Spotlight on Saima Shabir

Commercial Partner Saima Shabir gave up a successful career in banking to pursue a career in law. She’s not afraid to take a leap of faith when she reaches a crossroads in life.

We talk to Saima about how she came to the realisation that Commercial Law was right for her, and how her bold choices and determination have helped her build a successful practice.

You started your career working in a bank. What made you switch to law?

When I was 17 years old, like many typical teenagers, I was keen to find a part-time job to earn my own pocket money. I would spend Saturday mornings going into town with the sole purpose of dropping my CV into every single retail business I could find in Derby city centre. I was delighted to be called back for an interview with Lloyds Bank, and I must have done something right, as they offered me the role of a customer service adviser on the spot. That’s how my banking career started.

I worked part-time for the bank all through sixth form as I studied for my A-levels, and I continued to work on Saturdays while I studied for my law degree at the University of Leicester, using my earnings to help support my studies. Following my law degree, I spent the next year completing an LPC at Staffordshire University. But as soon as I finished my course, rather than pursuing a legal career, I decided to embark upon a full-time job at the bank.

The experience I had gained during my years of part-time work at the bank helped my career progress very rapidly. I really enjoyed helping customers sort out their finances and found it deeply rewarding knowing I had made a positive impact on their lives. I was soon promoted to Senior Personal Banking Manager. However, after working full-time at the bank for just under a year, I felt I had reached a major crossroads in my life. I had built up a very successful career with the bank and I could see how my future could map out, but I had also spent four years qualifying to be a lawyer. Because I was doing so well at the bank, I really wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a lawyer at that point.

“I really wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a lawyer at that point.”

Did you find it challenging changing careers?

After a lot of soul-searching and encouragement from colleagues at the bank, I eventually decided to pursue my chosen path in law. I was fortunate to have the support of my banking colleagues throughout my A-levels and my undergraduate and postgraduate studies – they wanted to see me pursue the path that I had set out on when I first joined the bank. After sending just one application to find a training contract (I had intended to send more), I was extremely lucky to secure a position in the East Midlands. The five years I had spent working at the bank benefited me during interviews, as I brought different skills and experiences compared to my peers. Working in a real-life, customer-facing role and maintaining high levels of confidentiality showed I was reliable and trustworthy, which set me apart.

At the time I started my training contract, I was the only one out of eight trainees who didn’t have any prior legal experience. I didn’t know how to manage time recording, what different abbreviations meant, and I wasn’t familiar with the case management system. During the induction training, I found that other trainee solicitors picked things up more quickly, as they were used to the systems having worked as paralegals at other firms. I worked hard to catch up.

I sat my first training seat in the firm’s Leicester office and returned home almost every day for the first week in tears. I found it difficult adjusting from the banking environment, where I was excelling and receiving national recognition for my expertise, to an office-based environment, where I had to start from the bottom and learn the very basics. I really thought law wasn’t going to be for me and considered contacting my old manager to ask if I could return to the bank.

“In the first week I came home every day in tears thinking I should have continued working at the bank.”

How did you learn what area of law you wanted to specialise in?

As time went by, I gradually settled into the team and found my feet. Throughout my degree, I was set on being a dispute resolution lawyer, so it was no surprise that (once I settled in) I absolutely loved my first seat in Commercial Dispute Resolution—and didn’t want to leave!

But it was only when I completed my second seat in Corporate and Commercial Law that I had a lightbulb moment. I had found Commercial Law very dry at university and I really didn’t want to do the rotation. I even emailed the other seven trainees to see if they would swap seats with me… nobody wanted to swap! But during this training seat, I realised that putting Commercial Law into practice was a world away from what I had learned in the lecture theatre, and it was actually very interesting.

“I emailed the other seven trainees to see if they would swap seats with me… nobody wanted to swap!”

I liked the idea of not having to worry about courts, deadlines, filing bundles… all the things that a contentious lawyer would have to do. And it dawned on me that I actually preferred this side of the law. That was the turning point when I realised I wanted to be a commercial lawyer, around 12 months into my training contract. However, the firm where I was completing my training contract didn’t have any roles available in the Commercial Department as they were at capacity, and they offered me a role with a different team instead. I declined this role, as I was certain Commercial Law was the way forward for me.

I was adamant not to compromise on what I wanted to qualify in. It was a massive risk, but I decided that rather than staying and qualify in something I didn’t want to do (and possibly regret the decision), I would look for a job elsewhere. A lot was at stake – I was giving up a good opportunity and job security, but I had done it before. I decided to take a leap of faith in order to follow my passion. It was definitely the right move for me. I soon found a role in Commercial Law with another firm, completed the final four months of my training contract with them, and spent the next five years happily developing my commercial practice.

“I wasn’t willing to compromise on what I wanted to qualify in.”

You joined Geldards at a busy time in your life?

A lot was going on in my life at the time I joined Geldards. I had just got married and had relocated from the East Midlands to Bolton. I secured a role at a firm in Manchester just as the world was slowly emerging from Covid restrictions. I wasn’t really thinking of finding a new employer. However, an opportunity as a commercial lawyer came up with Geldards which I thought looked really interesting. Again, I reached a crossroads in my life and had to decide whether to take a risk or not. Was I prepared to commute 100 miles for the right role and the chance to develop my career? Of course I was!

Before I accepted the role, I was a bit concerned about how remote working would come into play, but I needn’t have worried. Regular communication, coupled with weekly in-person visits to the office, reassured me I had made the right decision. My risk had paid off again. I knew as soon as I met the team that it was the right place for me. I found it to be a very supportive environment, but at the same time, I was given enough free rein to forge my own path.

When the opportunity for promotion to Partner came about after I had been working at Geldards for 18 months, I wanted to make sure I was 100% ready. I had been working hard, building relationships with clients and embedding myself into the firm. I was lucky to find a mentor in the firm who supported me as I worked towards this milestone. I knew I only wanted to go for promotion if I was fully ready. In 2024, I was delighted to be promoted to Partner.

“Was I prepared to commute 100 miles for the right role and the chance to develop my career?”

Why Commercial Law?

One of the things I like best about Commercial Law is that it’s extremely varied. We have a joke in our department that if a contract doesn’t fit neatly into another department, then it’s going to be a commercial contract.

I thrive on the variety. For example, I am currently working on a set of terms and conditions for a car dealership, but this morning I was working on a high-value leisure services contract for a Local Authority.

Our Commercial team is fortunate as we offer a lot of niche specialisms, including Sports, TV and Production, and Data Protection. My specialism has grown organically into Manufacturing and IT.

“I thrive on the variety.”

Do you enjoy the relationship-building element of your role?

Our work is very client-focused and we get to know our clients very well, to the point that we can often anticipate which course of action they are likely to prefer and how they like to work. In our Commercial team, we have various clients that we have been working with for a number of years, which you don’t always get in other departments where the work might be purely transaction-based.

I am extremely proud of the Geldards Guidance monthly newsletter, which I instigated when I joined the firm. It’s a great way to connect with our clients and keep them updated with issues that could affect their business.

I love seeing clients grow. I have had the pleasure of watching small businesses turn into multi-million-pound companies. This was particularly true during Covid, which saw a boom in the manufacturing and healthcare sectors. I have also seen relatively small IT software clients who are now doing amazingly well because of AI and the progress of technology. It’s nice to see SMEs grow to become larger businesses.

At the other end of the scale, I like seeing our large clients take on high-value cross-border transactions where the counterpart is in Europe or the United States. Many of our clients send us repeat work and are comfortable picking up the phone just to run a question past us, and we actively encourage that approach. We want our clients to think of us as trusted in-house advisers.

“I love seeing clients grow.”

What do you like doing outside of work?

One of my biggest passions is travel. It keeps me sane knowing I have a holiday to look forward to. I am keen to see as much of the world as time allows, and I am lucky to have visited more than 30 different countries.

I am definitely not a “sitting on the beach” kind of person! I want to go out exploring, soak up different cultures, and walk about 25,000 steps a day—and then wonder why my legs are aching!

Travel pushes you outside of your comfort zone, encouraging you to embrace new cultures and adapt to a different way of life. Whether it’s travelling across continents or embracing a new challenge, I am a firm believer that if something feels right, you should just go for it.

“I am definitely not a sitting on the beach kind of person!”