Natalie Lai – who is dual-qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong and England & Wales -
joined our Corporate and Commercial team in May 2023. She trained in Hong Kong before moving to the UK in August 2022 and joined us from a national firm in Leeds. Prior to embarking on her legal career, Natalie worked in the Hong Kong tax authority for over seven years as an Assistant Assessor, specialising in tax audits and investigations, as well as individual taxes. She holds non-practising memberships with CPA (HK), ACCA (UK) and ACA(UK).
Imogen Fleur works alongside Partners Jonathan Rowe and Tom Lumsden in our Commercial Property team and deals with all areas of Commercial Property. She joined CooperBurnett in 2022 as a Paralegal in the Corporate & Commercial team, before completing her training contract here and qualifying in January 2024. She is the immediate past President of the Kent Junior Lawyers Division.
Joshua Hayes Joshua became part of our team at CooperBurnett LLP in the summer of 2023, through the new Masters of Law (MLaw) paralegal scheme at Kent Law School (University of Kent). After successfully completing his Masters, he joined us full-time in the summer of 2024 and has since been awarded a training contract. Joshua has occupied seats in Private Client and Residential Property, and is currently based in our Commercial Property & Development team.
Natalie – you joined TeamCB two years. How do you feel about where your career is currently?
“I feel I’ve made real progress in my career over the past two years. I’ve grown from supporting deals in an assistant capacity to taking the lead on part of the transactions, while also having the chance to guide and support trainees. I’m really pleased with how far I’ve come and feel genuinely happy with where I am at this stage.”
Natalie – during your time with us, you’ve become dual qualified (while in Hong Kong, you also qualified as an accountant!).
“That’s right, before starting my legal career, I trained as a tax assessor and spent over seven years working for the Hong Kong tax authority; I hold non-practising memberships with CPA (HK), ACCA (UK) and ACA (UK). Becoming a lawyer had always been my goal, so I began studying part-time while in Hong Kong and eventually qualified as a solicitor. I then spent five years focusing on corporate and commercial law before moving to the UK. The corporate landscape is quite similar in Hong Kong and the UK, which really helped me settle in quickly – overall, it’s been a very positive experience.”
Joshua – you are due to qualify in April 2026. How’s it going and what are you enjoying the most?
“Everything seems to be going well and the next big step for me is my first SQE (Solicitors Qualifying Examination), so that’s what I’m working towards. I’ve just completed my seat in Residential Property and am moving into Commercial Property, which I’m looking forward to. I really enjoyed my time in Residential Property, more than I thought I might, to be honest. Having spent time in both Corporate and then Residential Property, I am anticipating that Commercial Property will offer a nice blend of the two. I’ve been working towards this point for a long time, so it's nerve wracking but also exciting. I am endlessly grateful to CooperBurnett for embracing the MLaw and building a relationship with the University of Kent and I’m excited to see more aspiring lawyers arrive at CooperBurnett via that route in the future.”
Joshua - Do you have any idea what type of law you might eventually specialise in?
“It’s sometimes easier to know what you don’t want to do and I don’t think Private Client is for me. I would like to do something involving corporate work, maybe property related. But, it’s still early days.”
Imogen – you’ve been qualified for 18 months and followed a more traditional route to qualifying than either Joshua or Natalie. How is life as a solicitor?
“I’m very happy with where I am currently. There is still so much more to learn after you qualify but the job gets easier with the more experience you have. Everything seems more familiar now and my confidence has built. I count myself very lucky to be working alongside Jon [Jonathan Rowe] and Tom [Lumsden] as they each have so much experience in Commercial Property and are such great people to learn from. They’ve both been extremely generous with their support and time.”
Does it feel good to be at CooperBurnett, where there’s a clear career progression and dedication is recognised?
Imogen: “Looking around, there are many people who have been at this firm for a long time and we’ve seen many people progress. Since I joined, I’ve seen Secretaries become Paralegals, Paralegals become Trainees, and Associate Solicitors become Partners. It’s clear CooperBurnett wants to encourage its team members to succeed.”
Natalie: “It’s clear that there are real opportunities here to grow and develop your career and to focus on areas that genuinely interest you. It’s very encouraging to see dedication and hard work recognised and supported.”
Joshua: “CooperBurnett invests in its people – you work here, but it’s also your career and I’ve felt nothing but support. The SQE is a new route to qualification and CooperBurnett has been very open to embracing it, which feels refreshing.”
What do you think makes CooperBurnett different from other law firms?
Natalie: “What really drew me to CooperBurnett was its culture of collaboration, open communication and mutual respect, as well as its genuine focus on professional development and career growth. The firm has built a strong reputation for providing a supportive environment, which is clear from its low staff turnover. The senior team here are generous with their time and always willing to share their experience and guide you through each stage of a matter. In larger firms, you often have to tackle challenges on your own but here you really feel that support and teamwork are at the heart of how we work.”
Imogen: “I think the size of the firm makes a difference. In a larger firm, you risk becoming just ‘a number’ and might not benefit from such in-depth training. It’s clear CooperBurnett wants to retain people and lawyers are drawn here because they can see it’s somewhere people stay. You feel you are important and being invested in.”
Joshua: “I agree. If you invest in someone from the start and give them your full support, you’re only ever going to achieve the best out of that person.”
We talk a lot about the TeamCB culture. One Partner described it as a ‘breath of fresh air’ and another as ‘refreshing and liberating’. How would you describe the culture here?
Imogen: “I love the culture at CooperBurnett but it’s difficult for me to compare it with anywhere else, as I’ve only been here.”
Joshua: “Again, I’ve only worked at CooperBurnett but I did get a feeling for other firms, when I did my round of interviews for my MLaw placement. The interview style I encountered really set the tone for me. Some firms jumped in with ‘your billable hours are this, you need to turn up at this time and clock out at that time’. When I arrived at CooperBurnett, the first question Victoria [Sampson] asked me was ‘are you a nice person’. It felt like a complete gear change from other firms and reaffirmed to me that CooperBurnett is all about investing in its people – TeamCB.”
Natalie: “I agree. I felt truly inspired during my interview with Victoria. Her positive and supportive approach gave me the confidence to take on new challenges at CooperBurnett and, once I’d joined, I found the whole team just as welcoming and encouraging. At TeamCB, you are treated as a human, rather than a cog in a machine. You are trusted and supported to do your best and that makes a real difference.”
Joshua: “Of course, there are targets in terms of where CooperBurnett needs to be; it’s still a business, but that pressure doesn’t feel like it drips down to every single employee and instead you can ask yourself the question of what value have I added to the client, as opposed to how much you can bill them for the work done.”
Within this culture, do you feel you are supported to be the solicitor you want to be?
Imogen: “Yes, that definitely sums up CooperBurnett’s approach. It comes down to mutual respect; you are treated well here and work within a supportive environment.”
Natalie: “Yes, people really are the first priority here.”
Joshua: “It’s about investing in people and their careers, as opposed to how much am I paying this person and what are they going to give me in return?”
What do you all enjoy most about your roles currently?
Natalie: “I’m really enjoying having more autonomy in my role and the opportunity to lead on part of the transactions. It feels rewarding to have reached this stage and it’s reassuring to know that support is always there whenever I need it.”
Joshua: “Recently, I feel like an increasing amount of my work is being approved first time, with the senior saying ‘you can send it out as it is, it’s fine’ and that feels good.”
Imogen: “Josh, that just shows how much you’ve grown. You are progressing and understanding more and more.”
Joshua: “It feels good, as the senior who signs off that piece of work has their name at the bottom and, with all their years of experience, they feel confident in it going out not just in their name but also on behalf of the firm.”
Having been so well supported at CooperBurnett thus far, do you now feel a responsibility to be a good role model and mentor to the next generation of lawyers?
Imogen: “I’ve always tried to be as open and honest about the highs and lows of being a trainee. When I trained, I was the only trainee here at the time, so I didn’t have a fellow trainee to speak to and share my experiences with. So, as more junior people have come into the firm, I always want them to know that everything they are feeling is completely normal and, hopefully, I’ve done that for you Josh?”
Joshua: “Well, you’ve validated my crying sessions [he jokes]! Seriously though, it’s about normalising that process, particularly if you are qualifying via a route nobody else here has taken thus far. It can feel lonely, so it’s good to have a support network. After all, every lawyer was a trainee at some point.”
Imogen: “Going into law can be stressful and you can put a lot of pressure on yourself. Sometimes it can feel like, ‘am I the only person going through this’? It’s good to share experiences with somebody who has gone through qualification already and come out the other side.”
In the stage of your career you are in now, do you feel networking and business development is important?
Imogen: “I think it’s really important, particularly early on in your career, as those relationships and connections you form will only help you as you progress through your career. I have already come across many lawyers on the other side of a transaction whom I have met through networking and it definitely helps the transaction run smoother and makes picking up the phone that bit easier.”
Joshua: “Being approachable as a lawyer is under-rated. Ultimately, clients want to speak to a fellow human being. And I agree with Imogen, it’s good to build a support network locally and share experiences. CooperBurnet is so embedded in the community, so there’s an inherent trust that’s already built when a client chooses to instruct us.”
CooperBurnett has gained an excellent reputation for its charity and community involvement. Does that feel important to you as well?
Natalie: “Absolutely. It’s clear CooperBurnett’s commitment to charity and community work is genuine. It’s not just about building a reputation; as a firm, we truly care about giving back and supporting our community.”
Joshua: “100%. It goes back to what I said about being part of the community. You could just be a law firm but CooperBurnett is so much more than that. We are coming up to the five-year anniversary of the Walk Tonbridge Festival and CooperBurnett is synonymous with that event. When people hear the CooperBurnett name, they immediately think of these other things we do. The amount we do in the community and how consistent we are with that proves it is not just a box-ticking exercise. The time our Charity Committee and so many of members of TeamCB give up to support our chosen charity and the local community is extremely impressive.”
Natalie – how is life in Corporate law at the moment?
“It’s certainly very busy, with a wide range of transactions on the go but it’s also incredibly rewarding. We’re acting for many sellers at the moment but there’s no shortage of buyers either. I find it fascinating to support businesses through transactions that can really shape their future. I also enjoy the challenge of working through complex legal issues and finding practical solutions for our clients. It’s very fulfilling to help them achieve their goals and continue growing in a competitive market.”
Joshua – you’ve just left your seat in Residential Property. Was it busy in that department?
“In short yes. I was taken aback by the sheer number of people buying and selling houses! Having worked in Corporate, where you might have three or four active files on your desk, in Residential Property, you could have 40 or 50 matters on the go. It’s a case of spinning plates and ensuring everyone is happy. ‘Home’ is so important to people – it’s where their children live. I found my time there incredibly rewarding and enjoyed supporting clients during the process. To receive an email saying something like ‘thank you, we’re toasting our move and couldn’t have done that without you’ is really touching.”
Imogen – and how’s life in Commercial Property?
“It is a busy department and there is such a variety of work within the area that it makes each day interesting. Getting that exposure at this stage in my career is invaluable.”
Work in law can be pressured sometimes. What do you do during the working day to reset?
Natalie: “Taking a little time away from my desk at lunchtime always helps – it’s a simple but effective way to reset.”
Joshua: “I think it’s important not to eat at your desk but use that time to get a change of environment. Recently, as a member of the CB Charity Coastal Challenge team, I’ve also benefited from a bit more walking than usual!”
Imogen: “Taking a lunch break is a good chance to step away from the screen for a while. Also, if I’m working from home, I might take the opportunity to do some yoga or pilates.”
