We spoke with Lauren Anderson who during her time with us, undertook many voluntary positions using her law knowledge to help those in need. Thanks to the firm’s many volunteering opportunities, she had the support of partners to advance her career in ways she never thought possible.
Falling into fintech
Lauren’s journey into law and the fast-moving world of fintech began in the most unexpected of locations. “I grew up on a Norfolk farm in the middle of nowhere. At the time I didn’t realize that it was such an idyllic childhood. Back then it just felt slow. I couldn’t wait to move to a big city!”
Sometimes our career choices can be formed from the realisation of what we don’t want to do, giving us focus to determine what we do want. “My dad and grandad were farmers, my grandma ran a bed and breakfast on the farm, and my mum was a nurse. My sister chose to be a midwife, but while I knew I wanted to help people, farming and nursing didn’t appeal to me. I imagined I would end up in the creative field because I loved art, but my parents gently directed me into a more structured career, and I’m happy with my choice!"
Lauren’s turning point came in Year 11 when she completed a week of work experience at a small local law firm. “The work was largely conveyancing, family law and wills, but the experience sparked something inside of me. I really enjoyed seeing how advice could help people and was inspired to take law at A-level. I fell in love with the subject and carried on studying it at university.”
While at the University of York, she applied for a vacation scheme. “To be honest, I didn’t really know what a vacation scheme was at the time, but I knew I wanted to pursue a career in law and work somewhere friendly and with a nice culture. When I searched for that online, the firm popped up at the top of my results page. I didn’t hesitate to apply for a vacation scheme here. I secured a place, and then fast forward to gaining a training contract and qualifying with the firm. It all worked out perfectly.”
When Lauren began her training contract in 2017, she thought she already knew exactly where her career was heading. “I had my heart set on intellectual property (IP) law. It was a topic I loved at university and had spent time with the IP Team during my vacation scheme at the firm. I enjoyed my first couple of rotations in Corporate Finance and Employment, but remained convinced I wanted to do IP. But things didn’t work out the way I’d planned. I was unable to secure an IP rotation during my training contract, but this opened an unexpected door to what would ultimately shape the rest of my career.”
Moving into financial law
When Lauren didn’t receive her preferred IP rotation, she instead secured a six-month client secondment with Ricoh through the firm’s Commercial Technology and Data Team. It was her first experience working inside a company rather than advising from outside and it quickly changed her perspective. “It was there that I experienced what it was like to be an in-house lawyer for the first time. The shift in environment was striking. You could give advice and actually see the impact it was making. Being embedded in a business meant understanding its commercial priorities as well as the legal ones. In-house, you have to be a commercial advisor and a business partner, as well as a lawyer. Overall, I loved how fast-paced it was.”
Returning to the firm for her final rotation in the Financial Services Regulatory Team, Lauren soon found herself in the middle of an unexpected challenge. The team was transitioning, and several members were leaving at the same time. “The partner was going, the senior associates were going, the associates were going. It was all change.”
What followed became something of a defining moment. Lauren worked closely with a newly arrived partner, Charlotte Hill, in what became a dramatically reduced team. “We always refer to it as the ‘sweaty summer’ of 2019! It was a hot summer, and it was so busy. With so few people left, there was little choice but to step up. We had to get on with it and despite being a trainee, I found myself taking on responsibilities far beyond what most trainees experience, such as leading client calls. Charlotte treated me as a peer, and there are not many law firms who have the support systems in place to allow that."
“The experience was intense but formative. It pushed me hard to develop confidence quickly and take ownership of complex work. It has made me the lawyer I am today, and when my training contract ended, I qualified into the Financial Services Regulatory Team. The department soon expanded again as new colleagues joined, all of whom I’m still in touch with today."
Helping others
“My time at the firm also meant I could get active with a range of volunteering initiatives.
I became an associate representative on the firm's Social Mobility Committee. This involved organizing insight days and mentoring programs for students from state schools, in partnership with the charity Future First. These experiences gave young people the opportunity to learn about roles in an international law firm and help develop their presentation, networking, and communication skills. Being state educated myself and being the first generation in my family to go to university, this was an incredibly rewarding role and an opportunity I wish I'd had when I was in high school!
I also volunteered at the Blackfriars Clinic, providing free pro bono legal advice to local community clients in Southwark. As trainees, we had a rota and took turns at the clinic once a week after work to advise on things such as housing and employment matters. Again, it was incredibly rewarding to know you were making an impact by assisting the local community while developing your own legal skills.
My main takeaway from all of this is that the firm did an amazing job by supporting initiatives which improved access to the legal profession and gave back to the local community. It wasn't just lip service. The firm inspired me to continue with similar initiatives after I left, such as co-leading the Women's Employee Resource Group (Inspiring) at GoCardless and becoming involved with mentoring programs. I also continue to make time for local community volunteering opportunities.”
A change of surroundings
In early 2020, the world changed.
“I remember getting a text saying, 'come and get your stuff, the office is closing'. I recall the early days of the pandemic, when I thought it would be temporary. I was debating whether to take my plants home from the office, thinking it would only be a couple of weeks. Charlotte had a different view that it was going to be longer—and she was right.
It was while working remotely that my perspective on private practice shifted. Without the social side of office life, the job looked different. I didn’t have the client dinners or the stunning office with rooftop views of London. I began reflecting on the work itself and asking myself if this was really what I wanted to do. I thought about my earlier secondment and how I enjoyed working within a business and seeing how everything came together there.
Not long after, I saw a job posting from Curve, a fintech company I already knew about as they were a client of the firm. It was a Product Counsel role, which was a position I hadn’t previously encountered but immediately intrigued me. It sounded like an interesting mix of financial services and commercial work.”
Lauren applied, and the move marked her transition into the fintech sector. From Curve, she later moved to GoCardless before joining Monzo as Senior Legal Counsel.
Today Lauren works closely with Monzo’s Product Teams, helping guide new ideas from concept to launch. Her role involves everything from assessing regulatory and legal risks to shaping the legal frameworks behind new features and drafting terms and conditions. “My team partners with the product squads and helps to take a product from being an idea to launching it safely into customers’ hands. One of the most rewarding aspects of the job is seeing my work come to life in the real world. I’m a Monzo customer, and so are a lot of my friends and family. I can open the app and say, “I advised on that!”. It’s important to be able to see the impact your knowledge has had on business."
For lawyers considering a move in-house, Lauren believes the biggest shift is learning to operate outside the traditional legal bubble. “You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. In-house lawyers often make decisions that directly affect the business and its customers.”
Clear communication is also essential. “You work with non-lawyers most of the time. You can’t just say ‘Regulation 75 says this’. You have to explain it in a way people understand. Similarly, it’s important to learn the jargon of other fields too, such as marketing or engineering."
Despite building her career in London’s fintech sector, Lauren eventually returned to Norfolk with her husband. The countryside she once thought dull now feels like home again.
“Despite insisting growing up that it was boring and I’d never live here, I absolutely love it now. I wish we still had the farm, but the long countryside walks, being closer to family and quieter pace of life offer a welcome contrast to the fast-moving fintech world I work in every day. For me, it’s a reminder that sometimes the places we start out wanting to leave behind are the ones we later appreciate the most.”
About Reach – The Winston Taylor alumni network
Reach connects everyone who is, and has ever been, part of Winston Taylor UK and Ireland and the legacy U.K. Taylor Wessing firm. It helps our alumni and colleagues to maintain strong connections with each other and to share stories, like Lauren's.
Do you have a story to share? Contact us—we’d love to hear from you: reach@winstontaylor.com
