From Sub36 award winner to legal leader

For Hannah Hughes, Sub36 winner and partner at Preston legal firm Harrison Drury, the journey into law didn’t begin with grand plans or a strategic career map.

Instead, as she explains, ‘It started as a passion,’ and taking inspiration from seeing the legal profession on the big screen.

Those films included the comedy Legally Blonde, starring Reese Witherspoon as an
aspiring lawyer. “I’m not blonde, but I do have a dog,” she jokes.

Helping people has always part of her makeup and Hannah was torn between charity work and practising law.

She had imagined herself working in children’s law, believing it would be rewarding and a chance to ‘give something back’.

However, the now 37-year-old’s career path went on a totally different trajectory.

She explains: “I ended up in property, just because that’s where the work was, but I was also a counsellor for ChildLine on the side as a volunteer.

“That was kind of my balance between law and being interested in helping the community.”

It was this blend of compassion, drive and leadership that led her to the ‘Young Lancastrian of the Year’ title at the Lancashire Business View Sub36 Awards in 2017 – a milestone that changed far more than she expected.

At the time, she was still finding her feet in a bigger law practice.

She says: “I was still very junior and I’d come from a very small law firm into Harrison Drury and it was a leap for me.”

Hannah says the experience of entering the Sub36 awards pushed her out of her comfort zone and strengthened her professionally.

She says: “Apart from swimming awards when I was 10, trophies were not on my agenda.

“It did come as a surprise to me and I’d never really sat in front of a panel and really explained who I was, what my drive was and what I did.”

She adds that the preparation around that helped her communication skills, something she has built on since as part of her professional development.

And looking back at her award success, she adds: “I didn’t expect to win but the recognition was lovely.”

The awards evening still holds a special place in her memory especially winning in her hometown of Blackpool.

And beyond the trophy, Hannah says that the recognition also gave her a network and a platform to develop personally.

She says: “The people that I met then are now managers, they own companies, they are directors. We’ve come through the ranks together and we still share those experiences.”

As her profile grew, so did her confidence.

“It helped people get to know me. It gave me some confidence going into networking settings because it was something to talk about.”

Away from work, life is full with her two daughters, Annie and Grace, and family dog Otto. “They definitely are full time,” she smiles.

Her advice for today’s Sub36 cohort is rooted in her own lived experience.

She says: “Believe in yourself and find the opportunity to take yourself out of your comfort zone because that’s what makes you stronger.”

Today, she is an equity partner at Harrison Drury, head of its commercial property team, and plays a key role, heading up the firm’s growing property and construction division.

It’s a role she relishes.

She says: “It is a people-involved post and that is what I enjoy most about my role and it has become a focus in the past two or three years.”

The future is about balance and shaping the next generation at Harrison Drury. Hannah says: “A big part of what I enjoy is seeing people develop."