Personal profiles, professional insights: Matthew Bartlett

What attracted you to restructuring and insolvency?

Matthew only began gaining direct insolvency experience during the final seat of his training contract. Before then, it had not been an obvious career destination. However, his previous experience, including working as a commercial property paralegal and completing seats in complementary areas, provided a valuable foundation when he began encountering the varied issues arising in insolvency matters.

Once he started working in the specialism, everything began to come together.

The opportunity to make a visible difference proved particularly rewarding. During his final seat, Matthew helped clients pursue misfeasance and breach of duty claims against former directors with a robust letter before action. The work helped to encourage settlement discussions and ultimately resulted in an outcome with which the clients were very pleased. It was an experience that helped confirm that he could see himself practising in the area over the long term.

“That was a point where I thought, ‘This is really rewarding work, and I can see myself doing this long term.’”

What do you enjoy most about your work?

For Matthew, one of the greatest attractions of Insolvency and Business Support is its variety.

“One day I might be advising on a contentious matter, and the next I’m working on a transactional or advisory issue. Insolvency law touches so many different areas that the work is constantly changing, which keeps things interesting.”

It is also a technically demanding and highly collaborative field. Asked to describe the qualities that are important within the sector, he chooses “personable”, “detail-orientated” and “technical”. The law can involve several parallel statutes and complex issues, but the insolvency community itself is social and welcoming.

That combination gives Matthew plenty of scope to develop both his technical expertise and his professional network. He sees attending industry events, building relationships and maintaining visibility as important priorities during the next stage of his career.

“It’s about building my personal brand and getting known in the industry. One of the best ways to do that is to keep turning up and getting to know people.”

What does being a trusted pair of hands mean to you?

Matthew wants to become somebody whom colleagues and clients can rely upon. For him, that starts with clear and consistent communication.

“You need to make sure the clients and colleagues you’re working with know what you’re doing, what you’re working on and what is needed. You have to keep them updated so that they’re not left wondering what is happening.”

He believes transparency is particularly important when building client relationships. Clients value practical advice and regular updates, including at times when there has not been a major development. Communicating consistently helps create trust and allows a lawyer to become a familiar, reliable point of contact.

Qualification has brought an increased level of responsibility, something that has both surprised and motivated him.

What has been your proudest career moment so far?

There is no hesitation when Matthew identifies his proudest professional achievement: being retained by Blake Morgan following his training contract.

The newly qualified process brought uncertainty and pressure, so learning that he would be able to continue his career at the firm was both a relief and a source of considerable pride. He celebrated by opening a bottle of champagne with his wife.

“I was really keen to continue my career here because I’ve enjoyed working with the team and had fantastic support throughout my training contract. Securing an NQ role felt like the culmination of a lot of hard work.”

Matthew was first encouraged to apply to Blake Morgan by his mother, who works in the firm’s property team. Having worked at several law firms during her career, she spoke highly of both the quality of Blake Morgan’s lawyers and the kindness of its people. Nearly three years after joining, Matthew says that description has proved accurate.

What did you learn from your training contract?

Rather than identifying one seat as the most valuable, Matthew believes each taught him something different. Across his training contract, he developed technical legal knowledge, client-management skills and greater commercial awareness. Even the seats that he did not ultimately choose offered lessons and transferable experience that he continues to use as a newly qualified lawyer.

His advice to trainees is to approach every rotation with curiosity and a positive attitude.

He also encourages aspiring lawyers to study the everyday reality of a specialism, rather than focusing exclusively on its highest-profile matters. One particularly useful piece of advice came from his wife: look at what your supervisor does from day to day and ask whether that is the type of work you can imagine yourself doing in the future.

“Pay attention to what your supervisor actually does. That is probably the clearest window into what your own career might look like.”

What makes you tick outside work?

Exercise plays an important part in helping Matthew switch off and manage the demands of legal practice. Running is currently a particular focus, although football and the gym have long been part of his routine. He runs with his wife and brothers and also plays for Blake Morgan’s five-a-side football team.

He is the first to play down his running ability, but the activity reflects an attitude that serves him well professionally.

Having previously completed a half marathon and taken part in an annual 80-kilometre school walk while growing up in South Africa, he has a full marathon on his bucket list. A triathlon may also be a possibility, particularly if encouragement and some friendly competition from his brothers have any influence.

When he is not working or exercising, colleagues may be surprised to find him immersed in a fantasy series. He enjoys books by Brandon Sanderson but was reading The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher at the time of the interview, describing fantasy fiction as an enjoyable way to switch off.

What is the best advice you have received?

The principle that resonates most strongly with Matthew is that daily consistency is more valuable than occasional bursts of motivation.

“Progress rarely comes from one big effort. It comes from doing the right things repeatedly over time, even on the days when you don’t particularly feel like it.”

He likens it to the compound interest of work: modest efforts, repeated consistently, creating meaningful progress over time. It is a philosophy that connects the different strands of his story, from studying law and completing his training contract to developing client relationships and continuing to put one foot in front of the other on a long run.

For those beginning their own legal careers, his message is equally practical: do not expect to have every answer immediately. Try to work through an issue first, remain curious and then ask informed questions of the people around you.

What are you looking forward to next?

As he settles into qualified life, Matthew is excited to deepen his technical knowledge of insolvency law, build stronger relationships across the industry and take on increasing responsibility.

“Ultimately, I want to become someone colleagues and clients can rely on as a trusted pair of hands.”

And if the law had not worked out? Growing up in South Africa, his first choice would have been captaining the Springboks, although he readily admits that the realism of that particular ambition is open to debate. A career as an author might be the more achievable alternative, combining his love of reading with a long-standing interest in writing.

Whichever challenge comes next, his approach is unlikely to change: stay curious, keep communicating and continue showing up.