Sherrie Goldsmith

Title: PA
Department: Legal PA services
Location: London

My academic background is in business studies - I took a GNVQ at Palmer's College, Grays, Essex. I came to work at Herbert Smith from Deloitte & Touche in January 2005 because I wanted the chance to work at a large, well-known law firm.

Reassuringly, 99% of people I speak to have heard of Herbert Smith and so far no one has had a bad word to say about the firm. They are seen as one of the biggest players in the market.

The firm is very involved in international work and I am fortunate to have first hand experience of this. In 2007 I provided secretarial support to the corporate division whilst on conference in Marrakech. This included typing documents, preparing presentations and booking flights on a need-by-need basis. It was very busy and I enjoyed the challenge. The social side was also fun - relaxing afterwards by the pool and having dinner with the division later in the evening.

I like to be involved in more than just day-to-day work and am a member of the secretarial services discussion group (SSDG),where I represent the secretaries in my group. The secretaries can report any suggestions, ideas or issues to me and I work towards actioning/resolving these through the SSDG. I also act as a systems liaison specialist (SLS), representing my entire group. Any IS issues can be brought to me, which I then raise at SLS meetings.

I recommended one of my friends to Herbert Smith and she has now been here for about three years. Like me, she appreciates the fact that the atmosphere is friendly, the pay and benefits are good, and we are a firm headed in the right direction.