Claire Nichols

Title: Head of customer services
Department: Information systems
Location: London

I joined Herbert Smith in 1997 from Inner London Magistrates Court working in the IT department. I wanted to work somewhere different to the civil service and a City law firm would give me that opportunity. Once I had the first interview I really liked the people I met and the feeling of the firm.

I have had many highlights during my time here, but seeing myself grow from the first ever helpdesk person, to someone now running a customer services team of over 40 support analysts has to be my biggest highlight.

From an ISD perspective I’ve been quite exposed to international work, as we assist and support when people are travelling to and from the offices. I have also had an opportunity to travel when rolling out new systems.

The atmosphere here is friendly and family-like. Everyone is down-to-earth and I do not feel intimidated talking to anyone at any level. The ‘family’ culture means people are happy to work hard so they do not let others down.

To anyone thinking of joining I would say that this is great place to be. If you are willing to work hard and grow in your career then Herbert Smith will be there to help you do it. My time here has helped me develop a career that I enjoy. I have people around me who support me at all times, which is more than I could ever have asked for.