Alison Matthews

Title: Professional support consultant  
Division: Corporate 
Location: London

I studied for the LLB in London (UCL) and the BCL at Oxford (Balliol College) before qualifying at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. I joined Herbert Smith in October 2006 as a professional support lawyer to the corporate insurance group and within a year was promoted to a professional support consultant.

There were many things that attracted me to the firm, including its reputation for having a top quality corporate insurance practice and its commitment to knowledge management.  I was also encouraged by the partners' enthusiasm about the needs of the group and the role that I could play in terms of legal support and business development.

Herbert Smith is committed to providing the very best quality advice, focusing on the needs of clients and on finding the best legal solution to meet those needs. We also aim to look after our clients' wider interests - simply staying in touch, looking out for legal developments that may be relevant to a client's business and offering training to clients can make all the difference in a relationship.

This "softer" side to Herbert Smith is also evident in the way the firm treats its people. The work may be demanding but the culture is refreshingly down-to-earth and supportive - and far more informal than you might imagine. Personally, I have appreciated the ability to work flexibly – I work nine days out of 10 and, subject to work commitments, am able to balance demands from home.