Rianna Stevens

Tell us about your career path, and how you got to be a Legal PA?

I started at the bottom of the ladder gradually working my way up over the past eight and half years. I started out as an office administrator at a local firm in Maidstone before moving on to a legal secretary role in another local firm in their residential team and then family for four and half years. After a few setbacks, I finally landed a job in the projects department at Linklaters which was my foot in the door into the City. A year and half later I moved to the disputes and media team at Farrer & Co and then eventually reached the top of the ladder at Howard Kennedy as a PA for Lois Langton and Jessica Smith.

In your opinion, what character traits do you need to succeed in the legal sector?

Patience and determination. As with any job in the legal sector it takes time and hard work to achieve your career goal.

If you could have another career, what would it be?

I am a massive animal lover so I would definitely be working with animals, perhaps for the RSPCA or at a veterinary clinic - although I would come home every day with another pet!

Have you got any advice for young women entering the legal sector?

Always be yourself and trust your instinct. This will establish your own identity and ensure you are paving a happy career path for yourself.

What is your favourite quote?

If I had to choose one that I always keep in mind it would have to be, "If you don't ask, you don't get". This is something that my dad has always said to me and anyone who knows me well will know this is something I live up to!