Meet the Team: Claire Woodman

Not very many people will have had the pleasure of meeting Claire in person but if you have ever called our office, you will almost definitely have spoken to her as Claire is our longest serving member of staff. She joined Richard J Smith & Co in 1995 on a temporary basis and on a full time, permanent basis from 1996. I know, she doesn’t look old enough!

As well as looking after reception and secretarial duties, Claire also has a number of additional duties such as ensuring that Client records are properly looked after, stored and eventually, destroyed.

Claire is based in Plympton with her husband and young family and outside of work, enjoys socialising and baking, where she even won a competition for her decorative prowess! Claire also has the misfortune of supporting Leeds United though is significantly outnumbered in the office by people who support real football teams! ????

Q & A

What is your role at RJS?

I work in reception, updating our standard documents, answering the phone, looking after client records and also as a secretary to whoever needs me; this work mainly consists of typing up reports, letters and sending documents to creditors.

What do you do in your spare time?

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family, going on holiday and socialising with friends.

Why RJS?

When I started as an office junior back in 1995, I got an opportunity to do an NVQ in Business Administration whilst still being able to work; amongst other things, this qualification taught me to touch type which has proved to be very useful. 

Something that people might not know about you?

I have been working here for nearly 26 years!!!!

Favourite case/work story?

I think my favourite case was Ford Park Cemetery.  We were given all the burial books and we had many calls from people wanting to know where their relatives were buried, going through these books were really interesting.

What would your last meal be?

Sirloin steak with peppercorn sauce.

What has changed the most over the time that you have been here?

We have grown significantly since I first started. Initially we had just 8 members of staff covering an office in Ivybridge and the one in Truro; now though, we have almost doubled in size with 15 members of staff and there are now 2 offices in Ivybridge, and an additional office in Exeter as well the one in Truro.