SLN Spotlight: Sara Jalicy

Sara Jalicy is the head of residential property at Anderson Strathern where she is responsible for both the conveyancing and estate agency teams. Sara was one of the youngest partners to be appointed in a law firm in Scotland when she joined Anderson Strathern in June 2014. Just nine months later in March 2015, she won the “Rising Star of the Year Award” at the Scottish Legal Awards.

What has been your best experience as a lawyer?

Unlike what might be described as a more traditional lawyer, I can’t pick out a specific high profile legal case. What has been a great experience and extremely satisfying has been building such a strong residential property team at Anderson Strathern in such a short period of time. It’s something I’m very proud of.

What has been your worst experience as a lawyer?

The recession. I don’t know that many lawyers had fun during that period.

Why did you choose the law?

I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer but I’m not very good at explaining why! I feel like I was always meant to do it and my mum would tell you that I harped on about being a lawyer from my early teens.

Who or what has been the greatest professional influence in your life?

Across my career and education, my dad has been the biggest influence. He had a successful career in the merchant navy as a captain and a pilot. He worked so hard to give my siblings and I all the opportunities we now have, but he also taught us all the important lessons about academic discipline, determination and the value of hard work. His experiences in his field managing a huge crew and his vessel (some of them in very dangerous situations) mean he is always well placed to provide me with advice and guidance – no matter how bad a day you think you are having, he has always had one worse.

Currently, the big professional influences in my life are my team and my fellow partners at Anderson Strathern. We are an open, communicative firm where our managing partner, Murray McCall, and his senior management team spend a huge amount of time motivating partners and staff to reach higher and learn from each other. It’s a really positive environment where we cultivate young talent and even as a partner, you still learn a lot of new things every day here.

What advice would you give to anyone considering a career in the law?

Make sure you really want it and that you’re going into it for the right reasons. If you really want it and you are prepared to put in the hours and take the hard knocks to get it, it’ll be the best thing you’ve ever done. Don’t give up, even when you think everyone else has.

What would you want to be if you were not a lawyer?

A private estate agent – estate agency is a huge part of my role as a residential property solicitor. I still find it fascinating buying and selling houses for people because each and every owner and each and every property is so different. No one day is the same.

How do you relax after work?

I play badminton for Edinburgh Western and, right now, wedding planning with my fiancé Charles - although the latter is not always so relaxing! Cycling was a big part of my life for a couple of years and it’s almost a year to the date that some friends and I cycled from Land’s End to John o’ Groats for Marie Curie. We needed some serious R&R after that, but we were very happy to have raised over £100,000.

What is your favourite holiday destination and why?

Capri. Charles and I went there for the first time this year and I was blown away. Amazing food and drink, amazing scenery and so much to do. Very picture perfect.