Rising star shows there's no better place than home to pursue top career while raising a family

Gone are the days when high flyers felt their only option to rise the ranks was to relocate to city firms.

The Fylde coast is blessed with a plethora of firms bursting with talent – and Lytham mum and solicitor Victoria Cross is testament to that.

Commercial law firm Napthens has promoted Victoria, an experienced wills and estate planning solicitor, to senior associate at its growing Fylde coast office in Lytham.

The 35-year-old lives in Lytham with husband Michael - a baker at Phil’s Bakery in Lytham - along with their five-year-old-son and three-year-old daughter.

She said: “I’m passionate about women being able to have careers.

"Napthens is a brilliant firm embedded in the local community. It attracts clients and businesses that I might ordinarily only be exposed to at a city firm, which means I can have a high-level career locally. Its family nurturing atmosphere has also been really important.

“It’s so important to support business locally; it means that local talent can have a career locally so people don’t have to leave their hometown.”

“What’s brilliant about living where you grew up is the family support. My parents are local, and that support is worth its weight in gold.”

Victoria, whose parents are from Blackpool, grew up in Oxford where her father was based in the RAF before moving to the Fylde coast when she was 13.

The former King Edward and Queen Mary School pupil studied law at Bristol University for four years before returning to Lytham while she completed a one-year legal practice course in Manchester.

Victoria, who joined Napthens as a trainee in 2011 before qualifying as a solicitor in 2013, is a specialist in wills and estate planning, regularly advising business owners and high net worth individuals on making and reviewing wills, inheritance tax issues, and trust and estate planning matters.

This also includes the preparation and registration of Lasting Powers of Attorney, the registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney and the management of elderly clients’ general affairs.

Napthens moved from Whitehills Business Park in Blackpool to Jubilee House in Lytham in 2020, where there is a residential conveyancing team of six lawyers headed by senior associate Sally Calvert.

Martin Long, partner and head of the Fylde Coast office at Napthens, said: "Vicky is a rising star in our team and I am thrilled to see her step up into this new role.”

When she’s not juggling family life with her career, Victoria enjoys walking and exploring the Lake District.

She’s even finding time to train for the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, which she will be taking on in June alongside a team from from Napthens in aid of the Napthens Foundation which supports local causes across the region.

So what are Victoria’s top tips for the next generation of high flyers who want to stay local to their roots?

She said: “People told me it’s so competitive and a very male dominant industry. But you can absolutely do it.

“Believe in yourself; have confidence in yourself.

“Research your firm and get experience. It’s in your hands; you’re valuable.”