An interview with Joanna Pratt

Our Senior Partner and Head of Family, Joanna Pratt, chatted to Private Client Dining Club Magazine about her role and what she enjoys most about being a lawyer.

What do you do for Thomson Snell & Passmore?

I am the senior partner, part of the management board and head of the Family team. I am also COLP.

What do you love most about your role?

The part of my role which I enjoy the most is dealing with people – our staff, our clients and our referrers.

My passion for family law comes from dealing with individuals who are often going through extremely difficult life events.  By the end of the work which I am doing with them, they are beginning to move forward with their lives, and can see that they have a future.  That can be very rewarding.  It is also amazing to witness the strength and courage which many clients show, and the way in which parents are able to put aside their own personal disputes, and prioritise the welfare of their children.

In my role as senior partner, I am able to continue to embed and broadcast the amazing firm which we are, and our outstanding ethos and culture.  Our staff are just as important as our clients, and although we are a firm of over 250, we are still a family, who are there to support each other.

Equally, the strong relationships which we build with other professionals support everything which we do for our clients.

What has been your greatest achievement?

Workwise, leading what I consider to be the best law firm in the world. Not only are we highly ranked in the legal directories and recognised for our excellence in prestigious titles such as The Times and Spears’ Magazine, we are also recognised in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest law firm in the world.  Our longevity is due to our agility and ability to adapt to change.

Outside work, completing a half marathon last October!  I am not a runner on any level, and completing the half marathon has not changed that.  I don’t intend to do another one.  The fact that by completing the half marathon, I was able to raise a good sum of money for a charity which is very close to my heart, is something I am proud of.

What type of intermediaries do you tend to work with?

We work with a large variety of intermediaries and have built up strong relationships with many of them. These include lawyers in other jurisdictions, barristers, property valuers, accountants and forensic accountants, financial advisers, pension experts, mediators and counsellors.

Why did you join PCD?

We joined for a number of reasons. Partly because we recognise that having strong links to a wide range of expertise from across the private client world will ultimately help our clients, and partly because it is always rewarding and interesting to meet up with colleagues and peers to share learnings, experiences and best practice. PCD is a really great way to do both of these things.

On a weekend, I am most likely found…

… catching up with friends, doing bits in our garden, and the occasional foray on the golf course.  I have been having golf lessons for a year, and it is clear that I am not a natural …