On today’s Legally Speaking Podcast, I am delighted to be joined by Becca Horley.

Becca is a specialist medical negligence solicitor at a national law firm. She has experience in complex serious injury matters, including brain, birth, psychiatric and fatal injuries. Becca utilises her LinkedIn platform to educate others on advocating for yourself, wellness and improving patient safety. She is passionate about professional empowerment and personal development. Becca was awarded ‘Solicitor of the Year 2025’ at the Birmingham Law Society Awards.

So why should you be listening in? 

You can hear Rob and Becca discussing:

– Empathy And Personal Connection In Client Care 

– Technology Advancements In Medical Negligence Cases 

– Building Trust And Advocacy For Clients 

– Power Of Personal Branding On LinkedIn 

– Consistency And Self-Belief For Professional Success

Connect with Becca Horley here – https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rebeccahorley

Transcript

Becca Horley  0:00  

When you allow someone to talk and have a safe space to actually say what’s on their mind, you can achieve a lot and cover a lot of ground. I’d say it’s as simple as just listen, keep the promises that you make to yourself, whatever happens in life, whatever happens with your job, things can happen outside of your control, but if you say to yourself, This is what I’m going to do, and I’m going to stick to the promise is, yes, it boosts your self esteem, but it also commands respect from other people, because you are the person that does what they say they’re going to do. And if you can showcase that you are reliable through content on LinkedIn, I think it’s the best combination to really advocate for yourself. You can make a name for yourself before someone’s met you. When you walk into a room, they go, Oh, you’re Becca. I’ve seen your posts on LinkedIn, then you’ve already created a community before you’re in the room. And why wouldn’t we want to capitalise on that?

Robert Hanna  0:47  

On today’s legally speaking podcast, I’m delighted to be joined by Becca Horley. Becca is a specialist medical negligence solicitor at a national law firm. She has experience in complex serious injury matters, including brain birth, psychiatric and fatal injuries. Becca utilises her LinkedIn platform to educate others on advocating for yourself wellness and improving patient safety. She is passionate about professional empowerment and personal development. Becca was awarded solicitor of the year, 2025 at the Birmingham Law Society awards. So a very big, warm welcome to the show, Becca!

Becca Horley  1:23  

Hi Rob, thanks for the introduction. I’m really excited to be here.

Robert Hanna  1:27  

Oh, it’s an absolute pleasure to have you on the legally speaking podcast. Finally, on the scale of one to 1010, being very real. What would you rate the hit TV series suits in terms of its reality of the law, if you’ve seen it on the scale of one to 10.

Becca Horley  1:43  

Oh, probably one or zero,

Robert Hanna  1:48  

a very convincing one or zero. And with that, we’ll ask no more questions. Then move swiftly on to talk all about you. So to begin with, Becca, would you mind telling our listeners a bit about your background and career journey?

Becca Horley  1:59  

Sure. So, I mean, I studied law with criminology at university, at the University of Birmingham, and then I did a master’s in professional legal practice alongside the LPC at the University of Law in Birmingham. And that’s when I started to have a little think about what sort of areas of law I’d be interested in, and mainly what would want to make me wake up in the morning and feel excited about my job. And that’s when I started learning more about medical negligence and how you can use law to help change people’s lives and improve them. And I was looking at different firms, and the national law firm that I did my training contract at was, you know, it had opportunities to do corporate and commercial real estate, but also medical notions as well. And so I did a training contract for two years, and then I qualified as a medical notions associate in September 2021, and I’ve been on quite an exciting journey as a young professional since then, up to winning solicitor Of The Year this year, in February, which is really exciting.

Robert Hanna  3:00  

Yeah, and look, we’ve been following your journey very avidly here on the legally speaking podcast. We’re always looking for the the brightest and sharpest minds, but also those putting things back into the community, which you’re doing a great, tremendous job of. Just want to kind of go a little bit deeper, because you touched on it there in terms of medical negligence and your journey into it, was there a defining moment that really inspired you to say, Yes, this is absolutely the area that I want to go in, versus so many others that are out there, particularly hard for people thinking about a career in the law.

Becca Horley  3:28  

Sure. So when I was at the University of Law, studying some of my now colleagues, actually did a presentation about one of the big cases they’re working on. And you know, when you’re a student, it’s exciting to know that the case is that your future colleagues are, you know, it’s in the news. It’s, you know, it’s very high profile work, which is always exciting. But it was also, as well, the story that they told us about how each individual client, you know, they felt hope when they haven’t felt like that for a long time, they felt like there was someone fighting their corner for them. And I thought, What do I want from my career? And I thought, that’s the role that I want to have. I want to be that support system for someone using the all the skills and the knowledge that I’ve spent a lot of time at university studying, how can I transform that into a job that actually makes a difference? So I mean, it started when I was at university, but when I think back to the A levels that I studied, I did law, psychology and biology. So I think my actual interests, as well, the way my brain works, is always fascinated by science and law, and I get to combine both of those things, and it’s a day that’s never the same. You always get to learn new things. You’re learning about medicine and your clients lives and how to improve them. And I couldn’t want more from a job, really.

Robert Hanna  4:44  

Yeah, you really get to see the impact of your work for the clients that you’re representing. And you know, you’ve had a whole range of cases that you’ve had across your desk, but you very much are specialised in medical negligence, again, for our listeners and. What particular areas within medical negligence do you advise on and who do you act for? Just to give us a bit more of a flavour of your day to day.

Becca Horley  5:07  

Sure, so I only represent claimants, so individuals, patients and their families. So I do a range of different cases where, if someone’s had a life changing injury through no fault of their own, they would come to me. And I have a whole range of orthopaedic so complex orthopaedic claims where someone may have lost function in their shoulder and arms due to maybe, like a shoulder replacement not going to plan. I have a range of Ophthalmology cases where there’s been a delay in surgery. And so someone, my clients, have lost their sight, and then I also have a delay in diagnosis of cancer cases, stillbirth cases and psychiatric claims as well. And so when there’s been a fatal case, the client is then the person for the estate, so that would be their family. So a lot goes into the job in terms of, yes, you have to be a sharp legal mind, but you also have to be sensitive and empathetic. Because a lot of you know my clients, this is the worst thing they’ve ever gone through, or they’re going through a bereavement. So it’s definitely a balance of lots of different skills.

Robert Hanna  6:16  

Yeah, and we talk a lot about on the Legal Zoom podcast, obviously, about Tech for Good, and there’s still the need for human human touch, and obviously within your area of law, specifically, how do you ensure that you obviously do maintain that human touch and don’t perhaps cross the line between personal and professional, particularly given you’re carrying very sensitive cases and matters. Is there any advice we give to people who might be in similar industries that are dealing with very, very devastating situations at time.

Becca Horley  6:46  

Yeah, I mean in terms of giving a personal touch to clients, I think it’s having conversations over the phone, going to see them in person. So something that I offer is I always say I’ll come and visit you at your home, because often clients that have had really serious injuries, coming into a big, swanky office isn’t really on their top to do list, or even possible or accessible for them. So I always go and visit my clients at home. And, you know, we have a chat at the kitchen table on the sofa, and that’s that that makes it feel more friendly. And, you know, I it’s an interesting conversation. I think personal life versus professional life, because who I am and how I hold myself is how I hold myself in all areas of my life. So I think it’s a I respect the conversation that some things are strictly professional, but I think actually to be, I think the way the legal profession needs to move forward is to bring our personal selves into our personal life, because it’s one life, and that’s how I like that’s how I bring a personal touch. Is because I actually bring myself and my emotions. And you know, there are times where cases do upset me and I’ve really feel for my clients, but if I didn’t have that empathetic and if I didn’t actually care or feel those emotions, I don’t think I’d have that driver to really be the advocate for them. So I actually think it’s a winning combination.

Robert Hanna  8:03  

Yeah, and you couldn’t have said that any better, and I was just nodding you here so happily. In terms of, we had David savage on, who was a former partner in sanctions expert, and he said, There is no David in work and David at home, there’s David. And I think similar to what you’re saying there Becca, in terms of, you bring your full self to work, and we’re trying to encourage lawyers to be their true, authentic selves in and out of the workplace. And like you say, you enhance that human to human connection, and because I think it builds more trust, and you are able to get more done for your clients, and you’re doing a tremendous job. And I know your cases are complicated, so this might be quite hard, but just want to get a sense of the client process. If we could, could you talk us through actually assisting a client through their case or claim from the beginning to the end result? You gave a very nice, touching point there that you’d perhaps go and visit them at home to but could you talk us from a sort of legal perspective, what the start to finish of a journey might look like with some of your cases?

Becca Horley  8:58  

Sure, I think the best way to describe a medical nations case is like building a puzzle. So you have to basically find lots of different pieces, and those are the evidence, and you put it all together to build a full picture that you would then present to a judge to argue your case. So we start the first puzzle piece is having a conversation with the client, asking them, what’s happened, what’s their version events, what’s their story? And then we would write a witness statement based on their initial the initial conversation. And then what we do is we get their medical records in. We obtain expert evidence from sort of leading medical professionals across the country who have specific expertise in the specific medical areas of medicine that we need them to comment on. And we basically build a case. It’s like, you know, it’s like solving a mystery. You put all of these things together. And I always explain to my clients, you put each puzzle piece as we go along, and we manage their expectations as to whether there’s going to be prospects of being successful along the way. Because one of the things that’s a big part of this job is also having difficult conversations about, you know, the. Law is strict, and they’re strict legal tests, and I have a duty to share that with my clients. And often, you know, there may be really poor outcomes that don’t actually fit within the legal test, so we have to have that conversation too. But often, you know, we’re building a case, we’re building a picture, and we’re storytellers. You know, we’re investigators, we’re storytellers. It’s our job to tell our client’s story for them. And so a lot of the process of investigating a case is really getting to know the client, understanding how they tick, asking questions, but also leaving time to listen, you know you might, and in saying to them as well, like you know you might be going on a walk, or you might be sat in the lounge later today and you’ve forgotten to say something to me, give me a phone call, send it an email. And I often encourage my clients as well to keep a diary, because I find that really helpful, because often moments that they’re their main concerns, you know, because it can be quite stressful having a lawyer talking to you as well. And so I say to them, you know, when you’re just reflecting, make a note. And so in terms of the process, I’m then putting together all of this evidence to present the best case that I can for them and advocate for their needs.

Robert Hanna  11:06  

And you give such a sort of overview of the depth of work that goes into it. I was just having images of some of the puzzles I’ll do with my three and a half year old daughter that are easy and some that are very complex, actually. And that’s probably the same as some of your cases. You know, you’re putting these pieces together. And you know, it’s all about trying to have a system and strategy to get the right end result for your clients. And I love that you talked about listening to ears, one mouth, use them in that ratio, absolutely. And, yeah, I think it’s fantastic the work that you are doing. And I know how strongly you do advocate for your clients. And this might be a tricky question, so feel free to sort of, you know, swerve it if you’d like. But is there a particular case or a most memorable case that you’ve worked on to date that you’d like to highlight?

Becca Horley  11:46  

Yeah, of course. I mean, I was recently on BBC News talking about one of my clients for a case that I’m working on. So I represent a number of patients who have suffered severe visual impairments or blindness as a result in delays in treatment, and I recently secured a strong settlement, sorry, an interim payment for one of my clients to receive a carer. So it means that he can now have support at home. And it’s the day to day things, the way he describes it in the news feature, he says that, you know, he can’t see the butterflies, he can’t see the birds. He you know, he can’t pick up on things like facial expressions and interaction, and he needs someone to be his eyes for him. That’s how he explains it. And it was really rewarding to secure admissions of liability in that case and then also an interim payment. We’ve still got a long way to go, because these cases are so complex, but it’s exciting because I’m learning all about different types of technology that can be helpful for him, you know, in the home. And so we’re working on, at the moment, valuing that together, but the interim payment that he’s received will go, you know, for now, it’s going to give him care and assistance, because he someone lives by himself. And so he’s navigating this new world in his 80s where he’s now blind, which, you know, when he wasn’t before, and it gives people a bit of their independence back. I think that’s what I really do care about. I care, you know, we’re all humans, and I think there’s often in society people get spoken down to or misunderstood when they’ve had an injury, but they’re still humans, you know. And I think that we have to really be I think we have to just really put the effort in to make sure that that changes and support people wherever we can.

Robert Hanna  13:38  

Yeah, there’s a difference between care and genuinely caring. And I sense from the work that you’re doing, you know you genuinely care. You go above and beyond. And like you said, that’s a really tough experience for that for that individual you just mentioned there, and that’s where that human touch and that empathy really does come in. And you mentioned missions of liability, again, people who might be less familiar with your area. What does that mean specifically, or for people who might be having a similar scenario in terms of maybe that could be an outcome for them. Just want to touch on that.

Becca Horley  14:04  

Yeah, of course. So when we’re investigating a medical maintenance case, there’s two main steps that we have to prove. So the first part is liability. So we have to prove the legal tests, and it’s called breach of duty and causation, and we can’t move forward to valuing a case or seeking a settlement sum until we’ve proved liability. So what that means is is that number one has the care that the person’s received for fallen below an acceptable standard. And if we can prove that number one, we also have to prove number two that that breach of duty has caused an injury or a loss. And it’s a two part test, and you have to have both. And often it can be, you know, one part requires a bit more evidence or a bit more explaining than the other. You have to have both to be able to move forward to looking at how you potentially quantify a claim.

Robert Hanna  14:55  

Yeah, no. Thank you for giving such a detailed overview of that. Very, very helpful. For our listeners. So you have dealt on a number of high profile cases, as we’ve sort of referenced, you’ve mentioned, obviously, some life changing disabilities as a result of that. You’ve also active folks that have had, you know, lots of issues over the years. So for you, what are some of the lessons you’ve learned from dealing with these patients and victims over the years that might be helpful for our audience to take away on a personal level?

Becca Horley  15:24  

It’s given me a whole perspective on life, that nothing’s guaranteed. And you know, I’m very grateful that I can brush my teeth in the morning without assistance. I can walk, I can walk down the road, I can walk to a shop. You know, there’s lots of different things that I had never really, even if I’m being completely frank, I had sort of gone through life, sort of, you know, going on a walk and brushing my teeth and being like, that’s very normal. But for a lot of patients that you know have these life changing injuries, those simple tasks, they’re not simple tasks anymore, and their quality of life is affected. So personally, it’s really given me perspective. And there was a really sort of pivotal moment in my life a couple of years ago where I just decided I needed to turn it around for myself, and I that’s when I know that you’re into running as well. I started running because I was like, I’m so lucky that I I’m lucky I can walk, but I’m also lucky that I can put one foot in front of the other, and other and run. And so I went from running one minute getting out of breath, really struggling to now I’m set to do the London Marathon next year, which is super exciting, but my work and my life has given me this perspective of how lucky I am, and so I’m taking every opportunity that I can to, to basically grab life and just take it, as you know, with what I’ve got now.

Robert Hanna  16:47  

I love that. And I remember, there’s a charity called, I think it’s the Hampson Association. I’m a Leicester Tigers rugby fan. I’m from Leicester originally, and one of the future prop forwards unfortunately got injured and broke their neck in a scrum. Foundation, yeah, yeah. And, you know, he’s got the great tagline of get busy living, right? And I think that’s just so true. And you know, having that attitude of gratitude, like you’ve just referenced there is fantastic. And you do give others a voice. So what does it mean to give a voice to someone who has been harmed by a medical professional or an institution?

Becca Horley  17:22  

I think it’s, it’s using, I mean, as all humans feeling heard and having a connection, that’s what makes us human, and that’s what makes us feel safe. And so I think for a lot of my clients, there’s definitely issues of trust with medical professionals, but not in all cases, but in some cases, because I represent a number of clients who have been treated by what we term called rogue surgeons. So that often means that it’s an individual who is specifically either intended to cause harm or where there is sort of in competencies in the training that they’ve had which has led to substantial errors in the care that they’ve received. And you know, you go to a medical professional for help. And so when we have situations where clients have really poor outcomes that could have been avoided after sort of seeking out help, that can make them feel very anxious, and it’s part of my job when they first come to us to make them feel safe and comfortable, and that’s actually the top priority. And so, you know, it’s about developing that trust so that you can advocate for them and and in terms of advocating it’s telling their story. You know, I use the skills, the network, the, you know, platform, that I have to advocate for them. Because often, when you’re going through something really traumatic and you’re going through you’re going through a process of grief, of the life that you don’t have anymore, you don’t often, you know to do that and advocate for yourself. You know that’s where my role comes in. And I say, you look after looking after yourself, and you get your rehabilitation, and you you focus on your health. I’ll do the bit where I talk for you, and that’s what that really is. It’s being, it’s being a team with your client to get the possible outcome for their life.

Robert Hanna  19:04  

Absolutely, it is about a team effort. And I love that you talk to trust as well. It’s so, so important. And you were, you were kind of alluding to it there in terms of building the trust with your clients. But how do you do that with some of the clients that might be very disillusioned or very vulnerable about what they’ve experienced, or, Oh, this is just going to be a lot of fees. Are the lawyers actually got the best interests at heart looking after me? Anything you would say from that perspective on the relationship building with these clients that are in sometimes very, very horrible situations?

Becca Horley  19:36  

I think just let them talk. I think often, when you’ve got someone, maybe who’s had really long waiting lists, or they’ve been waiting for an update for a long time from a healthcare institution. It’s a very common feeling amongst my clients that they just want someone to listen to them, and they want you know, they’ll, they’ll, they’ll start talking, and they’ll say to me, I’ve never told anyone that before, or I didn’t realise I was thinking. In that. And for me, I find it, you know, the easiest thing for me is just to shush and listen to them. And that often, when you allow someone to talk and have a safe space to, you know, actually say what’s on their mind, you can achieve a lot and cover a lot of ground. I’d say it’s as simple as just listen.

Robert Hanna  20:19  

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Becca Horley  22:11  

I think it’s absolutely essential. Um, you learn the most about clients, first of all, because they’re in an environment that’s safe to them, but also when you’re looking at valuing a claim and looking at all the different things that you could potentially help them with, you know, you might not know that if they’re a wheelchair, in a wheelchair, but they live in a two story home. If you hadn’t gone to see them and they hadn’t told you, you wouldn’t know that actually a bungalow would be much more suitable. And so there’s lots of different things that you know, the hallways might be too narrow for a wheelchair, but you don’t know that unless you’ve been there, you know. But there’s, you know, you learn so much about a person, how they live, and also we take, you know, the advice that I give and the way I quantify claims is specifically tailored to each client. So going to see them in their home, how they interact with their family? Do they have anyone to provide support and care for them? Are they just getting by because they’re very stoic in personality, and they’re saying they’re fine. Are they actually fine? Do they get out of bed in the day? Do they sit on the sofa? Are they able to get outside, you know? How do they make a cup of tea? Is, you know, is there microwave in the top line of, you know, cupboards are not on on the surface. Can they reach the microwave? Like, there’s lots of different things that you just wouldn’t even know or be able to understand. You know, what’s the driveway like? Is there access through doorways? You know, I could go on for ages, but if you don’t go there and you don’t see it for yourself, you can’t paint a picture. And as I say, it’s all about putting that puzzle together, and a big part of the puzzle in the middle is the client and their home environment, because that’s where they spend their time. So it’s really important to know that and understand it. And yeah, it just, it really does build a complete picture. So I always, I actually say to my clients, you know, I’d really like to come and see you. Would that be okay? And I sort of start from that perspective, instead of, we could, you know, we could offer a home visit. I say I’d love to come and see you in your home. Would you be comfortable with that? And that’s why I often start with.

Robert Hanna  24:08  

I love that, and it just shows that you are proactive. You care, and you took the words right out of my mouth. I was just thinking pieces of puddle puzzles as you’re articulating all those examples there. And you know, in cases, details matter, and you know, you going out there and seeing it first time and getting those details and understanding, you know, it could be, could be two centimetres thin, you know, too narrow a hallway, or something like that. But you’re not going to know that until you’ve been there and done that, and that can affect someone’s livelihood completely. So we really appreciate you giving that level of answer. Okay, I want to talk about accountability now in the medical profession, do you believe there is sufficient accountability in the medical profession when serious errors or misconduct does occur, and what changes would you like to see? If so.

Becca Horley  24:51  

I think I’d like to see more accountability. I think my experience as a claimant lawyer is that we often experience significant delays in getting. Seeing answers. And you know, you have hospital trusts that carry out their own independent investigations, which is really helpful, and then they’ll notify the patient that the harm has been suffered. But then when a legal case starts, there’s, there’s almost a gap. And so you then have, I’ve had experience of two, three years before these admissions of liability, so acknowledgement of the legal tests has proven three years down the line. But you’ve got a patient three years ago who was told that harm was suffered. And so it’s, there’s, like a, there’s a really long gap and that, and that also, as well, until you have liability admissions, you can’t, you know, get any sort of compensation or interim compensation. And so there’s a period where you’ve got a patient that suffered harm, they’ve got a life changing injury, but there’s a gap, and so that really, that’s something that I would love to see, sort of progression and change in this area of law, where we can start getting rehab and, you know, money for assistance and support and care earlier on. And, you know, I understand, you know, if, if there’s a case where liability is disagreed between parties, you know, naturally, the NHS aren’t going to throw money, you know, at a case, but where, often, you know, the cases that I run, we take on cases that we strongly believe are going to succeed. And so I think there needs to be a level of, you know, why are we waiting? And that’s something I find really difficult. A part of my job that’s quite difficult is explaining to the clients and keeping them happy while they’re waiting because they’re in pain. They can’t you know, they’ve got restricted function. It impacts all their relationships in their life. They might not be able to work anymore. You know, it covers everything, and we have to say to them, oh, we’re just, we’re just chasing. We’ll just, we’ll just come back to you, and that’s quite a hard conversation. So keeping the trust with the clients when it’s out of our control, the delays and the responses, so I would like to see that changed.

Robert Hanna  26:53  

Yeah, no, well said. And we are very pro access to justice and helping make good changes to the laws to help people, as you say. And I think you gave some cracking examples there, and you also touched on the NHS, and that leads nicely on to what I was going to ask around sort of representation, and how that might differ depending on whether you’re representing a client who’s making a claim against an NHS Trust or maybe a private hospital or a GP. Is there anything you would say to that?

Becca Horley  27:19  

So I mean, I have experience representing claimants who have had human NHS, hospitals, GPS and also private institutions. So a lot of the time if you’ve had surgery at a private hospital or by a private doctor, they will have insurance. And so the claim is the defendant in the claim is usually the insurer, because that’s where the compensation if you’re successful, would come from and so in terms of, you know, a claim, you know there is more, I think there’s more certainty if it’s an NHS Trust Case, because there’s a whole trust instead of an independent insurer, because you have to make sure that the if you’re having private treatment, you Want to make sure that the private professional has insurance, because if anything worse go wrong, obviously we hope, you know, we hope it doesn’t. But if it was, then any compensation if they don’t have insurance, you couldn’t, even if you were successful, you wouldn’t be able to, it’d be harder to get anything out of that. But as I say, you know, often you know, the private places are, you know, have insurance, and so that’s, that’s not really an issue.

Robert Hanna  28:25  

Yeah, no, okay, well, that’s helpful to get some extra context and clarity around that. One thing I know you’re also Pro is assistive technology. And we’re all about tech on the show as well. And you’re passionate about exploring these options to help clients adjust to life changing industry injuries that you’ve obviously listed and mentioned, and mentioned previously. So can you tell us about some of the tech helping clients to adapt their life after injury?

Becca Horley  28:48  

Yeah, of course. So one of one of the areas that I work on is clients that have had amputations. So it might be amputation as a result of a delay in diagnosis of treatment. So I have a client, so we’re looking at different sort of aesthetics for legs. And it’s a really, really exciting advancement in technology, because, as I say, it’s that hope piece. It gives people hope. And you know, We’re looking now at different legs, which have, you know, a running leg, a high heel leg, a leg for day to day. What do you do when you don’t want to wear the leg? But also, as well, it’s learning about how to make these things comfortable, because we you know, it’s all about the function, so it’s all about giving people back. You know, you’re never going to replace the leg. You’re never going to be able to give someone the exact same experience they had before. But because technology is advancing so quickly, and it’s so exciting to see what’s out there. I just want to keep soaking up more and more information so that I’ve got the knowledge that I can say to my clients, and it gives them hope at the start. So you know, if we’re successful and we settle your claim, we can claim for a running leg for you, for a high heel for you. You can go out with your friends and you can it will look like you have a leg. And that’s. That’s the real things that people care about. You know, it’s going back to living their life as close to as possible, as to how it was before. And, yeah, I think, you know, if I was to, if I was to lose my leg, I would definitely be looking for a pink high heel prosthetic that would I’d be after that.

Robert Hanna  30:20  

Well, look, and we always talk about Tech for Good, and that’s a great way to boost confidence, make people feel included, get them back to, you know, the things that they enjoyed doing before. And like you say, it may not necessarily be a direct replacement, but it certainly enables them to get back and get busy living, as I said before. Okay, I want to talk about awards, because we touched on that on the intro and you mentioned before, but you have had a brilliant year because you were awarded solicitor of the year 2025 at the Birmingham Law Society awards and finalist for the upcoming 2025 great, greater Birmingham young professional of the Year awards. These are huge achievements. So what do they mean to you?

Becca Horley  30:55  

They mean a lot to me. Actually, I feel very, very proud. I’ve been on a really big sort of personal growth journey. And I’ve decided, you know, I want to use that for good. I want to share with other people what I’ve learned. Because if I can, you know, it’s been a it’s been a long few years for me, and if I can shortcut that at all for other people and give some advice, that means that, you know, they get to where, you know, where I now am in terms of happiness, quicker than that. That’s what I’d want. But yeah, no, I think winning solicitor of the year is a huge deal. It was a very competitive category, but I also won it at three years qualified, which was, it was a big surprise, but yeah, I’ve had, it’s the judges have had some really lovely comments, and they’ve really helped me. They’ve, you know, they’ve, they’ve said to me, you know, you know, it was clear, you know, from the confidence and the passion you had. And I’m so glad that that came across, because I really care about my job. I really care about making a change this profession. I want lawyers to look after themselves and be the best version of themselves, because that’s how we do the best at our job, and for that to be picked up by the judges and to win that award as, yeah, a real big career highlight.

Robert Hanna  32:06  

And I’m feeling that I always say, everything is energy and the passion just oozes out of you, in terms of the for the work that you do and for helping and uplifting others so absolutely well served and an incredible feat. Okay, one of the platforms I want to talk about now, which has changed my life and I’m forever grateful for, and I think people are still not using it to its best advantage, is LinkedIn. And you very much are using LinkedIn and a top legal LinkedIn influencer earlier in the year, yeah, it’s a hell of a mouthful, but how do you utilise LinkedIn yourself to share content on particularly prioritising wellness and advocating for yourself.

Becca Horley  32:44  

So I would say LinkedIn, for me is like a professional diary. It’s like my online CV. It’s how I showcase myself and my expertise to clients, to employers, to colleagues. It’s how I make an impact in my career and from a personal note, it’s I find it really it’s given me a voice to share all the things I’m passionate about. But also, as well, it means I’m bringing in business like a partner at three, four years qualified. And why wouldn’t we want to capture on the potential of the reach from LinkedIn by sharing things that we care about, and a lot of the things that I’m passionate about, I do a lot of mentoring with students across Birmingham universities, and I say to them, Look, you can you can add employers on LinkedIn. You can comment on things they post about. You can engage with it. And that’s an opportunity that 510, years ago, when it might have been starting out, but it wasn’t such a you can you can make a name for yourself before someone’s met you, but when you walk into a room, they go, Oh, you’re Becca, I’ve seen your posts on LinkedIn, and then you’ve already created a community before you’re in the room. And why wouldn’t we want to capitalise on that?

Robert Hanna  33:57  

Yeah, you’re talking my language, and I give lots of LinkedIn training and talk to people exactly. People exactly to that reason, because this is a 24/7 professional networking party that’s happening digitally every minute of every hour your CV is going around the world. It’s your advert to the world. And if you start chipping into that networking party by sharing content, putting things out there, engaging, meeting people, collaborating all of that good stuff, then great things are going to happen, and they’ve obviously happened for you. And I want to touch on a recent LinkedIn post you did, because you do advocate for professional empowerment and personal development, sharing a lot of your knowledge on LinkedIn in your recent LinkedIn posts you shared, I believe, what does empowering mean? Something that is empowering makes you more confident, makes you feel that you are in more in control of your life. So what would be a tip you would give to those to make themselves feel more empowered about the work they are doing?

Becca Horley  34:51  

So something that I hold as a real sort of life motto is keep the promises that you make to yourself. So whatever happens in life, whatever. Happens with your job. Things can happen outside of your control, but if you say to yourself, This is what I’m going to do, and I’m going to stick to the promises, yes, it boosts your self esteem, but it also commands respect from other people. I think because you are the person that does what they say they’re going to do, and I think there’s no better compliment than someone say, Oh, you’re reliable. Oh, you did what you said you were going to do. And whether that’s you know, future employers, clients, you built. You’re a reliable person, and if you can showcase that you are reliable through content on LinkedIn, I think it’s the best combination to really advocating for yourself.

Robert Hanna  35:36  

I love that. And you found your passion. I said in the post recently, if you find a passion, you’ll find a way to be consistent, and through consistency, you’ll build trust, and people will get to know you, and they’ll get to like you, and they’ll want to work with you, they want to support you, they want to lift you up, and you absolutely are exactly where you need to be and want to be. And it’s lovely to see. So just before we close, couple of final questions in terms of looking forwards, how do you see the future of medical negligence and serious injury developing in the coming years, in light of the tech revolution that we’re going through and changes in and around the world,

Becca Horley  36:09  

I think it’s really exciting. I think we can offer a lot more hope to our clients. I think the more technology is available, the more we can, you know, claim for things that are going to really make a tangible difference to our clients lives. And so I think that that’s really exciting in terms of the what you can claim for, but in terms of the way I work, I think the AI is going to revolutionise how we assess cases, how we assess risk of success. I think it’s going to revolutionise the way we review, for example, medical records. So I go through page by page, looking at people’s medical records. And there’s going to be technology that helps us do that in a way that’s more efficient, and so we can. And also that’s a point for the client excellence. Point is that if we can progress the cases faster, there’s going to be, you know, from our side, we can move forward faster, and hopefully on the defendant side, that means that they can move faster forward as well. And then there’s the that gap in waiting for compensation and for AIDS and assistance can get shorter, and that’s the goal. But also as well, with patient safety, we can have a look, we can assess all the cases. You know, for example, nhsr could have a look at all the cases that year that have been brought to them. They could use AI to be like, Look, these are the main areas where patient safety needs to be improved. Then get suggestions for training and support in those places, and then Patient Safety improves. The main goal, whatever side that you work on in this area of law, is to improve patient safety. It’s one shared goal, and I really do believe that technology can help us achieve that.

Robert Hanna  37:40  

absolutely and it sounds very, very exciting, and you have a growth mindset and an adoption mindset, and I think that’s really important as well. Okay. Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring solicitors who want to follow a similar path to yours, qualifying into medical negligence?

Becca Horley  37:57  

The main thing I would say to them is make a plan and stick to it. And it’s the same point as to keeping the promises you make to yourself. You know, make a plan. Start engaging with people that you find interesting, that you find aspirational, the people that I so the first ever talk that I went to about medical nations, they are now my colleagues. I put myself in the room with them because I wanted to, and I think it’s as clear out. I’m really into manifesting visualisation, because it works if you believe in yourself, and you believe in your plan, and you just take one step forward every single day towards that there’s actually no way that you can’t achieve it. And I think that we need to have that attitude. So I, you know, I say to the students that I mentor make a plan, stick to it, and if you can see yourself achieving it, then you absolutely will.

Robert Hanna  38:47  

I love that. And I remember when I set up my legal recruiting business, way back when I wrote on a piece of paper BTA, believe to achieve no matter what like, whatever it takes, like, I’ll make it happen. I’ve always had that mindset, and like you say, you just keep taking one step at a time to deliver on. It doesn’t need to be progress at lightning speed. As long as you’re going in that direction and taking those steps, you’ll get there. And this has been an absolute masterclass. Becca really enjoyed learning more about your your career and the work that you’re doing. And you know, being a modding leader, professional, as I mentioned, off air, I think you’re absolutely that and doing fantastic things. So if our listeners want to follow you or learn more about your career. Where can they go to find out more theory to share any websites or any social media handles, we’ll also share them with this very special episode for you too.

Becca Horley  39:29  

Oh, thank you. So yes, on LinkedIn, it’s Becca Horley. And then I also, I have an Instagram page called Life of Becca. And that’s more of a sort of that’s more of a diary for me, and I actually set up that Instagram page a few years ago when I wanted to basically make the most out of my life and have memories to look back on. And so it includes personal parts of my life too, but it also has a lot of career highlights and mindset content at. Well, so yeah, so life of Becca on Instagram and Becca Horley on LinkedIn. 

Robert Hanna  40:05  

There we have it, and there are lots of highlights, and there’ll be many more highlights and awards coming your way. We have absolutely no doubt. So thank you ever so much, Becca for joining me on the legally speaking podcast sponsored by Clio. It’s been an absolute blast, but from all of us for now, wishing you lots of continued success with your career and future pursuits over and out. Thank you for listening to this week’s episode. If you like the content here, why not check out our world leading content and Collaboration Hub, the legally speaking club, over on Discord. Go to our website, www.legallyspeakingpodcast.com, for the link to join our community there, over and out.