CAROLINE JANE EVANS
Kirkby-in-Furness,Cumbria
Summary
Dedicated Legal Professional experienced in managing high-volume client caseloads and delivering positive client outcomes. Achieved success through strong command of legal jargon, expertise in negotiation tactics, and rigorous case management. Focused on leveraging core competencies to drive exceptional results in legal field.
Overview
42
42
years of professional experience
11
11
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work history
Holiday Home Owner & Manager/Housekeeper
Holiday Home
2021.01 - 2026.06
- We commissioned a Shepherd’s Hut to be built and this is sited in the grounds of the house. It is rented out via Sykes Holidays as a self-contained holiday home. We average 47 bookings per year. I clean and prepare the shepherd’s hut for the guests and welcome them to it and deal with any queries they may have. I also deal with private bookings for the hut and annually organise the gas and electrical safety checks and the public liability insurance.
Self Employed Caterer
Tea Rooms and Café
2016.01 - 2026.06
- Restructured part of house, completed Food Hygiene Course, and wrote Health and Safety Policy for business, achieving five-star Food Hygiene Rating from Local Authority. Started business, handling cooking, baking, and front of house duties, gaining strong customer following. Expanded into outside catering, supplying dinner party food for home preparation and hosting wedding receptions, birthday parties, private functions, and funeral teas.
- We are now still operating the takeaway business (we supply the local Nursing Home with food on a weekly basis) and we have also re-opened the café and tea rooms as well as using our garden for seating. We have also prepared and served Christmas Day Lunch for the last six years for groups of up to twenty-eight people.
- When COVID intervened, we had to close down the tearooms and operate a takeaway service from a unit we built in the annexe to the house. This proved very popular indeed with walkers, cyclists etc.
- Created a tea room and café at home that served as a community space following my departure from the legal profession.
Locum Property Lawyer
Milne Moser
Kendal, Cumbria
2025.01 - 2025.02
- Maintained up-to-date knowledge of legislative changes; applied insights proactively in practice areas.
- Conducted thorough title searches to secure successful property acquisitions.
- Negotiated fair settlement terms in boundary disputes for harmonious neighbourhood relationships.
- Drafted detailed contracts for sale, facilitating smooth transaction completion.
- Advised clients on zoning regulations with clarity and precision.
- Handled sensitive inheritance disputes tactfully to maintain family harmony.
- Managed due diligence process with attention to detail and accuracy.
- Enhanced client understanding of property law by delivering personalised consultations.
- Achieved reduced risk in complex transactions by meticulous document review.
- Prepared reports on findings from land registrations investigations, aiding informed decision-making processes.
- Offered helpful, informative legal advice to clients, colleagues and external practitioners.
- Managed and oversaw paralegals and legal assistants.
- Delivered initial legal advice to help clients recognise appropriate case pathways.
- Liaised with legal colleagues to identify required work, delegate tasks and speed up case progress.
- Educated legal colleagues on best practices to uphold company standards.
- Monitored legal changes and developments for sound client advice.
- Reviewed relevant deeds and land records to ensure clear title acquisition.
- Supervised junior law professionals in establishing client caseloads.
- Managed property sales transactions according to legal requirements.
Property Lawyer & Partner
Ulverston Property Lawyers
Ulverston
2010.01 - 2016.01
- We specialised in conveyancing, contracts for the sale and purchase of land, remortgages and boundary disputes and initially employed one secretary and then two. We rented an office in Ulverston for a short time and then worked from home.
- My husband and I moved back into legal practice, practising together as Ulverston Property Lawyers.
Proprietor and Manager
Riding School and Equestrian Centre
2007.01 - 2010.01
- This involved much building work and the management of contractors on site to achieve the opening of the Centre within a designated timescale. Safety standards for prospective horse-riding Clients had to be paramount and I prepared their Livery Contracts and drafted and implemented the safety procedures handbook. We also created twenty individual stables and had livery Clients renting each one for their horse. I took charge of this area of the business and managed their Livery Agreements as well as their monthly bills and the physical side of business, the mucking out of stables each day. We also hosted birthday pony parties for children and set up our own Pony Club which met once a week and encouraged the children/teenagers to work for BHS Certificates in horse care. We were assisted with this by a freelance riding instructor.
- I met my future husband, who is also a Solicitor, and we decided to have a radical career change. We had just bought a large property (our current house) with land and outbuildings and decided to create a Riding School and Equestrian Centre.
Property Lawyer/Licensed Conveyancer
Poole Townsend, Solicitors
Barrow-in-Furness
2001.01 - 2007.01
- Led management of Ulverston Branch for combined legal work and estate agency, cultivating new relationships and maintaining team cohesion; chaired weekly meetings with Conveyancing and Estate Agency Departments to align goals and operations.
- Managed two secretaries and leveraged existing contacts from Denby and Co while handling referrals from PT’s Estate Agency Department; negotiated contracts with local financial advisers.
- From Denby and Co, I moved on to Poole Townsend, Solicitors, (“PT”) in 2001, initially based in their Barrow-in-Furness office to replace their Conveyancing Partner.
Property Lawyer/Licensed Conveyancer
Denby and Co, Solicitors
Ulverston
1999.01 - 2001.01
- I had a secretary of my own to assist me and my case load widened to include dealing with contentious boundary disputes as well as routine conveyancing matters. I was tasked with bringing more work into the Ulverston office and I succeeded in establishing contacts and obtaining work from several local Mortgage and Financial Advisers as well as securing a significant contract with the local branch of TSB Bank. At one point I was handling over thirty remortgage transactions a month.
- I joined Denby and Co, Solicitors in Ulverston in 1999 shortly after qualifying.
Conveyancing Assistant
Livingstons, Solicitors
Ulverston
1993.01 - 1999.01
- I gained much more knowledge and experience of complex “rural” conveyancing and drafting Contracts for the sale of rural properties. It was at this point, whilst also working full time, that I embarked on the CLC Distance Learning Course attached to Manchester University to qualify as a Licensed Conveyancer/Property Lawyer.
- I left Townsends in 1993 and joined Livingstons, Solicitors in Ulverston as a Conveyancing Assistant.
Secretary
Townsends, Solicitors
Barrow-in-Furness
1984.01 - 1992.01
- Supported Conveyancing Partner until 1992, then managed own caseload of conveyancing transactions as Conveyancing Assistant/Fee Earner.
- Completed series of short-term secretarial roles through Simmonds Employment Agency, culminating in full-time position at Townsends, Solicitors, Barrow-in-Furness.
Education
Thorncliffe Comprehensive School
Barrow-in-Furness 1977.01 - 1982.01
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Barrow-in-Furness Sixth Form College
Barrow-in-Furness 1982.01 - 1984.01
Licensed Conveyancer - Conveyancing Law & Practice, Landlord & Tenant and Solicitors' Accounts
Manchester University
Manchester 1995.01 - 1999.01
Skills
- Client coordination
- Exceptional client care
- Attention to Detail
- Negotiation tactics
- Case analysis
- Legal terminology
Affiliations
- Cooking, reading, gardening and walking my three dogs!
Certification
Council for Licensed Conveyancers examinations - Conveyancing Law & Practice - Distinction; Landlord and Tenant - Distinction; Solicitors' Accounts - Distinction.
References
References available upon request.
Referees
- S P, Arnold, Barrister, High Bank House, 46 Main Street, Addingham, West Yorkshire, LS29 0PL
Hobbies and Interests
I enjoy walking our three dogs on the beach, looking after our retired horses and ponies, reading and cooking. We live in beautiful surroundings and I aim to get out there and enjoy them as much as time permits.
Qualifications
- GCE ‘O’ Levels in English Language, English Literature, Maths, Geography and Economics.
- ‘A’ Levels in English Literature, Modern History and British Government and Politics.
- Qualified as a Licensed Conveyancer/Property Lawyer in 1999 following the CLC’s three stage study course of Conveyancing Law and Practice I and II, Landlord and Tenant and Accounts.
Timeline
Locum Property Lawyer
Milne Moser
2025.01 - 2025.02
Holiday Home Owner & Manager/Housekeeper
Holiday Home
2021.01 - 2026.06
Self Employed Caterer
Tea Rooms and Café
2016.01 - 2026.06
Property Lawyer & Partner
Ulverston Property Lawyers
2010.01 - 2016.01
Proprietor and Manager
Riding School and Equestrian Centre
2007.01 - 2010.01
Property Lawyer/Licensed Conveyancer
Poole Townsend, Solicitors
2001.01 - 2007.01
Property Lawyer/Licensed Conveyancer
Denby and Co, Solicitors
1999.01 - 2001.01
Licensed Conveyancer - Conveyancing Law & Practice, Landlord & Tenant and Solicitors' Accounts
Manchester University
1995.01 - 1999.01
Conveyancing Assistant
Livingstons, Solicitors
1993.01 - 1999.01
Secretary
Townsends, Solicitors
1984.01 - 1992.01
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Barrow-in-Furness Sixth Form College
1982.01 - 1984.01
Thorncliffe Comprehensive School
1977.01 - 1982.01