Charlotte Webber

I have worked part time as a senior lawyer for the past eight years. I took a full year of maternity leave when each of my boys were born and had a graduated return to work (initially at three days a week, then moving to four days a week) with each of them. For the first four years I had a full day off mid-week and then when my eldest started school I moved to my current arrangement which is being in the office four days a week across five, so I am able to do school drop offs and pick-ups two – three days a week. I joined the Partnership at Anderson Lloyd on return from my second maternity leave in 2021.

Working part time has been invaluable for my boys and I. It enables me to do a job that I love and also to be present in the boys lives and connected to their community at school drop offs and pick-ups. It is important to me to demonstrate to women coming through the ranks in our profession that you can be a mum and have a career; I involve my boys in as many office events as I can, be it Friday night drinks, social club events or other work celebrations. I want the boys to see where I work and be a part of my work community, as much as I want my colleagues to know me as a Mum and my true authentic self.

The biggest thing that I have learned over the past eight years is the need to embrace the chaos and to be flexible – you can’t always get done what you need to in your office hours and you just need to accept that be flexible as to when it gets done (as much as is acceptable) and communicate it. I could not do my job without the support of my Litigation Partners, or my wonderful team who are conscious and respectful of my accessibility, and I could not do "mum-life" without my very special friend and family network.