December's member muse is the ineffable Victoria Welsh.
Victoria is Partner, Head of Immigration at Laytons ETL, and provides complex advice on a myriad of UK immigration matters, including transactional work such as M&A.
Each month we'll be sharing a March Women Member Muse and introducing you to the people behind our exclusive community of women across the M&A landscape.
If you'd like to become a part of something really special and get in the room with the UK's most exciting dealmakers, join us. There's a seat at the table for you too. Go to our memberships page to find out more.
Who are you and what do you do?
Victoria Welsh (Vic to friends & colleagues, unless they're cross with me). I’m Partner, Head of Immigration at Laytons ETL
Describe your role to us...
As Head of Immigration, I am building the department from scratch and developing the service we offer to clients of our firm and new clients we are hoping to win. I am responsible for generating leads, converting enquiries, and generally pounding the pavements to drum up business.
I also provide complex advice on a myriad of UK immigration matters, including transactional work such as M&A where I am the "specialist lawyer" advising on immigration and right to work risks during due diligence, as well as carrying out pre/post close actions which may be required.
What do you love most about what you do?
The Variety. The Pace. The People. No day is ever the same; it is so heavily influenced by societal demands and the political response. It forces you to be self-aware. My brain is naturally a very busy place and the speed and high turnover of immigration work suits me well. But mostly - it's the people.
It is a very human practice, regardless of what kind of client, and that brings you into daily contact with very personal concerns. It is a privilege to be entrusted with that level of detail about a person and their family, and a joy to work alongside some of the kindest people I've ever known.
And what are the biggest challenges with what you do?
Keeping up to date with what the Government wishes to do next with immigration law and policy! It can be unpredictable, and clients need to have certainty over their visa applications and hiring of workers. It doesn't help that the Home Office has a habit of releasing important updates around 4.45pm on a Friday...
Why did you join March?
It was a no brainer. I had attended an event and found it eye-opening at how powerful we were together, despite our different specialisms. No other networking event had made me feel like that. There were business opportunities, but unique from other networks I felt supported and I learned so much from listening to the other women in the room.
All of which helped build my self-confidence during what was, at the time, an upwards shift in my career. Shortly afterwards, I landed my first job as a Partner and to set up a new department. I would never have had the confidence to go for that without March. The timing was impeccable really.
What are you celebrating right now?
We've recently had two applications approved in well under the standard processing times, and been able to add value to a due diligence process on an acquisition working alongside our corporate colleagues. All work which we take in our stride but seeing how positively the clients have responded feels like a huge win for our new department.
