Your gender shouldn’t stop you from following your dreams and career aspirations

To mark International Women’s Day 2019 we spoke to two lawyers at Stone King, Partner Alison Allen and Senior Associate Rebecca Eels.

Rebecca, a Senior Associate in Stone King’s Family & Mediation Team, qualified in 1998 and joined Stone King in 2002.

She specialises in complex financial matters on divorce and children matters, including children issues with an international element.

Rebecca is also a trained mediator and mediator supervisor able to assist couples in a non-confrontational way through separation.

“I wanted a career in which I could make a difference, it may sound strange for a lawyer to be saying that, but family law and mediation really is helping people at their most vulnerable,” says Rebecca.

“Divorce and separation is one of the most stressful things a person has to cope with in life and I wanted to help people through this with the least amount of stress to them as possible.”

And Rebecca is clear that when it comes to gender there is no difference – for her, like all lawyers at the national firm, it is about achieving the best results for clients.

“I would actually say that in family law it’s more the other way,” she said when asked if she had chosen a male dominated profession.

“I have never felt at any stage that I was in a male dominated profession or that I felt any difference, it’s not about being male or female, it’s about doing the best for your client.

“I think it’s important, particularly for younger girls to realise that there should be no barriers. Your gender should not be the reason to follow your dreams and career aspirations.”

Rebecca can be contacted on 01225 324470 or by email.

Head of the Private Client Sector and Trusts & Estates Team at Stone King is Alison Allen.

Alison joined Stone King in 1998 and acts for a wide range of clients on matters including inheritance tax, trust drafting and administration, wills and administration of estates.

“First and foremost I wanted a job where I would be dealing with people,” says Alison.

“I was also interested in the law itself and found the subject interesting and enjoyed the element of problem solving.

“The law underpins everything we do and a good legal system is necessary for a healthy and functioning society so it is good to feel that in some small way we are part of the fabric of that.

“Certainly when I first qualified it was very male dominated – things are a lot better now but we still have some work to do to get more women represented at the top of the profession.

“International Women’s Day is a day to remember how far we have come in bringing about change but also to remind ourselves that there is still some way to go for many women around the world who do not enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities as we do.”

Alison can be contacted on 01225 324407 or by email.