Tiffany's Volunteering Story
Modern law firms have to face a number of issues in order to operate sustainably. However, sustainability is about more than just the environment: social factors play a key role in creating a sustainable culture. Volunteering is an important part of social sustainability and in recognition of this, we wanted to share the volunteering experiences of some members of the Vario team.
Who’s telling us their story?
Tiffany Harvey-Pallent is a member of our Managed Legal Services team based out of Pinsent Masons’ Birmingham office. She works as an MLS Lawyer and has a varied professional background in everything from debt recovery and legal compliance, to employment law and contract negotiation. The golden thread through her legal practice is her commercial approach to problem solving, whilst still mitigating any associated risks.
Why do I think volunteering is important?
"Volunteering can be incredibly rewarding and I’d encourage anyone from a professional background to explore how their skills can be utilised! Legal skills are always in demand, but I’d also encourage members of IT, marketing, finance & HR as well as lawyers to get involved. My role as a Governor has helped bolster my CV in a manner I would probably not have managed at this stage in my career without this experience. Seeing a formal Board cycle of business is an education in itself! Any organisation, whether not-for-profit charity or otherwise, needs a diverse range of backgrounds to be successful and to flourish.
Pinsent Masons supports governing roles as part of its corporate responsibility & there is a support network within PM. If you’d like more information, then I’m happy to answer any questions via teams or face to face if you see me in the Birmingham office."
What volunteering have I been involved in?
"I signed up to become a Governor for a Further Education (FE) College after relocating to the West Midlands in 2017. My motivation was primarily to meet people after our move, but I also hoped to give something back to the community. My education has been essential for my career and successes to date and being able to support other young people to gain that education was (and still is) important to me.
I was lucky to have applied to a college which is Ofsted rated as Good and has a solid local reputation as well as a long standing and strong Senior Leadership Team. The college prides itself on its inclusivity and it’s truly been a joy to hear the success stories at all levels of education when a young person progresses to their next stage of life in an improved position because of the college.
As a governor, you oversee decision making and set the college’s strategy. This means you can get a great boost to your experience very early on in your career. Governors are often referred to as a “critical friend” – there to offer a listening ear, constructive criticism but also to probe decisions. It is essential that decision making is robust given that public money is being spent.
As a Board we meet once a term and I also sit on the Audit Committee which meets once a term. The papers which come through are extensive but it’s important that the Governors have full oversight of the college’s activities to then be able to set the strategic direction and to offer suitable challenge. Other matters arise as & when, I’ve recently been involved in the recruitment for a new principal. Most meetings are in the evening after work; however, we do also have an annual strategy day."
Stay up to date
If you’d like to read more volunteering stories from the Vario team, then you can read our last piece here. To stay up to date with this and other work we’re doing, you can follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok.