In this edition of ‘Realm talks to…’ we spoke with Elaine Roche who has recently joined Kuits as a partner in their Tax and Estate Planning team. During our conversation, Elaine told us how she’s been dealing with lockdown, why she’s excited about her new position at Kuits and how she’d spend her perfect day off.
These are strange times that we live in and it would feel unnatural to ignore that – How are you? What have you been doing to maintain your wellbeing through lockdown?
They are strange times indeed! I have a 4 and an 8–year–old at home and both my husband and I are working full time from home, so there have been stressful moments. Thankfully we have a garden so we’ve been having lots of time outdoors and I escape on my bike whenever I get the chance.
You’ve just moved roles, having spent over 11 years at JMW – it must have been difficult to leave?
It was difficult to leave, especially in the current times as I wasn’t able to properly say goodbye to people I’ve known for over a decade. Even those I did see face to face I wasn’t able to hug or even shake hands with. But we’ve all agreed that we will be meeting up once the bars are open again.
But you must be excited about the next chapter of your career with Kuits?
I am really excited about the next chapter. The Tax team at Kuits has such a wealth of experience and the firm puts an emphasis on working collaboratively with all departments, so I’m already involved with some of the other teams despite working remotely.
What’s your favourite part of your job?
I love working alongside families to put the legal structure around the plans they have for their future. Often, when I first meet a family they are worried and confused as they know they need to do something but they don’t know what or how. It’s great that by the end of a matter, I’ve been able to reassure them and explain often complex structures in simple terms and put things in place so they know that what they want to happen to their estate will happen.
Did you have a plan B, or were you always dead set on becoming a lawyer?
I wanted to be a lawyer since I was about 7 or 8 – ever since I saw Perry Mason on TV (showing my age). In sixth form, a family friend advised me against the law as he said that it was very difficult to get a training contract, so I briefly toyed with accountancy, before deciding that I definitely wanted to do law so would just have to work hard enough to get a training contract. I started my training contract wanting to be a corporate lawyer, but after having my first seat in private client, I knew that I wanted to become a private client lawyer and ended up giving up a chance for a corporate seat to do a second seat in private client.
What would your ideal three-course meal consist of?
I love food, and whilst I’m not great in the kitchen, my husband is an amazing cook. I bought him a pasta maker for Christmas so during Lockdown we’ve been having homemade pasta, which is amazing! Probably my favourite meal would be mozzarella, basil and tomato salad to start, followed by chilli prawn linguine and to finish an ice cream sundae
What would your perfect day look like?
I’d start with a long bike ride with a decent coffee and cake stop. The afternoon would be spent reading the weekend paper and doing the puzzles (ideally by an open fire in a cosy pub) and then a glass or two of fizz in a hot tub followed by a great dinner.
About Elaine Roche
Elaine is a Tax and Estate Planning Partner at Kuits in Manchester. She has extensive experience working alongside families to structure their business and personal affairs.
As well as advising on wills and tax structuring, Elaine advises families in relation to trust and estate administration, charity creation and registration and Lasting Powers of Attorney.
Elaine is a board director of Solicitors for the Elderly, a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and the Private Client Section of the Law Society.
