Meet the founder of Authentically Speaking, a coaching & training consultancy for the legal profession, Hannahe Beko.
While contributing her courses for the site (access her courses here), we took the opportunity to get her perspective on some of the burning questions around the legal sector and professional development.
Read on as she shares how an unexpected job offer shaped her career, how she has learnt from her mistakes and what she would like to change about the legal industry.
Do you have a favourite failure? Something that didn’t go so well at the time, but has actually benefited you in the long-run?
It felt like a failure when I decided to leave my traditional legal career and large law firm background in 2011 after my first son was born. I didn’t know if I’d be a lawyer anymore (and for 6 months I wasn’t, I started a children’s online organic clothes business and wasted lots of money!). I found my way into self-employment in 2012 and have never looked back.
If you could go back to the beginning of your legal career, what’s the top piece of advice you would give yourself?
Learn to meditate and look after your stress levels and mental health much sooner!
If you could change anything about the legal industry, what would it be?
The stress and pressure. We are not perfect and to try and strive for perfection is so damaging to health and satisfaction in the career.
What advice would you give to legal professionals looking to further their career?
Learn to mediate and manage your stress levels! Seriously, technical know-how is only part of the journey, eventually you will have all you need in that department but spend time on other skills like leadership, emotional intelligence, time management and remember to have fun!
What have you done in your career that has made the biggest difference?
Network. In person and on Linkedin. The more people I meet and the more relationships I develop, the more successful I am.
Read more of Hannah’s course content here.
Hannah has been a commercial property lawyer for the past 17 years and in 2016 founded coaching and training consultancy Authentically Speaking supporting lawyers and law firms with personal and professional skills development.
After coaching and training thousands of lawyers, industry expert Hannah released her book The Authentic Lawyer in 2022 and co-authored Future Proof Your Legal Career: 10 core areas of professional development published by Globe Law and Business.
Hannah is mum to three boys and is also a podcast host and a keynote speaker on mental health/wellbeing and the power of authenticity in the legal profession.
While contributing her courses for the site (access her courses here), we took the opportunity to get her perspective on some of the burning questions around the legal sector and professional development.
Read on as she shares how an unexpected job offer shaped her career, how she has learnt from her mistakes and what she would like to change about the legal industry.
Do you have a favourite failure? Something that didn’t go so well at the time, but has actually benefited you in the long-run?
It felt like a failure when I decided to leave my traditional legal career and large law firm background in 2011 after my first son was born. I didn’t know if I’d be a lawyer anymore (and for 6 months I wasn’t, I started a children’s online organic clothes business and wasted lots of money!). I found my way into self-employment in 2012 and have never looked back.
If you could go back to the beginning of your legal career, what’s the top piece of advice you would give yourself?
Learn to meditate and look after your stress levels and mental health much sooner!
If you could change anything about the legal industry, what would it be?
The stress and pressure. We are not perfect and to try and strive for perfection is so damaging to health and satisfaction in the career.
What advice would you give to legal professionals looking to further their career?
Learn to mediate and manage your stress levels! Seriously, technical know-how is only part of the journey, eventually you will have all you need in that department but spend time on other skills like leadership, emotional intelligence, time management and remember to have fun!
What have you done in your career that has made the biggest difference?
Network. In person and on Linkedin. The more people I meet and the more relationships I develop, the more successful I am.
Read more of Hannah’s course content here.
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