About Us
We work with Firms and Solicitors providing fresh thinking for fast changing times.
- We liberate your growth potential – personally and for law firms.
- You gain an uplifting breakthrough at major career and business crossroads.
- We energise you and liberate your talent.
- We help you grow, strategically and practically.
- Our associate model gives you a bespoke approach.
Team
Rachel Brushfield – Founder
Rachel is the founder of EnergiseLegal (1997) and is The Talent Liberator, with over 30 years’ experience, and in-depth knowledge of the legal profession and solicitors. Her career heritage is in marketing and brand strategy and communications for design, advertising and innovation agencies, including WPP. She is an experienced coach and published author in talent management, professional development, work life balance, career management, marketing yourself, and gender balance for the Law Society, Ark and Globe/The International Bar Association (IBA). Rachel was shortlisted in the entrepreneur category of the We are the City ‘Rising Star’ Awards in 2017, and was a judge in the Marketing and Communications category of the 2019 Law Society Excellence Awards. She is co-founder of the network PWHub for senior employed women in Oxfordshire, with portfolio careers a specialism. Rachel has supported the Law Society Returners course for over a decade.
Ruth Farenga – Associate
Ruth is a Mindfulness Teacher helping the public and workplace staff develop skills and habits in Mindfulness so that they can have happier and more productive lives, as well as being more aware and responsive with others. Ruth consults with firms to develop a culture that reduces reactivity, incorporating creating healthy habits and mindful approaches to life and work enabling leaders and staff to increase their emotional intelligence and reduce their reactions and overall bias, providing enhanced thinking, discussion and problem solving. Ruth completed a 2-year Diploma in Mindfulness Teaching and now continues her CPD with Oxford University. She has also recently completed a Diploma in Transformational Coaching accredited by the European Coaching and Mentoring Council (EMCC) to facilitate the development of individuals as well as groups. Ruth’s professional background is in both corporate organisations, where she worked primarily for Pearson Education and Intel Corporation, and the third sector as a long-term trainer and project lead for the WISE Campaign (Women in Science, Technology and Engineering).
Ian Dodds – Associate
Ian helps clients gain real bottom-line improvements. He helps firms to build high performance inclusive cultures, to design and deliver transformation change programmes, build high performance teams through interactive effectiveness coaching and training, develop leaders and talent, and update organisational design. He is a regular speaker on international platforms on the Power of Inclusion, including improving the diversity of senior management. He is featured in Who’s Who ‘Business Leaders of the Millennium’ and is a Who’s Who Mentor and is an elected member of the NTL Institute of Applied Behavioural Science, the leading body in the world regarding leadership and organisational development and behavioural change. Ian holds an MA (Oxon), PhD, Cert Ed (with distinction) and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is a member of the Engage for Success Guru Steering Group and has a Lotus Award 2017: Lifetime Achievement for Pioneering Inclusive Cultures.
Louise Barfield – Associate
Louise is a marketing professional whose experience draws from over 20 years in global branding and consultancy. Her skills lie in interpreting trends, brand development, and communications planning, offering support during periods of change.
Having facilitated workshops and events for professional networks, Louise understands the challenges faced by leaders in the professional services sector, particularly those in brand management, colleague engagement and thought leadership.
With a keen interest in emerging workplace trends, Louise’s experience includes creating new initiatives to address issues such as gender balance, culture change and leadership.
Her specialisms are marketing, communications and growth strategy. In her spare time, she runs a BFI community cinema club, is a guest lecturer at St Mary’s University and mentors a London tech start-up.
Peter Wilford
Peter Wilford has over 25 years’ career coaching and career management expertise and over 45 years’ business experience. His clients include senior executives, lawyers and mid-career professionals. Helping people to discover fulfilling new options and avenues including self-employment and future-proof portfolio careers is a passion, as is building best practice in career management.
Peter has worked with many lawyers in career transition and has also supported several law firms with career coaching, outplacement and HR/Training consultancy. These include Sidley Austin LLB, Salans LLB and Shadbolt & Co. His private clients have worked for Clifford Chance, Allen and Overy, Irwin Mitchell, Slaughter and May and Clyde & Co.
Peter is fascinated by people, what makes them different and unique and what they can take to the world of work, and he has extensive knowledge of the jobs/and work search strategies. His own career has included running his own business, consultancy associate work, employment and self-employment, and he now enjoys a portfolio career.
Peter’s career heritage is HR and Training. He is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) to conduct personality testing and assessment and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD).
Kingsley Weber – Associate
Leadership and change management and organisational development expertise over 30 years. Significant experience in complex corporate change programmes in global environments. Considerable international management and consulting experience with major private and public sector clients in roles across R&D, Supply Chain, Key Account Management, HR and DEI Strategies, Leadership Development and International Business Management. Coodes LLP change management programme.
Specialist in Inclusive Leadership, Key Account Management, and aligning Business with HR/OD Strategies, especially in organisations where leveraging talent and diversity is key to success. Global HR Director at Imdex Ltd; key role in transforming the company from a product led to a market-focused technology company, co-designing a solutions led approach to sales and implementing programmes to connect business with HR strategies, such as; a customised performance and rewards management process underpinned by an integrated HRIS system, introduced and cascaded vital behaviours as critical measures of success for leaders and staff, key development interventions to raise standards in business, leadership and personal capabilities. Complex corporate change programmes motivated Kingsley to research, understand and make the connection between leadership behaviours and exceptional performance.
Clients
Publications
What our clients say
Career review at a major career crossroads
“I would recommend that anyone who wants to think about who they are and what they want considers personal coaching. It helps you to take a step back with the support of a trained sounding board with many useful tools, and time for you to focus. Without the structure and support of coaching, change may not happen because the busyness of everyday life and work can understandably get in the way. I feel really excited about my future.”
Jane Flaherty, Partner.
Returning to the law
“Rachel is a calm and perceptive person who introduces you to your own talent and abilities and then helps you to utilize them to an effective end. And then, when success arrives, Rachel continues to guide and promote you in her own distinct way. She is marvellous and has been a return on my investment a thousand-fold.”
Rachael Williams, Ombudsman, Financial Ombudsman
Service.
Becoming self employed
“I took a giant, but necessary, step when I decided to move away from my secure position as a government lawyer and into a
new life. I was determined to reinvent myself in an entirely new role as an international consultant. I had investigated, as much as I could on my own, what such a transition would entail and how I needed to proceed. However, lacking role models and practical advice, I eventually found myself floundering and without direction.
I was, therefore, extraordinarily fortunate to meet Rachel at a London women lawyers networking event. She was warm, enthusiastic and confidant – and interested in me and my plans! I absolutely feel that my decision to work with her was pivotal for me. Her coaching helped
me on both theoretical and practical levels. She led me to understand more fully why I wanted to move forward and gave me many practical tools to enable me to do so. She was supportive and understanding throughout our relationship.
I would strongly advise anyone who wishes to transition into a different type of career, or to diversify a career, to obtain the help and advice of a professional coach. And I would unreservedly recommend
Rachel Brushfield as that coach.”
Jennifer Button, Consultant – Governance and Justice.
Skills based CV
“Rachel’s skill-based approach to my CV was a pivotal factor in securing my new role. She was skilful in marketing and targeting my eclectic career and showcasing what I had to offer the employer. It worked.”
Jayne Nicol.
Different perspectives on challenges
“The sounding board and time and space that the 121 personalised time enables re-energises you, provides different perspectives on challenges, leads to new contacts & networks, and gives shortcuts about the role of social media in business development.”
Caroline Wallis, Partner.
Provided us with all the right tools
“Rachel has lots of down to earth practical advice. She provided us with all the right tools to go out and win new clients.
She’s relaxed and easy to communicate with.”
Louise Golding, Partner, Dehns.
A concentrated burst of thoughtful analysis
“I can honestly say I am very impressed and would be delighted to provide a review. In particular, I thought your chapter dealt with a slippery and sometimes controversial issue with clarity and a degree of practicality not often seen. I will be recommending this section to those involved in our Women Partners initiative.
This is a concentrated burst of thoughtful analysis and practical pointers. In a jargon-prone discipline, the author quickly gets to the heart of their topic, bringing clarity to key talent-related issues affecting law firms with a minimum of theatrics. This little volume punches above its weight.”
Stephanie Abbott, Director of Knowledge and Learning, Herbert Smith Freehills (about the IBA Talent development book for which we contributed a chapter on ‘Women in the law’).
Insightful and thorough
“Rachel is one of the most enthusiastic people I know. She is insightful and thorough and is always full of new ideas. She is an excellent coach, especially in the area of Talent and Career development.
She writes and is very ‘plugged into’ current research and the latest new approaches. She is also very supportive and generous to her friends and colleagues and I have no hesitation in recommending her.”
Dr Jacqui Grey, Managing Director, EMEA NeuroLeadership Institute.
Fantastic counsel, guidance and insight
“Rachel is one of those rare people that provides fantastic counsel, guidance and insight while avoiding corporate or consultant speak. She is honest, professional and extremely experienced in her field. She is in it for the journey, always checking in and nothing is too much of a problem for her, I cannot recommend her enough. I suspect she must be one of the prime movers and shakers in her industry – the complete package.”
Luke Oubridge, former Finance Director, Accenture.
The Law Society
“I inherited the provider relationship with Rachel Brushfield, ‘The Talent Liberator’ of Energise at the Law Society, and I am glad that I did. At the Women Lawyers Division of the Law Society, we consider Energise as a trusted partner.
Rachel designs and delivers multiple career events each calendar year for us, including the Empowerment workshop in celebration of International Women’s Day, which achieved a 100% rating from delegates in 2018.
She consistently delivers an excellent standard of service, has a high attention to detail, creates good quality interactive workshops with superb feedback from delegates, including being ‘real’ and ‘down to earth’, and she has a professional, positive, adaptable ‘can do’ attitude and an ability to put herself in the shoes of other people, invaluable for providing additional value to our diverse members, against a fast changing market backdrop.
Rachel has supported our Returners course helping women and men over many years, to have a successful return to the profession, and was involved in its recent redesign to update the programme to better meet the needs of a broader audience for the digital age. She has also created high quality popular career webinars and articles to support and inspire Returners to return to the profession.
With a large workload and multiple projects to deliver and stakeholders to influence, Rachel is a reliable asset to support me to help our network delivering and developing a high-quality schedule of both events and content for our members.She is well-regarded at the Law Society and also did workshops to support staff as part of Learning at work Week (LAWW) in 2018. Rachel is an experienced professional, requiring minimal supervision.”
Alex Storer, Manager Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expert at the Law Society.
Professional support for change
“Coaching provides a reflective space and professional support for considering and making changes, setting goals and planning how to achieve them. Working with Rachel as my coach provided a positive voice about what I was capable of, uncovering insights about what was really important to me and what next in my career and life, and the importance of ongoing learning and embracing new challenges. Coaching helped me to arrange a career sabbatical, and move countries, employers and home, with tools and support along the journey. I now feel happier and more content in myself and have more faith in myself to make big change happen.
Rachel’s coaching style is empathetic,insightful, structured, practical, intuitive, intelligent, supportive, tangible and wise – the opposite of ‘wishy washy’! If you are seeking to make a big change, individual coaching with an experienced coach is invaluable and worth
Nicola.
Got what it takes
“Coaching works and Rachel’s got what it takes.”
Peter Cornell, Former Managing Partner, Clifford Chance.
Surpassed our expectations
“Rachel started working with one of our Partners about a year ago. Her results have surpassed both the Partner’s and my own expectations. This was a challenging brief, helping an already talented individual to “reinvent” themselves due to changing market conditions, enthusiastically taken on and sensitively delivered.
She is tenacious,resilient and good fun to work with. I have no hesitation in recommending her to you.”
Charlie Keeling, COO.
Practical and creative insights
“Rachel’s combined coaching and talent management expertise has really worked for me. Rachel is skilled at putting herself in other people’s shoes and helping you to identify how to overcome blocks. She really does go that ‘extra mile’ – she’s full of practical and creative insights and ideas. I would strongly recommend her.”
Sarah Langton, Global Head of Recruitment, Clifford
Chance.
