Bettina, a fluent German speaker, has a wealth of experience in general commercial litigation with particular emphasis on contractual, commercial, partnership/shareholder and employment disputes and professional negligence having specialised in this area for over 23 years.
Her clients have described her as “friendly, approachable and very clear thinking”. “Thank you for all the support and clear guidance you have given through a hard fought battle. Your clear and well thought through advice and commercial guidance helped us reach the right decisions. Thank you” fed back one client.
Bettina’s most notable case involved a longstanding possession case which lasted a number of years. During those years the law changed twice, starting out in favour of the client, then against, and then back in favour. At trial the judge commended Hart Brown on the way they had conducted a very difficult case and that the satisfactory outcome achieved was undoubtedly as a result of their efforts.
Bettina joined Hart Brown as a trainee in 1985, qualifying in 1987 and becoming a partner in 1989. She became joint managing partner in 2000 and sole managing partner in 2006. She was voted in as sole managing partner for a further term in 2010.
As managing partner she has seen the firm through the latest economic downturn and her excellent management skills and leadership not only avoided having to make any redundancies but also won her the prestigious LawNet Managing Partner of the Year award 2009/2010.
She has been key in steering the firm forward with a new office opening in Wimbledon in 2008 and a rebrand in 2010. Her leadership skills have led to her appointment as Women’s Enterprise Ambassador by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) where she joins a network of 100 individuals across the south east who have been recruited as role-models for women promoting the benefits of being in business. The south east network forms part of a nationwide initiative featuring more than 1000 women entrepreneurs.
She says “I am delighted to say that, having come through the credit crunch recession without making any redundancies, Hart Brown is well placed to take on the emerging competition. We will continue to provide our high quality service to our many longstanding clients and new clients alike. We are looking forward to building on our growing reputation and, fairly soon, to our second century in business.”
No stranger to media Bettina has contributed to the Surrey Advertiser and appeared on the BBC and local radio as a “legal eagle” responding to listeners’ questions. She also gives talks on running a business for the benefit of the legal profession.
Bettina recently took part in a Lexis Nexis webinar entitled "Running a sucessful Law firm". She has received excellent feedback on this including:
‘Useful in confirming a lot of issues. V interesting to hear from two other women Managing Partners.’
‘Very helpful and very clear and presented in an easy understandable manner. First Class.’
‘It is a useful way to stimulate thought on leadership and management issues. The speakers were at their best when referring to specific examples from their own experience. The discussion was well Chaired.’
Read more about the webinar here