My legal life: Eleri Jones, Bexley Beaumont

I always wanted to work in a sector that helps people. I enjoy speaking with individuals from all walks of life and am always interested to learn about others. A legal career has enabled me to use my skills to assist people to understand complex legal jargon when they are experiencing a vulnerable time in their lives.

I did business management as an undergraduate degree before studying the Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course, followed by a two-year training contract. The business management degree has given me a great basis to pursue partnership within the law because I have been able to focus on the firm as a business to ensure commercial success.

Being aware of the commercial aspect of a law firm is beneficial to understanding why work is being done in a certain way. My insight into how a business is run, obtained through my degree, enabled me to be more empathetic to managers and leaders in my early career. Having a commercial mind helps me prioritise and be aware of work that needs to be done, and why it should be done.

During my training contract I was offered a seat in the family law department. I quickly realised that I could learn about the client and adapt my communication skills to their way of understanding. This gave me a rapport with the client at the outset, which I have taken with me throughout my career. It is important for every client to feel protected and safe at an emotional time in their lives.  

'It is important for clients to be able to liaise in their mother tongue. People should have the option to pursue matters entirely in Welsh, or simply undertake the conversation in Welsh and the documentary and written elements in English'

I’ve now worked in family law for over a decade. I have been instructed by names connected to Formula 1, and other well-known actresses and media personalities. These cases remind me that despite status and net worth, all individuals experience the emotional trauma of a relationship breakdown. It is rewarding to be a part of all my clients’ individual journeys and helping set them up for the next chapter of their lives.

I’m a fluent Welsh speaker and undertake court representation in both English and Welsh. There is no real difficulty in the translation of legal terminology from English to Welsh. The law is the same, so nothing gets lost in translation. I opted to undertake my eighth legal subject in Welsh while studying for my GDL. I was the only one in my year group to do this and it involved writing a 10,000-word dissertation. This was undertaken entirely in Welsh. This gave me a great grounding to learn the complex legal wording bilingually. It also taught me to research the correct legal terminology if required in the future.

It is important for clients to be able to liaise in their mother tongue. People should have the option to pursue matters entirely in Welsh, or simply undertake the conversation in Welsh and the documentary and written elements in English.

The court system allows Welsh to be used, and all parties have the right to converse in Welsh (and indeed any language of their choosing with the use of an interpreter). All clients should have a right to use their native tongue in court disputes, especially in those which are so emotive and personally important to individuals such as family law. It would be beneficial for it to be more widely acknowledged and discussed that clients do have a right to undertake their divorce, and deal with their financial disputes, through the medium of Welsh. I feel that not many individuals are aware of this right.