Jonathan Wagstaff

What is your role with Systech and where are you based?

Since 2023, I have been the Senior Practice Manager for Systech Law and for Expert Witness Services. My role is to ensure that the administration, compliance and business development functions of these parts of the business are globally aligned, and that our personnel find the right opportunities to work on rewarding and interesting projects which suit their skills.

Have you worked for Systech in different regions? How was the relocation process?

I am part of our UK team. However, Systech has given me the opportunity to travel for business purposes - including last year to Tokyo, where I met some of our fantastic personnel and clients based there. I also lent support to Tom Allen, Shingo Ohno and Rebecca Redhead (all Systech) and Simon Hargreaves KC and Vince Moran KC (both of Keating Chambers) as they delivered a seminar. When in the UK, I work from a mix of my home in Bristol and our office in London, which gives me a platform from which to attend events and meet people across the industry in both cities and beyond.

What is your typical day?

Lots of meetings! It’s important to draw and collate information from across the business about profiles, availability and financials, and this most often happens on calls with various colleagues around the world. Other than that, I might be drafting copy for marketing materials, registering regulatory information, co-ordinating or attending events, liaising with our recruitment team, and anything else that’s asked of me.

What are the interesting aspects of your work?

Before working for Systech, I had only ever worked for barristers’ Chambers, across a variety of areas of law. They are fantastic places to work, and Systech is a great fit for me because it has a lot of the same requirements from its people – for example, the combination of the lawyers, at various stages in their careers, and the back-office team providing business development, administration and finance support. Transitioning from one environment to the other, with different business and regulatory demands, has been really fascinating

What words of advice would you offer someone who is thinking of working for Systech?

I would say to them that Systech is a unique place to work, providing significantly more flexibility than other similar businesses, and offering great opportunities to work internationally on some really engaging commissions. People often find it resembles something of a mix of the cultures of in-house legal and private practice. At the junior end of the business, there are opportunities to work abroad which would otherwise be very hard to come by. At the senior end of the business, there’s the prospect of leading multi-disciplinary teams on major commissions.

How is the support from the senior managers and other members of your team?

I work closely with the heads of Systech Law and Expert Witness Services, as well as with the owners of the business. Their support and advice is invaluable. I’m also very grateful to the admin and finance staff here in the UK, who are prompt, proactive and helpful.

What are the challenges?

Working mostly remotely has many positives, but it is also important to take opportunities to work alongside others when they arise. Working from home is great for getting your head down over some data or drafting, but more collaborative tasks are better done in-person. I go into our office as often as I can, and now that we’re both based in Bristol I often meet with Tom Allen, our Global Managing Partner.

What training and support does Systech provide?

On the legal side of things, there’s been the interesting development of the introduction of the SQE route to qualification as a solicitor in England and Wales, which is steadily replacing the older ‘LPC route’ which culminated in a training contract. This allows Paralegals to accrue qualifying experience while working ‘on the job’. Without the formal training contract structure, there’s a greater need internally to ensure that the traditional knowledge and skills of a UK construction lawyer are acquired through that period, and so we’re working on a more formal and regular training schedule that will cover much of that information – especially focussing on aspects that might not crop up in the day-to-day course of working on a project.

What is the culture like?

There have been some great parties here since I joined! The construction industry is great for this sort of thing, with quite a few industry organisations putting on events throughout the year, and Systech is proactive too – Christmas parties and Summer drinks, and networking at sports events. Working largely remotely, we need to plan ahead, but there are plenty of opportunities to meet colleagues and speak over lunch or a drink.

How has working for Systech helped you achieve your career goals?

It was a step up in seniority when I made the move to Systech, and I now find myself working independently more often. This is significant as the successes, as well as the trials and tribulations, of everyday work are felt more emphatically with more responsibility falling on one’s shoulders. I would definitely recommend Systech to others as a place where there are opportunities to excel.

What has been your greatest achievement working for Systech?

Learning to adjust to home working! I’d done it as a temporary measure during the pandemic, but otherwise I’d always worked five days a week from an office.

Tell us about a key lesson you have learned

Construction disputes vary hugely worldwide – it’s important not to be too focussed on how a dispute might unfold in the UK. Clients around the world will have different expectations for how their teams will work together, and what the ideal results will be, and it’s important to remain flexible so you can help them meet those targets.