"Extremely professional and a fantastic help."
Bill was extremely professional and a fantastic help with finding my next role within my legal career. Thank you for all of your kind assistance Bill!
Olivia Hall
Private Client Paralegal
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Bill Szajna-Hopgood
Associate Consultant - Private Client, Yorkshire
Bill is a Consultant at Realm and works as part of our private client team recruiting private client, Court of Protection and contentious probate solicitors, fee-earners and paralegals across Yorkshire.
Bill joined Realm in October 2022 after working as a Business Development Officer for a national charity. He has a 2:1 from Manchester Metropolitan University in Human Geography.
"Definitely one to have on your side!"
Bill was extremely proactive and responsive and supportive, definitely one to have on your side!
Clare Walker
Associate Private Client Solicitor
"Very supportive and checked in continuously to ensure the process went smoothly."
Bill Szajna-Hopgood was absolutely fantastic throughout the whole process. I was offered not one but two fantastic roles, within a couple of weeks, where I'd have the opportunity to progress my career further. Bill was very supportive and checked in continuously to ensure the process went smoothly. I definitely would recommend Realm and specifically Bill, to anyone who is looking for a new role within the private client sector.
Nafeesa Ahmed
Private Client Fee Earner
"Friendly and approachable from the outset and I instantly felt that this would be a smooth and stress free process."
I chose to work with Realm because Bill was friendly and approachable from the outset and I instantly felt that this would be a smooth and stress free process. He speedily secured two interviews for me and ensured that I was prepared and confident for them. I felt supported at every stage of the process and even after successfully securing a role, Bill was keen to ensure that I had no concerns. I’ve really enjoyed working with Bill and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a new role in the private client sphere. I have secured a role with a fantastic firm and I am confident that there is great scope to progress here. I couldn’t have asked for a better role or service. Thank you Bill!
Maaria Sharif
Private Client Paralegal
"Extremely patient and supportive"
Bill has always been extremely patient and supportive. We are a niche law firm and sourcing for our roles requires an in depth knowledge of the market. Bill is a true expert and always stands up to a challenge. He takes time to listen and comes back with solutions. He helped me with several roles and it almost felt as if he would be working with us in the office. Aside from being a legal recruitment expert, he is also a fantastic people person and builds long lasting relationships with clients.
Martina Mieszala
Wrigleys
How do you think the lawyers you work with would describe you in three words?
I think the lawyers that I work with in private client would describe me as being friendly, helpful and honest.
What advice would you give to any law firms looking to recruit right now?
I would say to law firms looking to recruit right now to speak to recruiters, because we know the market, we know it inside out. We know that there’s a big proportion of people who are inactive and we know where on the active to inactive scale they are. We know how likely they might be to and how open they might be to exploring other roles, and we know what looks appealing to them beyond just salary. If you let us speak to you about the positions you have, we can bring ideas to the table on how to make that job more sellable to candidates that are out there beyond things like pay and homeworking.
How do you think Realm offers something different to legal recruitment?
I would say what makes us here at Realm different to other legal recruiters is that we’re refreshingly human. I don’t come from a recruiter background and I couldn’t work for a typical recruitment business; I’m not here to push people into jobs that aren’t right for them, I would much rather look after people on a long-term basis and then when the time is right for the right opportunity, match those two things up.
What do you think makes private client such a fantastic practice area to work in?
Well, I really like specialising exclusively in private client and I think it’s down to the people that we deal with. Working within private client typically lends itself to people who are, like us, human and friendly, they look after people on a daily basis, and they build connections with people in their community. I think that lends itself to people who are a bit more approachable and who are friendly and nice people.
What advice would you give a lawyer looking to build a successful career?
I would say my advice to any lawyers out there looking to build a successful career would be to speak to us as recruiters because we can always help. Even if you’re not thinking of moving jobs anytime soon, we can do things like benchmark your salary and give you a feel for what’s out there in the market.
If you’re a paralegal, it’s still worth speaking to us because we have recently been getting instructions at a paralegal level and we are placing paralegals at some really good law firms. Speak to us, we’ll always try our best to help.
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