Meet the board- Jennifer Smith – Forbes Solicitors

Introduce yourself

Hello! I’m Jen and I am a very happy Partner at Forbes Solicitors. I head up the employment team in the Manchester office. We work with start ups, SMEs and PLCs, supporting them with any employment law issues they encounter. No two days are the same in my job and I absolutely love the variety that it brings.

Career highlight – on the claimant side, securing an award of £193,000 for a claimant in an unfair dismissal; sex and disability discrimination case. On the respondent side, winning a 3 day tribunal case in October 2023, for a recruitment company that had been targeted by a serial litigant in person. The judge quoted the strategy that I had essentially created and advised my client to follow, a good 6 months before litigation commenced and this was repeated in the judgment. I was very proud that my pre litigation strategy for the client was clearly correct.

Personally, leading JCI Manchester in 2013 as President was a huge highlight, after serving as a charity director for 2 years. My year as president kick-started my long and amazing association with pro-manchester.

Name three words that describe your personality

This is a tough one! I’ll go with optimistic, authentic and enthusiastic! Although I probably don’t exude those words when I am in parenting mode 😉.

Why did you decide that you wanted to be part of the pro-manchester board

Ahh an easy one to answer! I have been a member of pro-manchester for nearly 15 years now and have served on various committees. The organisation has helped shape me and has contributed significantly to my personal development. When the opportunity to join the board came up and help contribute to the strategy of the business, I jumped at the chance. Sam Booth is an incredible asset to the organisation and moreover, Manchester itself – who wouldn’t want to support this organisation!?

What’s the best thing about pro-manchester – the people, both in terms of the Board members and its actual members and second to that, it has got to be the diverse events program. The teams produces a wide-ranging calendar program that tackles important topics within the business community. To steal a phrase from my fellow board member Nick Rose: nobody does events like pro-manchester!

What more would you like to see from pro-manchester this year. To continue to evolve at pace to best serve the members.

What are your priorities for 2024.

This one is simple, to move more. As a mum of a 1 year old and a 5 year old who like to be carried everywhere, ideally on shoulders, I am kept very active! However, I noticed that I was struggling to keep up and I was starting to feel aches and pains from a desk job that has involved sitting down 5 days a week, for nearly 20 years! I set myself a target to move more at the start of the year. No silly, unachievable targets (which I have definitely been guilty of setting in the past), I just downloaded the couch to 5k app in January and started strength training. I have now progressed to training towards a 10k and I can easily pick up my very heavy toddler and pop him over my head and on my shoulders. That beats any gym based PB for me.

Favourite quote or saying. To whittle this down to one, is impossible for an English literature graduate! There are too many! I do regularly say to me team though, particularly given the stressful litigation area that we work in to “keep your own counsel” and “kill them with kindness”.

Favourite meeting place in Manchester – Ezra & Gil or Gail’s for a coffee. Too many to name when it comes to wine!