Keely joined the firm in May 2022 as a Paralegal who sits in the Legal Solutions Centre in Plymouth. Keely is part of the Dispute Resolution team working together with embedded lawyers to defend consumer claims on behalf of clients in the telecommunications; retail; construction and energy/ natural resources sectors. Keely provides commercially sound advice directly to client stakeholders on pragmatic strategies to secure a successful result.
Keely was promoted to Associate Paralegal, and again to Assistant Managing Paralegal, both within 18 months of her first legal role.
Under the supervision of embedded lawyers, Keely manages an active caseload of approximately 225 matters across several clients, including complex multi-track, fast-track and small claims track claims, within which Keely drafts pleadings, legal advice, procedural applications and settlement offers. Keely advises clients on litigation strategy, commercial risk and reputational considerations.
Alongside fee earning work, Keely is responsible for resource planning, allocating and deploying appropriately skilled paralegals to fulfil client requirements. Keely mentors and line manages several paralegals, arranges/delivers team-wide training sessions and is also a dedicated supervisor of junior team members' pre-action work, Court documents and billing.
Keely is heavily involved in the general management of the team and their workstreams/ capacity levels, including recruitment and the subsequent onboarding process.
Experience
Keely's experience includes:
- Full autonomy over 225+ live litigation matters (small to multi-track) for high-profile clients across telecoms, utilities, construction and maritime sectors
- Drafting pleadings, legal advice, procedural applications, and settlement offers. Advising clients on litigation strategy, commercial risk and reputational considerations
- Liaising with counsel, courts and stakeholders throughout pre-action, hearings and ADR stages
- Monitoring financial performance, securing budget uplifts, and ensuring aged WIP is minimised
- Supervising and mentoring nine paralegals; recruitment, onboarding, utilisation and performance metrics
- Resource planning – assigning work by seniority, workstreams, and capacity; preparing a file matrix to classify complexity and enable equitable distribution
- Leading internal initiatives to improve billing efficiency, SLA compliance, and case lifecycle processes
- Supporting pro bono clinics, including preparation and in-session client engagement
- Coordinating rotas, scheduling support meetings and tracking SLA compliance across team matters.
