Helen Hotten is an equity partner at Howell Jones and Head of our Wills and Probate team. This International Women’s Day, she shares her story – from trainee to partner and reflects on her journey balancing career, family, and leadership at the firm.
Starting Out
I didn’t set out with a grand plan to become a partner. When I decided to retrain as a lawyer, I was a sales representative with a toddler at home and another baby on the way. Poor treatment at work after my first child made me reflect on the career I wanted and the example I wanted to set for my children.
I began a Postgraduate Diploma in Law while pregnant with my second child. My first exam was the day after she was born – I sat it six days later. I completed the Legal Practice Course pregnant with my third child and applied for training contracts while expecting. Howell Jones was the only firm to offer me an interview. I told them I was pregnant. They still offered the contract and delayed my start date. That early support meant everything.
I began my training contract in March 2001 in our Wimbledon office, which was agreed on as it was the closest to where I lived. With three children under five, working full-time was incredibly hard, and I often felt I was letting someone down at work or at home.
Over time, I learned you cannot do everything. You have to prioritise, learn to say no to pressures of school volunteering, to other commitments, and accept that doing fewer things well is better than trying to do everything and failing everyone.
I also couldn’t have done it without my mum, who drove up from Portsmouth three days a week to help with childcare. My children grew up watching me study and helped test me for exams. Years later, I would help them revise for their own exams. It feels like we did it together.
Flexibility in Practice
After qualifying in 2003, I reduced to a four-day week. Later, I adjusted to five shorter days to do school pick-ups. That flexibility was never treated as a weakness. It was simply part of making work and family life function.
When I later undertook the STEP qualification to specialise in wills and probate, the firm supported me again. More studying. More exams. More juggling. But that investment gave me confidence and deepened my expertise.
I never had a burning ambition to become a partner. Qualifying as a solicitor when my children were six, four and two was already one of my proudest achievements. Partnership evolved naturally as a result of doing a good job and contributing to the firm. Being trusted by my fellow partners to help run the firm is something I am deeply proud of.
Representation Matters
Today, 81% of our partners are women, compared to a UK law firm average of around 35%. All of our department heads are women. Five of our equity partners are mothers.
That matters. It shapes our culture. It informs how decisions are made. The women in our leadership team bring real-life experience – of balancing careers, raising children, managing caring responsibilities and navigating different stages of life.
Visible role models are powerful. You can believe something is possible when you see it happening. I take real pleasure in working with trainees and being able to say: I started here as a trainee too.
And importantly, success here does not require working 15-hour days. It is not about bravado or long-hours culture. It is about commitment, ability and consistency.
Supporting Talent from Every Background
Supporting women is not just about supporting mothers. It is about recognising different commitments and circumstances, whether that’s for childcare, religious observances, or other family responsibilities. If someone is talented, why wouldn’t you support them?
Our diversity data shows we exceed the SRA average for employees from state schools, first-generation university attendees, and colleagues from Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim backgrounds.
But access to the profession still needs work. Cost remains a barrier. We will not find the best talent if we only look in a small pool. Representation opens doors – seeing someone like you sends a powerful message: there is a place for you here.
I’ve seen this first-hand. One of the people I mentored started as a receptionist, qualified via CILEX while working full-time, and is now an Associate Chartered Legal Executive. After having her own child, we created a flexible arrangement that worked for her family. Talent should never be lost because life happens.
What International Women’s Day Means to Me
International Women’s Day is about belonging, sisterhood, and hope for my daughters.
If I could send a message to women starting their legal careers today, it would be this: You belong here. Work hard. Be good at what you do. Choose an environment that supports you. You may not be able to do everything, and you do not have to. But it is possible to build a meaningful career and a family life alongside it.
I am proud of qualifying while raising three young children, proud to help lead a firm where women thrive, and proud that at Howell Jones, progression is not about fitting a mould – it is about doing good work and supporting one another along the way.
