Anita Rai - A Journey So Far

The traditional perception of a lawyer has changed. Historically, lawyers tended to work within the confines of the law and their technical knowledge was their selling point. Nowadays, the best lawyers are those who seamlessly combine their expertise, tenacity, people skills and pragmatism to achieve client goals. These unique skills often emanate from a combination of upbringing, experience and character.

Anita Rai is a Partner and Head of Employment, London at JMW Solicitors, a leading full-service law firm. Anita has a well established reputation and is the trusted adviser for a large number of domestic and international employers including pharmaceutical, construction, hospitality, retail, finance and technology companies. Anita also has an impressive success rate when acting for senior executives and is frequently called upon to deal with complex, time-critical and sensitive matters where the stakes are high.

Trailblazer travelled to JMW’s Solicitors’ London office on King Street, a stone’s throw away from St Paul's Cathedral to discover more about what makes Anita so prolific. We set up in one of their meeting rooms overlooking a bright day in the capital when one of Anita’s team politely lets us know “Anita won't be too long, she’s just on a call”. Our meeting starts in 5 minutes so it was refreshing to learn how punctual she is.

Right on time, Anita arrives along with Kate Martin, a Senior Associate also from the Employment Team at JMW. We notice that neither take out their phones, meaning we have each other’s full attention…

Tell us about your upbringing

My parents split when I was 4 years old and from there I was brought up by the loving combination of my father, brother and grandmother. I was the only girl for 4 generations on my Dad’s side of the family.

My Dad was an entrepreneur, he had a tiny office (if you can call it that) on Bond Street and every Summer I was ‘hired’ by him to help out with everything and anything. One moment I was the office cleaner, the next I was creating the company voicemails because apparently I have a ‘welcoming phone voice’.

(Kate interjects) You really do!

I learnt a lot from my Dad without either of us knowing it. I observed how he thought on his feet and crucially I learnt what a business means to its owner. When you hear ‘there's no emotion in business’ I believe that’s true when making certain decisions, but I believe there’s also an emotional attachment between the owner and their business, which I witnessed first-hand. Understanding this has helped me greatly in my career when working with business owners.

Anita Rai JMW solicitors — Anita where her fathers shop used to be.

My grandmother, on the other hand, was forever banging the education drum and she wasn't wrong. In order to be successful as a lawyer, or anything, you need that understanding of technical knowledge, as ultimately that’s what’ll help get the win for the client. Needless to say, I studied hard and it paid off. I graduated from the University of London (QMW) with a law degree, from there I completed my Legal Practice Course at the College of Law, London and went on to become a trainee solicitor, then before you know it, here we are!

Kate, what would you say are Anita’s best qualities?

I know Anita has a reputation of being a terrific lawyer and a fearless negotiator but to work with I can honestly say she’s very caring and nurturing, which has definitely helped me to grow as a lawyer. The only thing I don't understand is how she juggles it all. When she’s off and I have to step into her shoes, it’s a lot to take on!

Something else I admire about Anita is how well she can read negotiations. I'm not going to give away some of the things she’s taught me but let’s just say she knows how far to go, and then go again. She’ll always push just far enough without capsizing things, and that’s a trait I deeply admire and our clients love.

(Back to Anita)

What’s a typical day like?

It’s a cliche but there really isn't one as an employment lawyers’ world is, by definition, unpredictable. On any given day, I may be advising on a large scale team move between competitors in the morning, to drafting French employment documentation in the afternoon, to devising an exit strategy for a CEO in the evening. On another day, we may start off in Asia and finish in the US. We just do whatever it takes in order to deliver for a client, that’s our mission statement and it works.

What makes you different from other lawyers?

Our ability to cut through everything and get to what matters is a big trait of ours, from there we don't sit on the fence either. Our focus from the start is to achieve the client's desired outcome as quickly as possible. From an international perspective, we have a good cultural understanding of what’s being said and that’s been earned through a lot of experience. Importantly, I’d say just because your client is international, that doesn't mean you're an international lawyer, it's another totally different skill set.

Another aspect that sets us apart is we consider it a failure if a client needs to come back to us with the same problem. Once we’ve taken care of an issue, we see part of that service is leaving a client in a position where it doesn't happen again because they are now equipped to pre-empt it.

I have to say that even with all of the above, it wouldn’t be possible without the right resources and that’s where it’s a privilege to work for JMW. They’ve given me the opportunity and backing to expand their international offering and as a result we’ve created JMWorldwide. Our model allows any business that requires legal support to call upon us from wherever and whenever and we will be their single point of contact to help them. We’ve already supported clients in almost every country across the world and having that unique insight is invaluable.

How do you celebrate the wins?

Not enough I’m told! Although when I made equity partner during Covid, me, my husband and daughter went for a celebratory picnic to take it all in, which is a memory I hold dearly.

Day to day I do occasionally take a moment but usually something else will happen and I’m onto the next challenge.

What is something in your career you regard as a turning point or lesson?

There are a few but this one jumps out the most… I was 2 years post-qualified at another firm and first thing one morning I was told I was suddenly “head of the employment team” as there’d been some ‘movement’ above, let’s say. My first task in this new and daunting position was to meet with one of the firm's top clients to talk through an issue so I quickly completed all of the necessary preparation and sat in our meeting room ready to begin. The client entered, chucked his coat in my direction and bellowed out his tea order. Despite being stunned, I didn't have any “airs and graces” so I diligently carried out his request before commencing our meeting. The client eventually looked at me and asked “Where is he? Where is the partner?”

I politely explained the circumstances and that he’d have to deal with me which initially made him rather unhappy but I persisted by offering him a biscuit and pressing him to explain the issue to me. After a few minutes of me talking through the various strategies, he engaged with me fully and by the end of the meeting he apologised for his actions and attitude. From there I did everything possible to get the outcome he wanted, which at the time was a tricky case but I got there and he was very pleased with the outcome. In fact, he still refers work to me now.

This experience taught me that whatever the circumstances, I can deliver and I let that do the talking for me. I have to say I’m very proud with how I handled myself back then and I’d encourage anyone else in similar situations to bite their tongue, persevere and do the same. It was a steep but valuable learning curve.

Anita deserves her reputation as a formidable lawyer but her credentials stem far deeper than that. It’s now clearer to see what’s made her the person she is today.

One characteristic not already mentioned, and that Anita won’t acknowledge, is her humility. Despite being an extremely successful individual it’s clear she’s also deeply admired by others within her team as a person they not only look up to, but a person they feel cares about their own development. We’d like to thank Anita for her time on what is another busy day.

For more information or to contact Anita click here