Meet the Partners: Gareth Collins, Head of Commercial Property

Gareth Collins is a Partner at GoodLaw Solicitors and Head of Commercial Property. In this Q&A, Gareth sits down with our marketing executive, Dannie Moore, to discuss his start in a legal career and how he navigated 13 years of practising law to become a GoodLaw Partner.

What’s your story about your career in law?

I studied Law at Kings College London followed by the Legal Practice Course at Nottingham Law School – then the small task of finding a training contract and 13 years of practising law, and I’ve finally made it to Partner.

What barriers did you encounter on your career journey so far?

My main barrier was navigating the legal world post-2008 recession, especially in property law. Then children started arriving about 5 years after qualifying, which presented their own challenges!

What brought you to GoodLaw? What do you value about working here?

I’ve been at GoodLaw for almost three years now – they were a very rare find in 2020, not just hiring in property law but actually expanding and opening the Hassocks office. 

I started at GoodLaw Hassocks in August 2020, with the pandemic in a slight lull, but it would crank up again for the winter period in late 2020. However GoodLaw offered maximum flexibility and the equipment to work remotely as and when required, and the charming local clients were by then used to not having a solicitor in the office full-time. 

The national situation improved throughout 2021 (except for Omicron!) and we slowly moved back to a more office-based working life – although the flexibility is still there as and when required.

How did you become a Partner?

The firm decided to make some changes and they offered me a partnership and the Head of Commercial Property title in early 2022. I work closely alongside Fiona Mcleish, a fellow partner, who heads up the Residential Property team to try and get everyone working in a similar way in the department – a tricky task when the offices are spread between Brighton & Hove and Farnham!

What are the most valuable lessons you have learned?

Working in a good firm that cares about its staff is one of the more important things. Colleagues are the most important part of any firm – without them, nothing would function.

How do you manage a work-life balance?

Flexibility works both ways. I help with school runs and live 35 minutes from the office. I don’t expect a stopwatch on me, and I don’t expect the same from my colleagues. Everyone works as long as they need in order to get the job done, whether that be in a classic 9-5 in the office, or spread out across a broken day. I tend to have a second stint on emails every evening – I certainly don’t feel pressured to do it, but when the children are fed and put to bed I find it almost therapeutic to spend an hour or two on emails, while my wife gets complete control of the TV!

If you need legal advice on your commercial property conveyancing in Brighton, Hove, Hassocks or Farnham then get in touch with our team on 01273 956 270.