Career Break
“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.
“I met Rachel at a Law Society Returners course.
I liked her energy and style immediately. She simultaneously completely understood the pressures and realities of working in law and having the identity of someone who does not fit neatly into the university -> law school ->law firm box.
Women who have done many other things, women with families, women who have moved, women who have multiple interests and, dare I say it, talents and competencies, women who want to proactively design a working life that works for them but who are also grounded in the reality of today’s practice.
Not only that, she could work with me from where I was, seeing what I had to offer as something positive, and helping me to embrace that also. In the past, I was often sabotaged by relentless self-doubt, perfectionism and learned negativity. Rachel helped me with infinite patience and encouragement. Lo and behold, the inner dialogue has changed for good, and life is offering wonderful creative professional opportunities also.
As she taught me workable tools to breakdown career planning, confidence issues, researching & applying for opportunities, the process brought great clarity. She gave me confidence that a non-conventional ‘portfolio’ career could actually work. She helped me overcome the mountains of discomfort coming with starting new skills/jobs in my 40s.
I will keep checking in with her for ‘tune-ups’. She has helped me get clear, prioritise and make great internal and external shifts.”
Olivia Streater.
“I had reached a career crossroads and was unsure what to do moving forward. Career coaching gave me time to concentrate on me, explore what I would like to do and plan how to get there.
As someone who had been out of a mainstream working environment in the UK for over 10 years (as a result of various initiatives in the developing world) and not having practised as a solicitor for over 15 years, having complete clarity about my career moving forward was of paramount importance. I didn’t want to get it wrong.
I met Rachel when she was facilitating a course at a Law Society recharger event and was immediately enthused by her approach. I left the event full of hope for the future and decided to explore and have some coaching with Rachel.
Coaching with Rachel helped me to work out what I wanted to do moving forward and how to go about this. The coaching process and various practical exercises helped me to be focused and specific about what I was looking for. Coaching with Rachel increased my confidence and showed me what I had to offer employers and Rachel helped me to see the position and benefits that employers gain from the many initiatives and projects that I have been involved with.
As part of the coaching process, Rachel completely revamped my CV to a skills-based model which is both impactful and compelling especially with my ‘don’t fit in one neat box’ career to date. Rachel also helped me to polish my personal statement as part of a job application and we did interview practise to help me prepare for interviews.
The speed of results astounded me. I achieved 2 job offers which met what I was looking for in just 3 months. Rachel’s encouragement and support has been invaluable. Her coaching style is very approachable and down to earth and she always made me feel at ease.
As such I have recommended her to many other people. If anyone is reading this and questioning the value of career coaching and whether it is worth it in the uncertain times in which we live, I would say that my results speak for themselves. Coaching with Rachel has been one of the best investments I have ever made. Further, for any lawyers out there, Rachel really understands lawyers and the quirks of the profession. I would wholeheartedly recommend coaching with Rachel and I intend to continue with coaching to support me as I start my new role. “
Jayne Nicol.
Career Clarity
“I met Rachel at a Law Society event and chose her as my career coach because of her extensive experience with both solicitors and returners, and depth of expertise as an established career coach and published author.
She was part of my success strategy to return to the law as a mature returner after a long career break to focus on bringing up my two children.
At my next major career crossroads when I was ready to leave private practice for a better work life balance and a different role that played to my strengths, I again chose Rachel as my career coach.
Rachel is very supportive, flexible, insightful and thinks ‘outside the box’ sharing career ideas that you simply would not think about/know about yourself. I really feel that she ‘gets’ me and genuinely cares about helping me to find the right fulfilling role.
Once again, I made a successful career move with her support, and saved a lot of time and energy only applying for roles that fitted my brief.
Coaching is an unregulated market, and it is important to choose a coach who is right for you, knows your market and who has experience of your type of career crossroads. Rachel absolutely does.”
Claire Mohan
“Rachel is a dedicated and skilled career coach. She is friendly, empathetic and considerate and really enters into your thinking. At the same time Rachel is determined and keeps one on course. Rachel really made me think about where I was in my career, what was important to me, and what I wanted to achieve. She helped me to understand that the role I thought I wanted would probably make me unhappy. Thanks to Rachel I accepted an interview I might otherwise have turned down and have been offered a tenancy in chambers. If you want someone who will absolutely be on your side but will also make you do the work, and truly think about who you are, what you want and how to achieve it, then you need Rachel.
Amelie Smith.
“Rachel is excellent at her job. She is a great listener and homed in on the areas in my life which I needed to change. She listens, encourages and provides ‘food for thought’.
Coaching provided a framework within to grow, time to focus on me and getting my career on the right track. Rachel’s career coaching focused on increasing my confidence whilst also setting achievable targets and giving practical advice. This helped me to ‘get moving’ by shifting my outlook on life.
My coaching helped me establish my values and clarify what I really want from a job, and this enabled me to decide what direction I would like to go in. Practical advice on how to prepare for an interview and having practice interviews was invaluable.
I have found a job which I like, a 5-minute drive from home with the right work-life balance and I am also thinking more about the future and planning things to enjoy for myself and my family.
Coaching with Rachel has helped me to be more positive about life in general, I am more accepting of myself, taking better care of myself, living more in the moment, enjoying what I’m doing and going with the flow.“
Margot Tucker.
“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.
“Rachel is motivated by helping others and her style is inspiring, supportive and caring. She explains different concepts in simple terms and aims to interact with her clients by placing the onus on themselves, thus allowing them to reach a solution that it is good according to their unique personal needs.
Coaching with Rachel has given me clarity about who I am and what I truly need, practical steps about how to tackle communication and relationship challenges and a clearer strategy regarding my career progression. It has allowed me to learn how to reflect on the past and seek better results in the future.
This experience has been incredibly useful and has given me a better understanding of the world, helped me to take action quicker than if I solely relied on my personal insights and enabled me to realise my potential.”
Sofiya Nikolova.
“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 worthwhile.”
Nicola.
“My experience of coaching with Rachel has been nothing short of transformative. It has been one of the best and most invaluable investments that I have made in myself and my career, and I highly recommend Rachel’s services.
When I first contacted Rachel, I had been unhappy in my current job for a long time. I knew that I needed a change, but I didn’t know what I wanted, and I didn’t even know how to figure out what I wanted. My mind was a mess of thoughts and ideas, and I didn’t know where to start to try and organise them.
However, being coached by Rachel motivated me to dedicate time and effort to thinking about what’s important to me, and then to tackling the process of discovering what I really want. Rachel’s coaching helped me to see how I could translate both my career and life experience into an amazing CV, and gave me confidence in my own skills and my ability to make myself a competitive candidate in a challenging market.
But what I have gained from Rachel’s excellent coaching is far deeper than just rewriting my CV or learning how to better market myself and my skills. Rachel’s insightful guidance and thoughtful advice has helped me uncover what I value most in my life and my career. She has helped me understand how the career and life experiences I have tie in with my unique interpersonal qualities, and how I can translate that into bringing value – both to myself in taking charge of my own career development, and to any future employers.
The personal confidence and empowerment that I have gained from my coaching with Rachel are priceless.”
Hilary West.
“Coaching with Rachel Brushfield gave me the self-belief and encouragement to achieve my career goal of moving in-house into a broader commercial role. She helped me to proactively find a job that fits my values and motivations, stimulates me intellectually and with a healthy work life balance.
We set a deadline and beat it by 2 weeks. Rachel’s coaching style is insightful, personalised, flexible, positive, structured and creative.”
Clary Maynard, Legal Counsel, WorldRemit.
Changing Practice Area
“Rachel’s coaching style is sympathetic and empathetic whilst being encouraging and focused to get me to the end of the process to achieve a successful outcome. She helped me to build up my confidence and self-worth, to see my transferable skills and what motivates me and what I value. Career coaching helped me to present my skills and abilities for future employment and different career path, and how to think positively to bring about positive change. Rachel helped me to design a new CV that I feel confident is a true reflection of me and my achievements, to prepare for interviews and/or market myself, and to searching for new employment positions that best fit my skills and values. Coaching helped me to have the confidence to apply for a role which is different from my past practice of 20 years. I am loving my new role, and the culture of the organisation – both are a really good fit for me. I am so glad I used the Energise process and used you and kept a note of your details from when I first met you at an event 15 years ago!”
VS.
“Rachel helped me through the process of making a change to my career, enabling me to find a more fulfilling role with my current employer.
I was very confused and daunted at the start of the process and didn’t know how I could make the change but Rachel helped me see how to break this process down and how to test ideas for change against my values.
Rachel is full of great ideas and really helped me see that making a change like this is not as scary as it might first seem. I would recommend her to anyone who wants to change career or direction but doesn’t know how or where to start.”
Nicola F, Senior Associate.
“I worked with Rachel during 2021 and 2022 when I was contemplating a career change and needed support. Rachel really helped guide me in thinking back to basics about what my true values were and what I was looking for, forcing me to think wider than the confines of my current career. She has some insightful exercises to help delve into these areas and really tailors her style of coaching to best suit the individual so they get the most out of the sessions.
Although our formal sessions have stopped, Rachel continues to be a support and keeps in touch with ideas and suggestions and is always there to connect me to people she thinks would be of help. This is a valued trait and one which I think really stands Rachel apart from other coaches.
I would recommend Rachel to anyone, especially within the legal sphere, that is contemplating a career change or is looking to reassess their current career path.”
Claire Shasha.
“Career coaching gave me time to concentrate on me, explore what I would like to do and plan how to get there. As someone who had been out of a mainstream working environment in the UK for over 10 years (as a result of various initiatives in the developing world) and not having practised as a solicitor for over 15 years, having complete clarity about my career moving forward was of paramount importance. I didn’t want to get it wrong.
I met Rachel when she was facilitating a course at a Law Society recharger event and was immediately enthused by her approach. I left the event full of hope for the future and decided to explore and have some coaching with Rachel. Coaching with Rachel helped me to work out what I wanted to do moving forward and how to go about this. The coaching process and various practical exercises helped me to be focused and specific about what I was looking for. Coaching with Rachel increased my confidence and showed me what I had to offer employers and Rachel helped me to see the position and benefits that employers gain from the many initiatives and projects that I have been involved with. As part of the coaching process, Rachel completely revamped my CV to a skills-based model which is both impactful and compelling especially with my ‘don’t fit in one neat box’ career to date. Rachel also helped me to polish my personal statement as part of a job application and we did interview practise to help me prepare for interviews.
The speed of results astounded me. I achieved 2 job offers which met what I was looking for in just 3 months. Rachel’s encouragement and support has been invaluable. Her coaching style is very approachable and down to earth and she always made me feel at ease. As such I have recommended her to many other people.
If anyone is reading this and questioning the value of career coaching and whether it is worth it in the uncertain times in which we live, I would say that my results speak for themselves. Coaching with Rachel has been one of the best investments I have ever made. Further, for any lawyers out there, Rachel really understands lawyers and the quirks of the profession. I would wholeheartedly recommend coaching with Rachel and I intend to continue with coaching to support me as I start my new role.“
Jayne Nicol.
CV Design
“Rachel, you put me on this road 6 years ago. This is what my CV said: ‘Seeking a senior in-house multi-faceted role with an international visionary organisation with a diverse employee mix and need for employee relations expertise to safely navigate growth and continual performance improvement and engagement through uncertain times.’ Rachel, a million thanks. Those career coaching sessions with you back in 2016 and here I am now in 2022, about to embark on a role that aligns totally with the vision you helped me craft. It gives me goosebumps! I am so excited to be given an opportunity to immerse myself into something new.”
Lara Keenan.
“The CV you wrote for me made me realise how marketable I am. Let’s face it, good old British reserve just doesn’t help you to sell yourself! Sometimes you need an outsider’s point of view to realise just how good you are.”
Kerry.
“As soon as I saw your CV, I was really excited about meeting you.”
Lara Keenan about her interviewer meeting her as an interviewee.
“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.
“Rachel’s coaching helped me to see how I could translate both my career and life experience into an amazing CV, and gave me confidence in my own skills and my ability to make myself a competitive candidate in a challenging market.”
Hilary West.
Events - Delegates
“I am writing to thank you for your participation in the Training heads event at CMS Cameron McKenna. Your presentation was very well-received and I am most grateful for your time and contribution to the group.”
Myrian Stirling, LawNet Training and events.
“I really enjoyed your presentations. Only wish the session could have been longer. I went into the event not knowing what to expect and not feeling very confident at all and came out buzzing and feeling full of hope and ideas! I’d already decided that this year I want to take some time to do some self-discovery and invest time for myself to work out what I’d like to do career-wise, so meeting you was most serendipitous!” Jayne Nichol.
“Thanks so much for the ‘Changing direction in the law’ seminar at the Law Society the other day, it was very interesting.”
AF.
“You were inspirational at the seminar I attended at The Law Society”.
Pauline Campbell.
“Many thanks for a great talk tonight; the points hit home with a lot of people. I feel inspired!”
Jelena Madir, Senior Counsel, AWLL committee member.
Events - Event Organisers
“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.
“Rachel ran another session for SEAL and American Women Lawyers in London (AWLL) in September 2022 and she was very impressive. She spent more time than any speaker we have had (other than Lady Arden) on preparing for the talk, wanting to understand our audience, and custom tailoring it. I’ve been very impressed with her.”
Marty Rolle, Chair, Society of English and American Lawyers (SEAL) and International Women’s Forum UK.
“Many thanks for a great talk tonight; the points hit home with a lot of people. I feel inspired!”
Jelena Madir, Senior Counsel, AWLL committee member.
Executive Coaching
“Coaching provides the opportunity to pause and think about where you are, why and what can happen in future and enabled me to carve out time to focus on me and my career.
Rachel is an excellent listener and sounding board. She made me think by posing hard questions which enabled me to consider many aspects of my working life from a different perspective. To let go of old perceptions and free up space for new ideas. She provides plenty of reading material, references and exercises. Accountability to complete actions and the space and time to reflect in between coaching sessions, was invaluable. Coaching is ideal for exploring barriers and beliefs that stand in the way of change and helps to increase your self-awareness and confidence. As a metaphor, coaching with Rachel was like a ‘shot of adrenalin’.
Rachel creates an atmosphere of trust easily. She is not afraid to push back and explore areas which initially feel uncomfortable, but which need exploring to create positive ‘shifts’. She held me to task and the wide- ranging discussion and thoughts that it enabled were very valuable to me. It was evident from the outset that she really understands the legal profession and solicitors.
I now have more clarity about my future leadership roles and new S.M.A.R.T. goals – which play to my strengths and values/motivations.
The monthly coaching was useful, so I initiated further quarterly coaching sessions to build on the momentum gained.
My only regret … that I hadn’t done coaching earlier in my career.”
Sarah Anticoni, Partner, Charles Russell Speechlys.
“Coaching with Rachel gave me time, space and structure for new perspectives. I now feel clearer about what really matters to me, my different career options for the next phase of my career, and the importance of ringfencing time in my diary to make it happen. I feel calmer, more composed and am enjoying a healthier work life balance. Rachel is easy to talk with and she shared useful practical tools, exercises and articles which I will use again in the future.”
Associate.
“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.
“Coaching enables you to ask questions of yourself and those around you in a professional and more personal context, gives you support and encouragement and provides an opportunity for change. It gave me space to discuss key professional issues and to consider how to resolve them. It helps you to build on your strengths and address weaknesses.
Rachel is very calm and supportive and very good at putting you at ease and providing a confidential sounding board. Coaching with EnergiseLegal has been instrumental in the changes that I have made. Rachel has been fantastic: not only in our coaching sessions but also in providing follow-up articles, self-coaching exercises, networking event suggestions and general career development help.
I feel more positive and focused and in the driving seat of my own career again, and am making time to make it happen.”
Senior associate.
“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.
“Coaching was absolutely instrumental in achieving change – I have achieved all the goals set and agreed at the outset. Coaching gave me space to think and focus on what is possible and to make things change/happen. I now have more time with family and friends, for interests and am taking time off work. Rachel’s style of coaching is enabling, inclusive, empowering and liberating.”
Private client team leader.
Freelance Lawyer/Consultant Lawyer
“I came to Energise knowing that I was looking for a change to my career but not understanding what change I wanted, nor how to get there. From the outset, I was put at ease and was then invited to embark on a process which would change not just my career, but also my entire approach to my career and life in general. The process with Energise has not just been revelatory in that sense but has also been really interesting and highly enjoyable. I’ve enjoyed going back to basics in terms of challenging my assumptions and thought processes but equally I’ve just found each session incredibly engaging. I would wholeheartedly recommend Energise to anyone who is at a similar point in their career, or even if they’re just mulling over some of these questions. The clarity and purpose I have now is a long way from the place I was in when the process started.”
Gabriel Rodriguez-Cleary, Consultant Lawyer.
“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.
“I met and chatted with Rachel Brushfield at a Law Society careers event at a time when I was at a major career crossroads. I decided that career coaching support through my transition was a wise decision, chose her as my coach as someone with a lot of experience working with lawyers and specifically specialising in portfolio careers and self-marketing. I am very glad that I did.
I found coaching extremely helpful, receiving expert guidance tailored to your own personal circumstances and with an unbiased objective mind to help guide me to a positive future.
Rachel helped me to create and always keep sight of a career vision and optimistic view of my working life, make plans and hold me accountable to actions to make them happen in reality. I have always been very interested in personal development, and coaching with Rachel helped me to challenge in a practical, beneficial and constructive way to create even greater self-awareness, and to shine a light to identify some new insights on some of the ways in which I stop myself. Deep down reflection with a highly experienced career coach like Rachel is invaluable, especially at a major career crossroads. Her support included: guidance on creating a CV and biog which reflects who I am and about which I feel proud, insight into how to market myself including a verbal business card and networking, and invitations to useful networking events.
Rachel’s coaching style is highly focused on you as an individual, and is practical, intuitive and progressive. I now have confidence to develop my own self-managed portfolio career for the next phase of my working life and feel really excited to maximise career fulfilment and leverage my skills, experience and knowledge to date.”
Evelyn Davies-Jones.
“A great coach uses effective strategies and tools to help you think differently and achieve clarity of purpose whilst still staying true to you. I sought Rachel’s support at a time of great change for me. She critically challenged me to think not just about what I wanted to achieve in my new role, but what I really wanted to achieve. Whilst I had to do all the work, her skilful guidance ensured that I had a clear, achievable and focussed plan that lined up with my vision. I remain immensely grateful for her support”.
Dawn Brathwaite.
Leaving the Law
“Coaching works and Rachel’s got what it takes.”
Peter Cornell, Former Managing Partner, Clifford Chance.
“I didn’t actually become Rachel’s client, but I should have done. Nearly twenty years ago, she sat with me on a park bench outside Saint Paul’s Cathedral and tried to explain to me about career change and my potential, but I didn’t listen because I couldn’t at the time. I thought about her often, so I’m writing this recommendation now unsolicited and without her knowledge. Her words have resonated with me ever since then, but it’s taken me nearly 20 years to realize exactly what she was saying. She is an incredible person who is insightful, brings joy, clarity and light to all whom she comes in contact with. There is no doubt in my mind that as a midterm lawyer, my life would have been significantly different if I’d been open to what she had to say back then. I have no hesitation in recommending Rachel.”
Pete Gourri.
“I was unhappy with my choice of career and felt enormous pressure from my family to pursue something that just didn’t feel right.
Rachel provided an ideal non-judgmental space and time for me to really think about my needs and what is really important to me. She also provided incredibly useful tools to focus on the various issues at hand, which helped me to figure things out for myself in a time that would have been unimaginably longer if I hadn’t had them!
I have identified what really mattered to me and coaching has given me the confidence to take the time to figure out what will really work for me and allow me to fulfil my full potential. For all of that I am forever grateful.”
Valerie Teller, Barrister.
“I made the decision to have coaching with Rachel Brushfield because I wanted to find a role with a sense of purpose and make the most of my skills, to feel energised and enthused and proud of what I do, and possibly develop a career with music, having originally trained as a solicitor, but with music a big part of my life and who I am.
Coaching helps you ‘step outside your own head’, see things in a different way, learn more about yourself, your skills and your values, and have courage to take steps you might otherwise not have dared to take. It challenges you to get really clear about what you really think and feel and then to act on that. Coaching gave me an anchor and constructive process to follow and gave me confidence to try things I might not otherwise have considered or had the courage to do.
I realised that I would be useful in another sector and that I had something to offer that was of value. Coaching with Energise gave me confidence to talk to others about my aspirations and to make useful new connections and proactively gain new experience to ‘test the water’.
I now feel more aware of my skills and abilities and open to exploring new possibilities. Coaching gave me the confidence to ask my law firm for a sabbatical and helped me be clear in my mind about what I wanted, including the decision that it was time to resign from my role and pursue a new career path.
The Energise ‘career recipe’ method has been really useful in evaluating why I might feel unhappy or unsettled in a work situation and what I should look to change for a better fit.
As a coach, Rachel is very supportive and non-critical and asks effective probing questions. The Energise process ensures that you reflect and action what you have discussed in the coaching sessions.
Without coaching, I think it would have taken me a lot longer to make a career change and I wouldn’t have had material and knowledge to turn back to for future support.
In my new career path, I definitely feel the direct impact of the work that I am doing, and am really glad that I took the decision in creating the right future for myself.”
Lydia Brookes
“Rachel has been coaching me for the last few months fully supporting and encouraging me to move on to new opportunities.
She has been a tower of strength, giving clear and comprehensive tools to identify my skills. She enables her clients to understand their abilities and develop their skills which gives them a powerful direction for their new enterprise.
She also has an extensive knowledge and understanding of lawyers’ abilities and the possibilities for them in the future job market. She has the unique ability to look ahead for exciting new opportunities while most lawyers will look back at the traditional roles.
During the coaching and even when it is finished, Rachel puts her clients in touch with valuable contacts, makes introductions whenever she can and involves her clients in projects to give them experience and add to their skills. She does everything within her power to make sure her clients succeed.
I highly recommend Rachel for anyone who is stuck in their career or needs to find something new for whatever reason – she is an inspiration.”
Jenny Brewer, Former Senior Partner.
“I thoroughly enjoyed working with Rachel at Energise and would highly recommend her to anyone who is unhappy in their work life and would like a change. Rachel is very knowledgeable and creative. She will give you incredible ideas that you would never have thought of and help you understand your values, motivations and purpose. Thank you – you’ve been a tremendous help!”
SW.
Marketing yourself - Lawyers
“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.
“I found the process of coaching insightful yet practical and it helped me to understand myself in-depth.”
Jane Flaherty.
“I decided that career coaching support through my transition was a wise decision, chose Rachel as my coach as someone with a lot of experience working with lawyers and specifically specialising in portfolio careers and self-marketing.
I am very glad that I did. Rachel’s support included: guidance on creating a CV and biog which reflects who I am and about which I feel proud, insight into how to market myself including a verbal business card and networking, and invitations to useful networking events.”
Evelyn Davies-Jones.
“As her title ‘The Talent Liberator’ suggests, you may have it in you but can’t bring it out of yourself because you are too used to one way of ‘being’ – Rachel will help you delve in and help you to help yourself to, well, ‘liberate’.”
Josie McCann.
“I was, therefore, extraordinarily fortunate to meet Rachel at a London women lawyers networking event. She was warm, enthusiastic and confident – 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.
“Rachel has helped me understand how the career and life experiences I have tie in with my unique interpersonal qualities, and how I can translate that into bringing value – both to myself in taking charge of my own career development, and to any future employers.”
Hilary West.
“I thoroughly enjoyed working with Rachel at Energise and would highly recommend her to anyone who is unhappy in their work life and would like a change. Rachel is very knowledgeable and creative. She will give you incredible ideas that you would never have thought of and help you understand your values, motivations and purpose. Thank you – you’ve been a tremendous help!”
SW.
“Rachel continues to be a support and keeps in touch with ideas and suggestions and is always there to connect me to people she thinks would be of help. This is a valued trait and one which I think really stands Rachel apart from other coaches.”
Claire Shasha.
“A role that aligns totally with the vision you helped me craft. It gives me goosebumps! I am so excited to be given an opportunity to immerse myself into something new.”
Lara Keenan.
Marketing yourself - Firms
“Inspiring and practical guidance that was made enjoyable by Rachel.”
Gemma Nicholls, Solicitor, Henmans LLP.
“Rachel is knowledgeable in a wide variety of different marketing areas, and very willing to apply her knowledge to our needs.”
Phillip Webber, Partner, Dehns.
“It was a good mixture of inspiration and practical suggestions. Rachel listens to what you want and helps you to see how you can achieve it.”
Adrian Samuels, Partner, Dehns.
“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.
“Advice on marketing is legion and often depressing to read. It leaves the unwilling or unhappy marketer feeling impotent, inadequate and a misfit. All the more refreshing therefore to be met with Rachel Brushfield’s premise that you should find what you love to do and do more of it.
Hooray, we cry – no more awkward silences at networking events, no more cold-calling or uncomfortable trumpet blowing! The mythical concept of what is marketing is comprehensively debunked. As a result of this deconstruction, all of those promotional activities that make many lawyers squirm, are broken down into more manageable tasks that therefore lose their ‘queasy’ nature. The advice is ‘to start small and easy’ and be comfortable with ‘imperfect actions’ as being better than no action at all is wise counsel.”
Katherine Southby, Former Editor, The Association Women Solicitors (AWS) Link magazine.
“Rachel provided valuable team training on helping clients in difficult times and real insight into communication and empathy skills. We would recommend her to anyone in a client facing role.”
Slater & Gordon.
New employer after many years with the same employer
“Rachel has supported me with career coaching on a number of occasions over my career. She has great listening skills and her insight has always added much to my thought processes. I would highly recommend her to anyone at a career crossroads.”
Nicola Wallbank, Partner, Freeths.
“Rachel is an outstanding coach and her style and skills have been instrumental in helping me close one chapter and move to a new chapter in my career.
At the outset, Rachel helped me to set a clear structure, direction and objective. Then, she took me slightly out of my comfort zone with a range of exercises and tasks that initially I couldn’t quite understand their relevance. But from the very beginning, I trusted Rachel completely and so went with it. Now I look back and can see how much those exercises have been invaluable and instrumental in helping me to achieve my goal.
Rachel’s calmness, creativity and thoughtfulness are second to none. I would recommend Rachel as a career coach to anyone who’s at a crossroads and looking for someone who can help them to clarify what’s important, what’s not important and to identify the day-to-day steps that will lead them to reaching their ultimate goal.”
SJ.
Portfolio Career
“Rachel is the go-to coach for solicitors wanting to create, manage and market a portfolio career.”
Christina Blacklaws, former president of The Law Society.
Thought Leadership
“Rachel has written across multiple law firm management topics for Globe Law and Business, including talent management, career management, marketing, professional development, personal development, business development and women in law, with women in law a strong strength. Chapters for Globe include: ‘Work’s Not Working – Portfolio Careers’, in ‘Career Development For Women Lawyers’ (2019), ‘Helping Women Lawyers Overcome Their Blocks About Marketing’ in ‘Business Development For Women Lawyers’ (2018), ‘The Shifting Sands Of Talent Management’ in ‘The Rise of Specialist Career Paths In Law Firms’ (2022), ‘Adapting Business Models To Ride The Millennial Wave’ in ‘Future Law Firm Business Models’ (2018) and ‘Essential Skills For The Changing Legal Market’ in ‘The Talent Management Toolkit For Law firms’ (2016). In addition, she wrote for several Ark Publishing titles, including ‘How Mentoring And Coaching Can Help With Life Balance Issues’ in the book ‘Mentoring and Coaching for Lawyers’ (2014) and ‘Women lawyers And How To Improve Gender Balance’ in the book ‘Managing Talent for Success.’ (2013). Rachel authored the foreword for the book ‘Business Development for Women lawyers, Second Edition’, published in August 2024 and made introductions to other high-quality authors for the title. Her article ‘The rise and rise of the consultant lawyer’ was published in ‘Modern Law’ magazine, a Globe publication in October 2024. Rachel consistently writes insightful and engaging copy, shares original topic ideas, meets deadlines and is proactive in creating awareness about our publications on LinkedIn and via EnergiseLegal’s own marketing.”
Alex Davies, Commissioning Editor, Globe Law and Business.
“I just read your chapter on the gender balance. Excellent stuff, it’s good to see the analysis is finally getting beneath the surface and working out what it is about the business model that pushes women out.
Personally, I’ve always felt that it’s just that women are smarter than men and more prone to making rational, non-ego driven choices. And it simply doesn’t make sense to stay in a big law firm, for anyone. Anyway, congratulations on another great piece of work.”
Michael Bradley, Managing Partner, MARQUE Lawyers Pty Ltd.
“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’).
“Rachel first told me she was going to write this publication she asked me if I thought the topic was a relevant one; I confirmed that indeed it was! Highly relevant given the changing landscape of the legal sector in the UK with Market Consolidation, Outcomes Focused Regulation, Alternative Business Structures and potential external investment into law firms all driving firms to develop different strategies and approaches; the “do nothing” option is no longer an option.
There has never been a more important time to focus on the development of law firm talent. The traditional levers of high salary increases and bonuses are not as accessible as they used to be to the majority of lawyers, their need/desire for more engagement has never been greater and we are seeing the different aspirations and needs of the new generations of lawyers. So Rachel’s timing for this publication is spot on as is the breadth of the subject matter she has covered; a testimony to her skill and dedication!
Rachel has sketched the landscape well by capturing the key issues firms are facing and the methodologies they are employing. She has identified the drivers of change very well and then gone on to express the needs of the different levels of legal professionals from graduate recruit through to Partners be they newly promoted, established or brought in as lateral hires. Also are included in the analysis are other important groupings like women and the new Generations Y and “Millennials”.
Rachel then analyses the different types of professional development delivery and how to engage with the lawyers around them; a very thorny topic! A very good section analyses the traditional skills lawyers need in the new market but more importantly the new skills which will become more prevalent in the changing market including such as pricing, project management and people engagement; the new breed of law firm professional will need to be very different in the future. Throughout her analysis Rachel backs up her own views and ideas with a wide range of experts from within the legal sector who operate in a variety of roles in recognised firms.
The publication ends with a series of very relevant case studies from a variety of firms, in terms of geography and size, around topics that have been discussed earlier in the book. They are very readable and practical and give the reader good insights into what has been achieved already by leaders in the marketplace. It is a way for Rachel to complete the portrait! So all in all, a very good and relevant publication which will give good ideas and insights to Managing Partners, Chief Executives, HR and L&D Directors and more broadly to those interested in the future of the legal market in the UK and beyond.”
Charlie Keeling, Global HR Director, Clyde &Co LLP (about “Professional development for lawyers”, Ark, October 2012.)
“If you’re looking for an up-to-date exploration of the world of professional development in the legal sector then the “Professional Development for Lawyer report by Rachel Brushfield will fit the bill. Rachel has interviewed numerous people including managing partners, lawyers at various stages of their careers, L&D professionals and people in law firm management roles, and as a result Rachel has produced a comprehensive guide to the current state of professional development for lawyers. The report provides a number of perspectives and case studies but it also provokes thinking, and I’m sure learning, for those already well versed in learning and professional development.
Rachel covers everything from explaining what CPD is and the current work of the LETR to highlighting the changing landscape of the legal marketplace and the emergence of ABS following the Legal Services Act. The report contains a collection of approaches for delivery used in law firms of different sizes and focus. The essential skills for the legal market and what firms are now doing in the leadership and management development space and social media are also addressed in some detail. This report provides an all-round view from international as well as UK based contributors of the role of professional development in an ever-changing environment for law firms and is a useful reference for all involved in the professional development of lawyers.”
Sue Beavil, Senior Training and Development Manager, Mayer Brown International LLP (about “Professional development for lawyers”, Ark, October 2012.)