Celebrating 18 Years: Staff Highlights Reel

As Serve Legal proudly marks its 18th anniversary this June, we take this opportunity to reflect on the incredible journey that has shaped our company into the market leader we are today. A journey which would not be the same without our incredibly dedicated and hard working staff. Over nearly two decades, our staff have been at the heart of our success, contributing to a dedicated culture of excellence and growth. In this piece, we celebrate admirable career development and 'best moments' of our staff, highlighting their stories and achievements that have defined Serve Legal's journey.

In 2006, Serve Legal was founded by Ed Heaver and Julian Sargeson - build to fix a problem they had encounted in their other businesses. Find out more about the start of Serve Legal here.

My name is Matt Eastwood, I’m the Commercial Manager at Serve Legal. 

My Journey: New Business > Client Manager > Commercial Manager and SMT > Commercial and Client Manager

My Highlight: Meeting to brief c70 auditors at Manchester Piccadilly Station to successfully audit c.500 pubs in 90 minutes, for an important trial for a new client that led to a + million-pound relationship. Also watching Ed celebrating a Man City goal in an edgy backstreet pub full of Man Utd fans!

Hi, my name is Charlotte and I am currently one of the Special Projects Managers for Serve Legal.

Hi, I am Hannah. My role is currently the HR Manager.

My Journey: I started as an auditor in 2013 and joined the internal team in 2015. During my time internally I have done the following roles within the business: Media Compliance AC > Assistant AC Midlands > Area Manager > Project Manager > Media Compliance Area Manager > Regional Manager > Senior Regional Manager > HR Manager.

My Highlight: All the team socials over the years have been fun and a great way to spend time with people you don’t get to see daily! If I were to pick one – I would say the highlights must be the 10^th anniversary party weekend, there are too many funny moments from that weekend to mention and it was also my second week full-time in the business.

I’m Alex and I’m a Senior Regional Manager for Serve Legal, managing all of our in-person age-restricted audits.

My Journey: Auditor > Area Manager > Regional Manager > Senior Regional Manager

My Highlight: The first staff social I went to, where I met many of my former Area Managers when I was an auditor and felt so welcomed into the team. Then growing with the company and becoming friends with the people I work with where I’ve been to their weddings, and often meet up with them outside of work. Creating a small community within the company.

Hi, my name is Ela and I am the Finance Manager for Serve Legal.

My Journey: Accounts Assistant > Accounts & Data Assistant > Management Accountant > Finance Manager. I joined the Serve Legal team in February 2015, initially as a part-timer and over time I have increased my hours and range of responsibilities.

My Highlight: (I just come back to this moment very often) It was my interview day, it was cold, and I was lost in Vauxhall. I wanted to look nice and professional, so at the corner of Rita Road (old office) changed my trainers to heels. A person with great big smile opened the doors and welcomed me in. I was way too early too. I was sat on the pink sofa and one of the Directors, Julian Sargeson, introduced the team to me to kill time. He said the man with the pen behind his ear is Matthew Houliston (Senior Data & Systems Manager), but everyone calls him Houli here. That two tall guys on the other side of the office – Ed Heaver (Director & CEO) and Matt Eastwood (Client & Commercial Manager) will look after tiny baby boy of my ‘to-be’ manager, Helen Wayman, who popped to the office just for the interviews. That’s how it started and it just felt right. Since then, I have worked with amazing and very inspirational colleagues. I’ve learned heaps from them! 

Hi, I'm Ali Deering, Senior Client Manager and Sales Executive

My Journey: Auditor > Media Compliance Assistant Coordinator > Client and Sales Executive > Senior Client Manager and Sales Executive

My Highlight: As an auditor at University in Edinburgh, I was often given plenty of audits for a local client and would come home from a day’s work with a bag full of Strongbow cans (even though now I can’t stand the stuff!). I now manage the same client's account on a day to day basis and attend client meetings at their head office in Edinburgh, which has been and continues to be a really enjoyable full circle moment for me!

Hi, my name is Lewis and I am a Senior Area Manager here at Serve Legal.

My Journey: Auditor > Area Manager > Senior Area Manager
I joined the team as an auditor back in 2018, and then became Area Manager shortly after finishing university. I then began to work with Alex organising the Weekend Team, before leading this team part-way through 2023. I was then promoted to Senior Area Manager at the start of the year.

My Highlight: My favourite memory of my time so far at Serve Legal would have to be the latest Auditor Social I held in Cardiff earlier this year. I love meeting some of my auditors in person, it can very rewarding to repay the efforts that my auditors put in, and get the chance to meet them after spending so much time working with them through calls and messages. This time around in-particular was extra special, as I was finally able to meet one of my busiest auditors, and the 2023 Auditor of the Year, Josh.

Hi, my name is Andrew, I am a Senior Area Manager for the South East and South London areas at Serve Legal.

My Journey: Auditor > Media Compliance Assistant Co-ordinator > Weekend Approver > Weekend Supervisor > Area Manager > Senior Area Manager

My Highlight: Working across the company in varied roles and climbing the ranks from an auditor has been an amazing experience and an opportunity to not only work around my studies in Business Management, but to also have the opportunity to put this into practice within operations. Going into the London office for my induction at my very first full-time job and seeing my face already on the wall in the Auditor ‘Hall of Fame’ was a surreal experience!

Hey, I’m Izzy and I’m the North England Area Manager.

My Journey: I started as an auditor in 2019 a couple of months before my 18^th birthday.  From there, I spent two years running around London, York, and a bunch of places in-between!  Once turning 20, I was asked to interview for an Assistant Co-ordinator role whereby I offered weekday support to Area Managers, before helping to trial the Weekend Operations Assistant role.  After graduating from uni, I became the North East Area Manager in July 2022.  Soon after, the North East and half the North West patches merged to lead me to the current position of North England Area Manager.

My Highlight: The culture of Serve Legal has always been a fun, welcoming environment, and this is only highlighted in the numerous staff socials and ‘working hubs’!  Whenever there’s an opportunity for us to come together outside the office, be it to make use of the wellbeing contribution for staff randomly meeting up, or the more formal company-wide plans, the internal team never hesitate to make the most of it.  This has been such a fantastic bridge between working remotely but still having genuine connections with each other in a way that most fully remote roles don’t allow for.

Hi, my name is Catriona and I am the current Marketing Executive for Serve Legal.

Hi my name is Maisie and I am a Trainee Area Manager.

Hi, my name is Pablo and I am an Operations Assistant and auditor at Serve Legal.

My Journey: Auditor> Weekend Operations Assistant> Area Manager> Operations Assistant

My Highlight: I joined Serve Legal at the start of 2023 and began auditing loads while doing my A-Levels. In the summer I applied for a weekends operations assistant role and did this for a few months. I then was given the opportunity to become an Area Manager and had my own patch for a few months. I then reduced my hours down to an operations assistant and have been running a new project alongside providing cover. I’ve also continued doing many audits throughout! Jumping into managing a patch after only having worked internally for a couple months came with a lot of pressure, but I thoroughly enjoyed every moment! Was great to connect with auditors and get to know them, as well as using my own methods to manage a patch!

My name is Sophie and I am a Operations Assistant here at Serve Legal! I currently run the Home Deliveries.

My Journey: I joined the Serve Legal team back in 2023 as an auditor but then joined the internal team in February 2024!

My Highlight: Although I haven’t been here long I have a lot of memories already! One being the April 2024 staff social where we went E-Karting in London or another was an auditor social I attended, before joining the internal team, earlier this year in Resorts World Birmingham which was a great way to engage with other auditors and put faces to the names of some of the lovely internal staff!