Kate Hawken is a consultant property solicitor based in Kent, specialising in leasehold enfranchisement and conveyancing. She has 25 years’ experience and joined Setfords in 2021.
Law is Kate’s second career: she worked as a florist for a number of years before retraining. We caught up with her to talk about making the move to consultancy, and why she wishes she’d done it sooner.
What made you leave traditional practice?
I spoke to a few people first, including friends who’d been consultants for around 10 years. I was having a break when we moved house, so I used the time at home to finish my CILEx qualification and become a practitioner. Rather than going back to a firm, I decided to set up as a consultant.
My office used to be our carport, and my other half’s Mercedes now lives out on the drive!
It’s nice not being in the house. I still have to step outside to get to work, so it feels like a mini-commute, and I don’t get interrupted all the time.
What’s your favourite thing about the way you work now?
I can choose when I want to work, and what I do and don’t take on. That freedom is nice, especially as I work in quite a specialist area.
I help quite a few people at Setfords too. Lots of colleagues send work on to me, because not many people like leasehold enfranchisement besides me!
What surprised you most about consultancy?
It’s lovely not having to deal with registrations and setting up files. Setfords’ support teams handle all of that for you.
Everyone is approachable and willing to help, too. You can always ask someone, and they come back to you promptly.
You think you’ll be in your own little bubble, with no one else around. But a few people have called me for a chat because they feel the same way. It’s nice to have that option, or to be able to knuckle down and get on with the job.
What advice would you give someone considering the move to consultancy?
“Do it. If I’d known what it was like, I’d have done it years ago. I really would.”
There’s always a bit of doubt at first, wondering whether you’ll earn enough. When I started, I got work from Setfords and from my other half, who’s an estate agent. Lots of clients I’d worked with at my previous firm also tracked me down on LinkedIn and came to me with new work.
In the last couple of years, I haven’t really needed work from Setfords. It’s all been clients coming back to me and referrals. That was my main worry: you think you’ll never have any money again, then realise you’re far busier than you ever were at a firm.
It takes a while for your brain to get in gear and trust that the work will come. And if you do need leads, Setfords certainly has those too. The hardest part is the start, when you’ve got a mortgage to pay and no monthly salary. But it doesn’t last long and once the momentum builds, it gets so much better, so definitely give it a go.
Which Setfords support team could you not live without?
Probably post approval, or PAFs as they’re known, because I serve a lot of notices. Imagine having 20 people you need to send a letter and notice to. They’ve always been really good, and if they have a question or a problem, they ask and come back to you quickly.
The secretaries are great as well, so it’s hard to choose. But because of the notices my work involves, I’d say post approval.
Quickfire round
Tea or coffee?
Coffee. I’m on my sixth cup, but I did start at half past six, so it’s been a while!
Home office or coffee shop?
Home office.
Early bird or night owl?
Early bird, definitely!
If Kate’s story has got you thinking, arrange a confidential call with our team to see how consultancy with Setfords could work for you.
