At Stephensons, women are at the heart of our firm. Approximately 66% of our colleagues are women, half of our senior board and 56% of our partners. Women also make up 70% of our solicitors and 78% of our paralegals and graduate paralegals. From those at the beginning of their legal journey to those in senior leadership, women continue to shape Stephensons.
To mark International Women’s Day, we spoke with two of our Partners, Sarah Boustouller, Partner and Head of Marketing, and Claire Stockley, Partner in our clinical negligence department about career progression, inclusion, and the everyday actions that can help women forge ahead in their careers.
Here are just some of their thoughts.
Belief, confidence and saying “yes”
Confidence is often a defining factor in career advancement. Even when skills and experience are there, many can often feel hesitant about putting themselves forward. So, if you’re not one to ‘put yourself out there’ what do Claire and Sarah recommend?
Claire’s advice is simple: “Believe in yourself, first and foremost. Pursue opportunities with confidence and the knowledge that you are capable of achieving your ambitions.”
Sarah builds on this, highlighting the importance of embracing growth: “Say yes to training, strong qualifications create confidence and mobility. Take on roles beyond your immediate remit; those stretch opportunities accelerate development. I chair our Social Value , Brand and ED&I forums - that breadth delivers continuous learning.
“Also take opportunities to serve the community, my trusteeship with the UKH Foundation has given me experience and perspective as well as a broad knowledge of many different charities.”
Mentorship and support networks
Both Sarah and Claire emphasise how transformative great mentors can be.
Claire reflects: “Mentorship is vital. To have the help and support of a mentor helps steer skills and behaviours required for career progression. A good mentor will also instil confidence, self-belief and encouragement to apply for positions, or pursue opportunities that a woman may otherwise discount.”
For Sarah, supportive leadership and external coaching have been pivotal: “Over my 20 years at Stephensons, I’ve been fortunate to have managers who invested their time in my development. They helped me build my knowledge, understand risk more clearly and grow more confident in taking on responsibility. I also benefited from external coaching funded by the firm, which gave me space to step back, reflect and focus on what I could change. That experience prompted several positive steps that have had a lasting impact on both my personal and professional growth.”
Making work–life balance truly work
Juggling professional ambitions with family life, caring responsibilities or simply the need for time to recharge can be a real challenge without the right support. Flexible, agile working gives women the space to excel in their roles while still being present in the moments that matter at home.
As Sarah adds: “Our agile working policy is invaluable to me as a mum of two daughters, I really value our agile model, it cuts down my travel and lets me be present with my children at the end of the day (and even squeeze in a morning jog). That blend of agile location, flexible hours and sensible meeting discipline is what makes balance feel achievable rather than theoretical.”