol is a great city and I’m glad to be back; it’s such a vibrant place to live and there are so many opportunities for outdoor activities. The social and cultural scene has something for everyone, and I particularly love the restaurants and bars on offer around the city. If you get the opportunity to relocate to Bristol, and particularly to work at Burges Salmon, my advice is to go for it.
Reshma Adkin, Associate in the Dispute Resolution team