"Don't over think it!" Take a leap and the net will appear

Shimaela's experience of returning to private practice

I first met Shimaela Anwar in October 2019. Freshly arrived in London after ten years in New York, she was looking to reignite her career. I won't say "legal" career as that's too simplistic.

This was a woman who had trained as an accountant with KPMG, only to decide that she was really interested in the law and who went ahead and secured a training contract with Clifford Chance, where she stayed for 6 years. Not one to stay still, Shimaela then chose to move in house so that she could see "the other side" and joined GE as Tax Counsel.

An impressive career trajectory by anyone's standards. I talked to Shimaela about what happened next and where she is today, beginning with why she took a career break.

Why the career break?

I moved to New York with my husband who was already based there. While waiting for my green card, I explored various opportunities (leveraging contacts made at GE and Clifford Chance). At one “interview” I felt really nauseous and realised I was expecting my first child. It just felt like a good time to take a break and I did. My second son was born very premature so I just focussed on him and my family. My career break was not intentional, I just responded to my family’s key needs, which can never be planned - it is the best thing I did, no regrets.?

?What made you think it was time to return?

I was in New York for ten years and met many working mothers who juggled work/life really well. Their emphasis on the benefits of work (other than the monetary side) really motivated me. I thought I would give it a try, I just did not over think it.

How did you find your first role?

I attended a huge conference in New York for people returning to work. I was really impressed with the people I met and the various institutions keen on recruiting from a more diverse candidate pool. As I did not have the New York Bar, compliance was a natural place for a lawyer in New York.?I joined Goldman Sachs’ compliance department, I learnt so much and met phenomenal people.

Not easy to pigeon hole

Upon returning to London, Shimaela took some time to settle her children into school and then began to think about her next steps. She was keen to use all of her experience and with brand names like Goldmans, Clifford Chance, GE and KPMG you might think that was easy.

Sadly, it's not always the case. Many recruiters like to be able to pigeon-hole people - it makes their life so much easier. Having a varied CV and a career which has had a number of twists and turns can appear problematic, when in actual fact it can be incredibly valuable to an employer.

Shimaela found the Reignite Academy and began to talk to us about what she was looking for. Once on our radar, we were keen to find the right opportunity in the right firm.

You took quite an unusual role at Sidley.?How did that come about?

I truly believed private practice was not an option for me but I met the Reignite team and were impressed by their passion to get women back into law firms.? One day Reignite called me with an opportunity to meet the Sidley tax team.?The Reignite team were so enthusiastic and their description of the open?minded team at Sidley really captured my attention.?As I mentioned above, I did not over think it and had a very pleasant zoom chat with the partners.

What was appealing to you about the role/the firm?

I just love how open minded the tax partners I work for are. They are committed to flexible working, understand my four day week and are very keen to make the role work.?They place a lot of emphasis on training and have patiently supported me in coming back to speed.

Sidley’s flexibility, ability to embrace new ways of working and an authentic belief in diversity really makes it stand out and such qualities have made me feel welcome. ?

How have you found the transition back?

The learning curve is steep, but you gradually find your rhythm.?My transition was made a lot easier by the partners I work with as they gave regular detailed feedback, encouragement, challenged me and scheduled regular catch ups.?

What advice would you give to others?

Don’t think too much about it, just give it a go.? You will not know what going back to work is like until you try it – yes you can talk to people, over think it and probably talk yourself out of it, but give it a go.?If in doubt, give me a call and we can chat.?

If you think your kids won’t cope without you, my son’s teacher told me he had really?matured since I had gone back to work – he could finally zip his coat up!! (I had never noticed that in my constant hovering I had never let him try!).?Moral of the story, the kids will be fine!?

We also spoke to Fatema Orjela, partner at Sidley, who said "Shimaela’s successful placement with our firm and the mutual benefits - our helping with the transition, and her contributing her experience and professional maturity to our team - is a testament to the strength and feasibility of the Reignite model.”

She went on to add "The team at Sidley is proud to be working with Reignite to help bring candidates with diverse backgrounds back to the workforce."

Shimaela is not the first (in fact I think she may be the 41st) and she definitely won't be the last. If you're considering a return to law, take her advice. Don't over think it. Check out our latest opportunities at the Reignite Academy

If you'd like to hear more from Shimaela and other women who recently returned to private practice, come along to our panel event where they will discuss their experience and answer any questions you might have. It's 30th Sept at 1pm register here.