Natalie Lang, the Legal 500-recommended Head of the Court of Protection Department at Ramsdens Solicitors, joined the firm at the start of her career in 2005 and is now responsible for trainee solicitors across the company, on top of her legal practice. She shares a day in her life with The Brief.

Morning: Court of Protection

My day starts early. I head straight to the office because that’s where I work best and I really enjoy seeing my colleagues.

I split my time between a few of our branches but am mainly based in Halifax. We’ve just moved into a shiny new office so I like going in as often as possible, even though I work at home when appropriate.

I get in around 8.30 and have a quick chat with my team, some of whom have been with me for more than a decade. We always start the day with a “hello” and a discussion of what’s going on. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I head up our Court of Protection team, which is a really challenging role. There’s always a fire to fight, and how we act can have a huge, direct impact on someone’s life.

Last week we helped a client source a wheelchair accessible car and holiday home, which allowed him to go on his first holiday. 

The Court of Protection is responsible for decision making for those who lack capacity to make decision for themselves. We often manage their property and affairs and can advocate on their behalf about contact, residence and medical treatment.

I’ll often arrive to find the team are already dealing with a missing person, a rat infestation or life changing medical decisions.

It can be very pressurised, but also extremely rewarding because every day is different, and our clients are phenomenally resilient people. We enable them to do as much as possible through our work.

Last week we helped a client source a wheelchair accessible car and holiday home, which allowed him to go on his first holiday. The photos sent by his carers make the hard days worth it.

There are 17 of us in the team, and most weren’t even born when Princess Diana died. They are dynamic and always proactive and upbeat, whatever challenges come our way. We’re very close knit and keep an eye on each other, and Ramsdens provides access to counselling if a situation ever gets too much.

Once I’ve spent the morning getting on top of today’s urgent decisions and crises, I like to spend lunch in the courtyard of our building or wandering though the art gallery next door, and encourage the team to do so too.

Afternoon: Training & Recruitment

In the afternoon, I’m often working on trainee solicitor recruitment. We’re always looking for good people across all our sectors – we cover almost all areas of law – but I’m most passionate about finding bright young talent with a great career ahead, who we can mentor and shape.

This side of things takes up a lot of my time now – we have 14 Trainees and SQE Apprentice Solicitors, and we’re expanding. We have a further nine commencing their training contracts in September 2025.

It’s an inclusive workplace and a good idea is a good idea, whatever level you’re at.

People always ask me why I’ve stayed at Ramsdens my whole career (I joined in 2005 as a trainee with no experience – I’m now an equity partner). The answer is simple: it’s a culture thing.

We’re proudly Yorkshire-based and keep our values at the heart of everything we do – we’re different to the big national firms and proud of it. That being said, Ramsdens have clients both nationally and internationally.

While we take our work seriously, we try to keep things jovial in the office – there’s none of the usual rivalries or politics and very little hierarchy. It’s an inclusive workplace and a good idea is a good idea, whatever level you’re at.

There are also so many opportunities for growth and progression. It’s a cliché, but with Ramsdens you get out what you put in, and the firm is really supportive. We run a bespoke management training programme, and a leadership training programme later down the line.

Evening: Trainee Applicant Open Evening

This evening, it’s the Trainee Applicant Open Evening, where prospective trainees come and meet around 15 Ramsdens staff for speed networking, an individual written task, and a group task.

I love the open evening because it’s the first opportunity I get to see many of the bright new talented individuals who might be joining the firm soon.

It’s also a great chance to see colleagues from different branches – everyone from newly qualified solicitors to equity partners will be there. One of the best things about Ramsdens is we love to get together, and even though there are 300 of us there is always someone you know to catch up with at any event.

It’s always such a thrill when you meet a great candidate – you know their energy and ambition will make the firm a more exciting and dynamic place to work.

The people who have been invited to the open evening have already gone through the first stage of the application process, so the standard is high. As well as assessing skills and aptitude for the job, we’re also thinking about how the candidate will fit into the Ramsdens team.

It’s always such a thrill when you meet a great candidate – you know their energy and ambition will make the firm a more exciting and dynamic place to work, which can only be a good thing.

As the candidates file out and we pack up for the evening, we’re already discussing who the standout candidates were, and who we’d like to send through to the final interview stage.

I head home around 9,00pm, head still buzzing from meeting so many great candidates, and thinking about what I have to do tomorrow.

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Ramsdens Solicitors

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