Victoria Jackson - Day 2 of the 12 days of PDT Christmas

What is your role at PDT and what changes has 2021 brought you and your career?

 

A large proportion of my day-to-day role is helping people buy and sell their businesses. This includes working with clients to understand how their company or company group is structured (and whether a reorganisation of the group structure is required for sale), reviewing their contracts with customers and supplier(s) and advising on their constitutional documents.

 

Over the last 12 months my role has changed from a trainee solicitor to a qualified solicitor after completing PDT’s trainee programme. The main change this has brought to my day-to-day life is being permanently based in the corporate team, rather than rotating seats and departments. This has given me a greater insight into buying and selling businesses, dealing with clients (both repeat and new) and it has given me a higher level of responsibility in running matters and transactions.

 

The main change the team has seen in the last 12 months is the uptake of clients wanting to protect themselves through shareholders’ agreements and their articles of association, especially where new shareholders and investors have joined companies following the pandemic.

 

This has continued from the beginning of lockdown, where we saw a lot of clients doing more general ‘housekeeping’ exercises whilst they had a lull in their everyday role and large transactions were put on the backburner. However, whilst companies are still working hard to ensure everything is in working order, we are now definitely seeing people back in ‘action mode’ and we are currently working on multiple large transactions for clients (both selling and buying).

 

 

If Santa could bring you one gift that would help or improve your working life what would that be?

 

I know most people will be reading this question and thinking ‘a holiday’ or ‘more hours in the day’, but honestly mine would be a mini desktop water dispenser!! I reckon I could draft an entire share purchase agreement in the amount of time during the week that I spend walking back and forth from the water dispenser by the door – thirsty work!! (Preferably pink, please Santa!)

 

 

What are you looking forward to the most this Christmas?

 

Spending uninterrupted time with my friends and family, eating, playing silly games and just having the time to recharge is most definitely what I am looking forward to. It is the one time of the year where everyone stops and comes together and you don’t feel guilty that you are adding work onto someone else, like you sometimes do when you take annual leave. Also did I mention drinking copious amounts of mulled wine?

 

 

What is the most bizarre Christmas present you have ever received/ given?

 

It was not really ‘bizarre’ but more bad timing!!! I gave a colleague beard baubles as I had him for Secret Santa – I worked with him for 4 years and he always had a thick beard.

 

The day we were exchanging gifts is the day he shaved his beard off…

 

What’s the best or worst cracker joke you’ve ever heard?

 

Worst - What do you get if you cross Santa with a duck? A Christmas quacker….

Best – Why did Santa's helper see the doctor? Because he had low elf esteem!!!

 

 

In a Christmas fantasy land, who would be the famous figures (past or present), at your dinner table and why?

 

Absolutely must be Miley Cyrus because she has been the one famous figure I have grown up with and always adored.

Freddie Mercury – to sing Thank God It's Christmas to me.

James Acaster to make us all laugh and to serve up his signature liquid cherry bakewell flapjacks from Bake Off!!!

Louis Theroux – to listen to his stories.

Tiger King – I just have SO many questions…if you have seen the Netflix series then I don’t need to say anymore.

Carol Vorderman – so she can add up the bill…

 

 

Any New Year’s resolutions?

 

Last year I made two resolutions, one was to swim in the sea – I am terrified of open water – and I did that! The second was to run 300km…let’s say I made it just about 1/3 of the way of that resolution, so I need to put that one back in play for 2022.

 

 

What do you think 2022 will bring for you, your career and relationship with PDT going forward?

 

I think we are looking ahead to another very busy year – our January is already looking jammed packed with completions, which is great. I know we are still in uncertain times with the rise of covid cases, so if another lockdown is on our horizon or a shift back to working from home then it is great for our clients to know that we are business as usual and we are ready to help!

 

 

Thank you Victoria, we look forward to another busy year for 2022

 

 

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