Winns is delighted to announce that Victoria Maugham has been promoted to Deputy Head of Costs.

Vic started her career at Winns in April 2012 as an Admin Assistant in the Trials Team, and her journey has seen her involved in a variety of different teams as well as requiring dedication to self-study to assist her knowledge and development.

After joining Winns, Vic quickly progressed to Costs Clerk and then Costs Negotiator within the Costs Department. She moved to the Litigation Team in 2014 and spent the next three years working to complete the ACL qualification. Funded by Winns, and grateful to the Winns Directors and managers that supported her, Vic successfully qualified as a Costs Lawyer in June 2017. Commenting on the dedication required for this phase of her career, Vic said;

“The hardest part was finding the motivation to spend evenings and weekends studying after a hard day of work, especially in exam season while other people are spending weekends with friends and family and I’m cooped up in a spare bedroom drawing spider diagrams. I worked through it through sheer self-determination. I don’t start something that I don’t intend on finishing and I always strive to do the best I can – both at work and in my studies.”

After working in the Litigation Team for two and a half years, Vic next moved to the Portal Team to transfer the knowledge she had gained to that department, eventually becoming a Team Leader. She has taken the chance to broaden her knowledge and experience in a management role and is now looking forward to continuing her career journey within the Costs Department, but the work doesn’t stop there. Vic is also a Trailblazer Solicitor Apprentice; a four-year degree in Legal Practice through distance learning with assessments on completion of the degree.

“I study three different foundation law topics a year and have exams at the end of every year for my degree including multi-choice questions and practical based assessments. I manage to fit everything in by being organised, trying to keep up to date with my required reading and working really hard and not socialising whatsoever come May/June when my assessments are – which was not hard in 2020!”

There were other positives in 2020 from Vic’s perspective too;

“If nothing else, lockdown taught me about disaster management! Not only that but lockdown has shown the real benefits of a team working together. In lockdown, it was all hands on deck and everyone shared the same goal of getting out the other side!”

Vic’s new role will require her to support the new Head of Costs, Rachel Glendenning, in the day-to-day management of the department to ensure maximisation of costs recovery for the business. This will include staff management, training and development and analysis of fees recovery and opportunities for improvement, as well as involvement in projects and processes.

Summing up her thoughts on receiving news of her promotion, Vic said;

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities for development which I have had in the firm which I have fully embraced and have led to me being promoted to Deputy Head of Costs. I wouldn’t be here without the support of management.

“I am really looking forward to working with Rachel and making a real impact to the business in the Costs Department.”

Congratulating Vic on her promotion, Head of Costs, Rachel Glendinning, added;

“Victoria has worked for the firm for over eight years and during her time has gained an excellent understanding of the different areas of the business which will prove invaluable within the Costs Department. Victoria’s promotion is testament to her hard work, loyalty and dedication to the firm since joining back in 2012.    

“I am really pleased that Victoria has accepted the position as Deputy Head and I look forward to working with her to move the department forward.”