In this series, we introduce some of the people that make up Stephens Scown. We learn about their expertise, what drew them to join the legal profession and find out a little bit about who they are outside of work.
Here we introduce Anna Foster, associate in our Social Housing team.
Can you share with us a little bit about your role and a typical day?
I am an Associate in the real estate Team in Truro and part of the social housing sub-team. A typical day for me involves working with the team to advise our social housing registered providers and our individual clients. The work we do is wide ranging and can cover anything from a residential purchase to an acquisition purchase. Another large part of my role is dealing with commercial leases, commercial purchases, site acquisitions and any other conveyancing matters. I also supervise and manage the sales and disposals of social housing registered providers.
Why did you specialise in your area of law?
My career in real estate began in 2006, as a secretary for a local firm dealing with commercial and residential property. During this role I learnt a lot about the transaction processes, so in 2010 I started my legal journey as a Paralegal. 5 years later I was promoted to an executive, acting for residential clients for all their conveyancing needs. In 2022 I joined Stephens Scown in their social housing team to further my knowledge in a range of real estate matters.
What do you love most about your role?
The most rewarding part of my job is helping and supporting our clients. I enjoy how no two days are the same, which keeps me on my toes and furthers my range of skills that I have learned over the many years in the industry. Dealing with difficult cases where I have achieved my client’s goal in the most efficient and cost-effective way, fills me with joy, and a favourite is always letting a client know we have completed! Another part of my role that I find incredibly rewarding is training our more junior staff and watching their knowledge and confidence grow!
How do you spend your time outside of work?
In my own time I enjoy spending time with my family and taking my dog for walks. I also enjoy travelling, seeing new places and attending concerts. My youngest is an avid Rugby player so my down time is also spent watching him play and have also recently seen England vs Fiji play at Twickenham.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what you be and why?
If I wasn’t a lawyer, I would want to work in counselling and supporting children in all aspects, including bereavement and mental health, especially after having seen the detrimental effect today’s society and social media can have on the younger generation.
What does it mean to work for Stephens Scown, what makes us different?
We are different to other firms in that we are the UK’s first large employee-owned firm and we are also the first South West law firm to become a B-Corp. Having been at other firms beforehand I also love how open everyone is in sharing their wealth of knowledge especially when queries arise which deal with other sectors in the firm.