Meet Freya Coombs

Welcome to our new series, where we introduce you to the passionate individuals that make up our Charities and Private Wealth Team. This series offers a glimpse into both the day-to-day responsibilities and the unique personalities that contribute to our team’s success. Join us as we showcase not only what we do but also who we are beyond our roles.

This month’s focus is on Freya Coombs. Freya joined us at the age of 17 back in 2022 as an apprentice paralegal. She spent 2 years in that role and gained a lot of experience working with charities on their legacy administration, probate matters and contentious cases.

She has recently completed her apprenticeship and started her new role with us as a Legacy Assistant helping our charity clients with their legacy administration needs.

"On the job"

Can you describe a typical day at work for you?

On a typical day, I will go between working on different client servers as an external consultant and helping progress the administration process of estates. That said, everyday throws up a different challenge and there's always something new to learn. Each day is different in terms of capacity, case work and complexity, which is what I enjoy most about working at Foot Anstey.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Getting to work with a diverse range of charities. I relish getting to know them and their operational challenges, delivering great service and building long lasting and fruitful relationships.

How was the experience of being an apprentice in a law firm at such a young age?

The experience as a whole has opened my eyes to the value of apprenticeships. Before I started I was studying full time at college, dreaming of making my way in the legal world. However, during my first year at college, I realised that full time studying was not the right path for me.

I did my research and made the brave decision to leave college and begin my career with Foot Anstey. Since I joined, my development journey has been fantastic in terms of my knowledge and confidence. The team has given me the courage and support to do my best and strive for greatness in all my work. I have found that working and learning alongside the team has been really valuable.

This is not the same for everyone, but if you're anything like me and feel it's not right for you to pursue law at university, but would like a career in law, I would seriously recommend going into an apprenticeship. My team and the firm as a whole have played a significant role in where I am today, and I know I will only go up from here with the support I have.

In my opinion, my apprenticeship was the best way to kickstart my career in law.

What advice would you give someone starting in your role?

Take every opportunity that comes your way. You never know what the next article or client meeting invitation can do for your career. Don't just be a part of your individual team, be a part of a firm and get your name and face out there in the industry. Most importantly, don't give up. Give everything a shot and find where your interests lie and where you feel you can add the most value and find fulfilment.

“Off the clock”

What's something you've done that scared you but you're glad you did it?

Last year, I overcame my fear of flying by doing a round trip on my own. Before this, I had only ever travelled with family and friends and would get really worked up because I'm an anxious flyer. However, I had been invited on a holiday which I would need to travel on separate dates, and I chose to face my fear head on and make the trip by myself.

What are three things on your bucket list?

Travelling is definitely at the top of my bucket list. I would love to do both solo city breaks in different countries or travel the world with friends, particularly in south east Asia. Another big one on my bucket list is to work in another country for a year, still in the law sector and preferably in Australia (even though I'm petrified of Spiders). Finally, I would love to go skydiving.