International Women’s Day Insights: Rhianna Greenley, Solicitor
Written by Rhianna Greenley | Family Team | 08 March 2024
This International Women's Day, we're highlighting the journeys, challenges, and experiences of our female lawyers. Their stories show the importance of diversity, resilience, and empowerment in shaping an inclusive legal community.
We’re joined now by Rhianna Greenley, a Solicitor in our Family team.
Rhianna graduated from Plymouth University with a First Class Honours in Law in 2017. She joined the Residential Conveyancing team in July 2017 assisting Julia Ludlow by liaising with clients, solicitors, estate agents, and lenders, and by preparing legal paperwork for house purchases and sales. Whilst in her final year at Plymouth University Rhianna was awarded with the “Lecturer’s Choice Award” and she is delighted that Nash & Co are continuing to develop closer links with the Law School at the University.
We’re always keen to help develop the careers of young talented lawyers. So we awarded Rhianna with a training contract here at Nash & Co Solicitors. After two years and following the news that she has passed all of her exams, Rhianna qualified as a Solicitor in September 2020. She joined the Family team, and there’s been no looking back since!
What advice would you give your younger self at the start of your legal journey?
“They say that life is about the journey and not the destination.” Whilst the somewhat cheesy quote is used in everyday life, I feel it also applies to my career in law.
Throughout my training, I was so focused on becoming a qualified solicitor that I sometimes forgot to take a moment to enjoy each element of my training. I definitely feel I put my whole self into my training (and the free lunches we were offered on my professional skills course), but the advice I would give to my younger self would be not to stress so much about the end goal.
This is now the advice I give to junior lawyers as I feel it is important to remember you only get the opportunity to be a trainee lawyer once and when you become qualified you have a lot of responsibility!
Which of your strengths have contributed to your success within the profession?
As a resolution family lawyer, I am committed to working constructively with my clients to resolve the issues arising from divorce and separation, with as little conflict as possible.
Meeting with a solicitor for the first time can be a very daunting experience for a lot of clients - particularly as this is usually one of the most (if not, the most) stressful times of their life. I feel my ability to listen, be kind, and provide clear advice whilst problem-solving to try and achieve the right outcome is a strength that I have brought to my professional career.
Whilst Family Law is a litigious area, I am not naturally confrontational or aggressive and will always try to help guide my clients to resolve matters amicably. I explain to many clients when we first meet, how Court should always be viewed as the last resort, particularly given the time, cost, and the stress this can place on a person.
Every lawyer that I have shadowed and worked with throughout my career has brought different elements of their personality to their role. I find this really refreshing, as it helps like-minded clients gravitate towards you.
