Roxanne Smith
Partner
Why did you start your career with Johnson Winter & Slattery?
I started at JWS as a summer clerk in January 1999 after doing a summer clerkship at another firm. I chose Johnson Winter & Slattery because the firm gave me the opportunity to work across a number of practice areas initially so that I was exposed to and worked on litigation and transactional matters from the beginning of my career. The high quality of the work and the clients of the firm were also an important factor in deciding to work with the firm.
How has your career developed at Johnson Winter & Slattery?
After starting as a summer clerk I continued working as a clerk and then became an Associate. I continued to undertake both transactional and litigation work until I became a Senior Associate in 2004. Since then I have developed my commercial litigation skills but have continued to have the opportunity to advise on disputes for a wide range of clients across a number of industries and a number of practice areas. For example I advised an Australian based wine producer in its defence of a large claim in the Belfast High Court. I have also had the opportunity of managing regulatory disputes for energy clients such as Envestra Limited and ETSA Utilities.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy the quality of the work, the quality of the people, the training, the atmosphere, the culture and the opportunities. I also value the exposure I get to CEO's, Managing Directors and senior executives of listed companies in my day to day work.
How would you describe the culture of the firm?
The firm's culture is friendly, team orientated, highly skilled, motivated, and it has an open door policy. The senior people with whom I have worked are valuable teachers and can easily impart their knowledge and skills whilst we are working together on the job.