Team Story – Benjamin Davenport-Lawton
What I really value at Butcher & Barlow is how clearly defined the career path is. They’re great at recognising your hard work and keeping you in the loop.
Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself – where you’re based and what you do?
A. Hi, I’m Ben Davenport-Lawton. I split my time between our Runcorn and Gadbrook Park offices and have been doing that for nearly two years now. I work in the Wills, Trusts & Estates Team handling everything from drafting Wills and trusts, to probate, tax planning, and Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs). My work at Gadbrook covers a more agricultural client base, bringing with it more complex, high-net-worth matters, while the work I do at Runcorn isn’t limited to agriculture clients and I can see clients from all walks of life.
Q. Is working with agricultural and rural clients something you’ve always been interested in?
A. Surprisingly, no. It wasn’t the plan originally. But I’ve got a personal connection to it, my granddad owned a dairy farm just outside Macclesfield, and I spent most of my childhood there. I didn’t want to go into farming, and I initially studied history at university, but halfway through, I had a bit of a “what am I doing?” moment and pivoted to law.
Butcher & Barlow has a strong presence in the agricultural sector, and before joining the Firm, I had actually been recommended to them by a farming connection, and that connection led me to Mike Bracegirdle, who introduced me to the world of agricultural private client work. It turned out to be a great fit – clients respond well when you understand the world they live and work in.
Q. How did your journey with Butcher & Barlow begin?
A. I joined in 2018 as a Paralegal, started my training contract in 2019, and qualified in September 2021. Covid threw a bit of a curveball, and I was on furlough for a time but thankfully, because I’d already had paralegal experience, I didn’t need to extend my training contract.
Q. What was your training experience like at the Firm?
A. Honestly, it was great. What stood out for me was how approachable the senior staff are. Even when I was in seats outside Private Client – such as Dispute Resolution or Commercial – you could just pick up the phone and speak to a Partner. That just doesn’t happen at some bigger firms.
I’ve got a friend at a national law firm, and they wouldn’t dream of emailing a Partner directly, let alone calling them. Here, if something crops up and I know Tim Bailey, our head of department, will have the answer, I’ll just ring him. Sometimes it’s a 30-second call, but those chats can happen throughout the day. It’s a really supportive environment, especially for someone like me who works best when bouncing ideas around.
Q. Did you feel trusted early on in your role?
A. Definitely. Towards the end of my training contract, the Partner at the Runcorn office retired. I was the only private client Solicitor in that office, inheriting around 250 files. It was a big step, but the Firm made sure I had support. I was supervised by a Partner from another office who made sure I was supported . I wasn’t micromanaged but trusted I could do the job with supervision – that made a huge difference.
Q. What does a typical day look like for you?
A. No two days are the same, which is what I enjoy. First thing, I’ll go through all the paperwork, prioritising what’s most urgent and checking tax deadlines on the board behind my desk.
One minute I’ll be advising on capital gains and inheritance tax for a farmer, the next I’m helping someone draft a Will or preparing a LPA. I’ve even had to transport a client’s ashes to a cemetery – genuinely, it’s that varied. We really do see all of life in this role, from birth to death.
Q. So is that variety something that keeps things interesting for you?
A. Absolutely. People think private client work is slow or boring, but that’s not my experience at all. I’ve had clients as young as 18 and as old as 99 – and every conversation is different. Tomorrow I’m visiting a care home where I know the lady will tell me about the Liverpool bombings during the war. I love that – it’s personal, human, and meaningful.
Q. When you started training, did you get exposure to different areas before choosing private client?
A. Yes, I did. I had the opportunity to experience several different areas. At university, I was convinced I’d be in dispute resolution forever – I even did my dissertation on it. But once I got into practice, I realised it wasn’t for me. I moved into private client work with Mike Bracegirdle, who took me along to meet farmers, and I found it suited me perfectly. It just clicked.
Q. Would you say it’s important for law students to keep an open mind about where they might end up?
A. Absolutely. I’ve met so many people who had rigid ideas about what they wanted to do, or where they wanted to work and then changed course once they got some real experience. I know someone who turned down a training contract just because the firm had an agricultural department, which seemed a bit short-sighted. The reality of working in law is often very different from what you picture at university.
Q. What are your future goals at the firm?
A. Right now, I’m an Associate, having been promoted recently, and the next step is hopefully Partnership. What I really value at Butcher & Barlow is how clearly defined the career path is. They’re great at recognising your hard work and keeping you in the loop. You know where you stand, and you know where you’re going.
It’s a very “homegrown” firm – if you put the work in, they’ll give you the good stuff and help you grow. That’s why you see people here for 20, 30, even 40 years.
Q. How do you find the work-life balance?
A. It works well for me. As long as the work’s done and done well, there’s a lot of trust and flexibility. If I need to shoot off for an appointment, they trust that I’ll make the time up. There’s no micromanaging – unlike friends I know at other firms who have to hit daily time targets and face weekly reviews if they fall short.
Q. And what do you get up to outside of work?
A. During the summer I’m into clay pigeon shooting. I also spend a lot of time out walking the dog in the Peak District. During the winter I attempt to Ski, or perhaps drinking in the Apres bars, which I am much better at.
Q. Finally, what advice would you give to someone considering a career in law?
A. Keep an open mind. Don’t get too caught up in chasing a certain image of what your career “should” look like. There’s no one right path. Try different areas, get some experience, and don’t be afraid of going down a route that might not be what you originally had in mind – it might turn out to be the perfect fit.
My three words to describe Butcher & Barlow are: trusted, innovative and purposeful.