Spotlight on Leona Ahmed

Recognising how important it is to showcase our working environment and culture and the people who work within it, we wanted to spotlight ?one of our women in leadership. On this occasion we have chosen to speak with Leona Ahmed, a partner within our Real Estate team.

What made you decide to move into the legal profession?

I'm Asian by heritage, both of my parents came to this country as immigrants and had high hopes of me becoming a doctor, lawyer, or accountant. Starting out in hospitality followed by a stint in retail, I decided to rethink my career, eventually landing on law after watching the exciting lives of the lawyers in the television series, Ally McBeal – the 90s equivalent of Suits! What started out as appeasing my dad quickly turned into a genuine passion, and I've been practicing law ever since.

How did your career journey into the legal profession begin?

My first role was as an 'office junior' at a small high street firm in Shepherd's Bush, reporting to associates and partners. It was an introduction to a very different world and type of firm that couldn't be further away from what I do now, but it was great experience. After a few years of moving around various firms and completing my Institute of Legal Executive exams, I applied to law school as a mature student.

Why did you choose to specialise in the real estate sector specifically?

Before I went to law school, I had experience in both contentious and non-contentious real estate, so I knew that was where my focus was going to be. It’s a very people-centric industry, and I liked that. I qualified into the Real Estate team at Lawrence Graham in 1996, before becoming partner in 2001.

How do you feel your previous experience has helped you with your career in law?

When I started at Lawrence Graham, many firms were going through significant changes in terms of the way they were bringing in new clients. I found that the skills I'd developed in retail, which I'd happily kept hidden for a long time, came to the forefront. For instance, I was able to successfully cold call and pitch to prospective clients on why they should choose us over other competitors. My non-traditional law background started to stack up in my favour and made me stand out in front of my peers.

How did you find your way to Taylor Wessing?

I would say we found each other. The firm was looking to grow the Real Estate team and I was looking for a new challenge. I knew of the firm for many years and that it has a well-respected, international platform that very much suits the type of clients (family offices, UHNW and overseas funds) I work with.

Why did you pick to come to Taylor Wessing rather than other firms?

There were three distinct reasons why I picked to join Taylor Wessing above other firms:

• Firstly, Taylor Wessing was a firm that had their Real Estate practice firmly cemented within their strategy and this meant that my existing client base would get the same if not a better level of service. I also recognised that Taylor Wessing's focus on Private Wealth would also, and does to this day, benefit my clients.
• Secondly, Taylor Wessing has a well-established and respected international offering specifically in Europe.
• Finally, the people, the people I work with on a daily basis have always been an important aspect of what I most enjoy about my job. I met so many people during the recruitment process which gave me a great insight into the team dynamic and the differing personalities within the team, it also showed me that people genuinely build their career here and tend to stay for a long period of time.

What is the best thing about working for Taylor Wessing?

Alongside the people there is also a big emphasis on entrepreneurialism and innovative thinking across every level of the business, a real encouragement to go and give things a go should you wish to pursue them.

Why is diversity and inclusion at the firm a hot topic of discussion?

The reason D&I is such a hot topic at the firm, and one of our main focuses in our strategy, is that research has proven that having a diverse team and environment where everyone can contribute helps with innovative thinking around solutions for clients. It also helps the firm to push boundaries and be forward thinking across a number of practice areas. These types of environments I feel also help us all embrace change in our firm and makes the culture more resilient.

Another huge factor of me joining the firm was its genuine commitment to their diversity and inclusion strategy and not just paying lip service to this. Being a female partner from an ethnically diverse background and also having a different route into law due to my socioeconomic background, as you can imagine, makes the firms continuing success in meeting our diversity and inclusion goals across all strands is very important to me. A big focus of the firm is to educate those not from a minority background so that they understand other colleagues' perspectives and can also help us all engage with each other in a more positive and considered way.

Which key benefits that TW offer are most important to you?

The benefit which I enjoy most that is provided by the firm is being able to see our GP onsite. I am a female of menopausal age and the ability to have regular check ups without having to wait an age for an appointment has made managing the symptoms far easier. The care is fantastic. This has also saved me countless hours as I do not have to go offsite and wait to be seen which allows me to spend more time in our business supporting my team and providing a great service for our clients.

As a partner, what’s your definition of success, and do you believe you’ve achieved it yet?

This is a very difficult question as people will measure success differently depending on a number of factors, success is something that is also continuously strived for so you can achieve it and then set further goals. I have felt I have achieved success twice in my career thus far, the first when I qualified as a solicitor due to the route I took to do this – unorthodox for the time. The second time I felt I had achieved success would be when I became a partner, this always seemed like an unachievable goal due to the background I came from and the way the industry was at the time so this felt like a big achievement to me and my family. Watching ?those that were once my trainees become partners is also really rewarding – even if it reminds me that I am getting on a bit!

Take a look at our Real Estate team's latest work on the real estate landscape and how clients can strengthen their position in a challenging market. Find out more .