Spotlight on our people – meet Jen Bruce

Through our Spotlight on our people series, we highlight the individuals behind our legal expertise. This time, we spoke with Jen Bruce, Paralegal in our Employee Share Schemes team.

Jen joined the Harper James team in January 2024, bringing with her nearly 13 years of experience from multinational financial services firm, S&P Global. She now leads and manages our share plan management tool, helping clients access and oversee their employee share schemes with ease.

How did you begin your career?

‘I fell into the legal by complete accident,’ Jen says. ‘I was working for an insolvency firm in Slough and would often help out the legal department when work was quiet. When I left that role, I applied for a position as a legal secretary at a small family law firm and it went from there.’

Did you have any expectations of the legal industry? Has it lived up to your expectations?

‘I didn’t have any expectations. I have worked in pretty small firms in the past, which were usually one solicitor with a few support staff,’ Jen explains. ‘I then went on to working in a huge global company, working in the in-house legal team and everywhere in between!’.

What are your main areas of Employee Share Schemes expertise?

‘My main role is leading and managing our share plan management tool,’ says Jen. ‘I also lead our clients annual Employment Related Securities (ERS) filings.’

What do you like to do outside of work?

‘I have been married for over 20 years, and we have two daughters who are both now driving! We have two dogs, and with moving to South Wales 2 years ago now, we are fortunate enough to have beautiful surroundings and are spoilt for choice for places to go for dog walks.’

How have you found working at Harper James so far? Any first impressions?

‘At first, it was a bit of an adjustment coming from a huge company like S&P, but the culture and ethics at HJ are positive.’

What are three things on your bucket list?

‘I joined the gym at the beginning of this year and love the early morning classes, which set me up for the day. My aim is to continue increasing my fitness so I can participate in a HYROX event and also climb Pen Y Fan (the highest mountain in South Wales at 2, 907 feet). We also have a dream to retire to a warmer climate.’