From Aspiring Lawyer to Associate Solicitor: Kat Moody’s Lessons in Growth, Advocacy, and Public Speaking
With TheLawyerFiles
Welcome to the second blog post for TheLawyerFiles!
First, thank you for subscribing. Please stay tuned for insightful interviews, expert advice, and real-life experiences from legal professionals to help you navigate your journey to becoming a solicitor.
In this second edition, we feature Kat Moody, an Associate Solicitor at Richard Reed Solicitors, who shares her journey to achieving this career milestone, the importance of gaining diverse legal experience, and how public speaking can enhance a lawyer’s skill set. She also offers valuable insights and advice for aspiring solicitors navigating the legal profession.
Let’s dive in! 🚀
1. Becoming an Associate Solicitor is a significant milestone. What does this role mean to you, and how has your work evolved since stepping into it?
I am thrilled to have been promoted to Associate Solicitor at Richard Reed Solicitors. This achievement is a significant milestone in my career, and I’m very grateful for the opportunities and support I’ve received from the firm. I’ve been passionate about law since I was 16, and I truly love what I do. This appointment reflects my success in meeting the firm’s Associate Objectives, which are designed to support Richard Reed Solicitors’ growth and long-term success. Since commencing my employment with Richard Reed in April 2022, I have been actively involved in business development, representing the firm at events and seminars to enhance its reputation in employment law and dispute resolution. I have also played a key role in fostering a positive and collaborative environment within the firm, mentoring and supporting colleagues and contributing to a culture of excellence and teamwork. I’m excited for the opportunities this new role brings and will continue striving to deliver the best for both my clients and the firm.
2. When dealing with complex disputes, how do you balance the legal strategy with the emotional aspects clients often bring to these cases?
It is important to manage a client’s expectations right from the outset of being instructed. A lot of the cases I take on are highly emotive; they involved disputes after a loved one has died, relationship breakdowns, accusations, denials, pride etc. My job is to ensure that my clients understand their options; the risks associated with proceeding and what a win and a loss both look like. Emotions, especially pride, will only get them so far. A client will ultimately need to make a decision based on all of the facts, options, risks (and emotions) that go along with a contentious litigated case. My job is to ensure that my clients can make a fully informed decision. As a lawyer, my role is to adopt a logical and analytic approach to litigation, without the emotional constraints often placed on clients. Empathising with a client’s situation and being able to guide them to consider matters from a logical/economical etc viewpoint takes many years of practice but it is a skill that must be harnessed in order to get the best results for the client.
3. You’ve worked in multiple areas of law, from professional negligence to contested probate matters. How important is it for junior lawyers to gain varied experience before specialising?
I was fortunate to secure a training contract with Gateshead Council and Northumbria Police Authority. The training contract allowed me to gain experience in areas that just would not have been accessible to me, otherwise. During my training contract I worked in a number of difference departments at the council and gained experience in prosecutions, debt recovery, licensing, traffic law, planning and contracts, sales and acquisitions, land law, adult social care. While during my time at the police, I gained experience in operational policing, proceeds of crime, police property, sex offender prevention, firearm offences, PACE, Data Protection and management of cross force information etc. Having a well-rounded training contract not only allowed me to gain firsthand experience in different arears, it also give me the opportunity to decide for myself, what areas of law I enjoyed and found interesting and which I did not. I’ve always leaned more towards contentious litigation and my training contract cemented that for me. When I qualified and started applying for newly qualified positions, I knew that I wanted to be a litigator, and I was confident that the skills I learned during my varied training contract were transferrable. Now over 12 years on, my work continues to be varied and although I am a litigator, no two days are the same; I might be dealing with employment law on a morning and by the afternoon may have dealt with a debt recovery matter, a contract dispute or an inheritance dispute. Variety keeps the job interesting and allows me to demonstrate to my employer a number of strengths that I would not have now, had I not gained a variety of work experience.
4. You co-founded Empower Your Voice, a public speaking community. How did this initiative come about, and what role does public speaking play in legal practice?
A few years ago, I attended a public speaking workshop that was hosted by Inspired HR. I had no idea what to expect and was quite nervous attending the event. The workshop was delivered by the fabulous Jackie Dack, all round public speaking guru. Honestly, she knows her stuff and I learned a lot during that workshop. I took to the stage and delivered a monologue and then got back up and delivered a presentation about how I got into law and why. The feedback I received was incredible. That was the first time I had ever shared my personal story. It was exposing, but in a good way and the buzz I got from standing there and owing who I am and where I come from, was not expected, at all! I met Zoe and Jamie at this workshop and we developed a working relationship and then eventually a friendship, bonding over how much we wanted to encourage others to embrace their own stories via the power of public speaking. There are not many opportunities for people to practice public speaking and so we decided to create our own. It was Jamie who initially came up with the idea and then after brainstorming it in detail and Zoe working her events magic on the concept, Empower Your Voice was born in August 2024. I am really proud of the public speaking community we are building. My confidence has definitely improved, and I’ve gained some invaluable experience and made some fantastic connections along the way.
5. What’s one underrated skill that every aspiring solicitor should develop?
Public speaking and I am not just saying that because I want to grow our Empower Your Voice community, honestly! I genuinely believe that we can all benefit from practicing and improving upon our public speaking skills. Whether you’re a litigator like me and want to gain confidence presenting cases at court, or whether you’re a non-contentious practitioner and you want to negotiate more favourable contract terms or maybe you are hoping to secure business opportunities and grow your network; all of these things are so much more achievable when you have the confidence to own your space and present your argument, express point of view, sell yourself etc. I would encourage anyone, regardless of where they are at on their legal journey, to practice public speaking but especially those aspiring solicitors; what better way to stand out from the crowd than standing in front of it.
Kat Moody - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/kat-moody-31928a238
Associate Solicitor
Richard Reed Solicitors
Thank you for reading the second edition of TheLawyerFiles!
I hope Kat Moody’s insights have given you valuable guidance and inspiration for your own legal journey. Whether you're navigating law school, gaining experience, or exploring different practice areas, resilience and determination are key.
Stay tuned—shortly after this post, we’ll be releasing a podcast episode where Kat dives even deeper into her experiences and advice. Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it!
Until next time—keep learning, keep growing, and keep pushing forward! 🚀⚖️
-Denice Obeng :)