Human Resources Department

Carole is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Express Solicitors and heads up the Human Resources department, responsible for the full employee remit within the Express Group. Her role involves everything within the employee pipeline from recruitment, planning, induction, training, assessment and talent management. Carole believes that part of her role is to raise expectations and performance in the form while helping foster an environment that is forward looking, adopting a “Can Do” attitude.

Carole is a Chartered CIPD member. She has completed a Masters in Human Resource Management and a BSc in Business. Prior to joining Express Solicitors, Carole worked within a North West Top 500 company for 2 years and prior to that for a digital media company over 5 years which consolidated her extensive HR experience in mergers, acquisitions, restructuring and management buyouts. Carole joined Express Solicitors due to the fast pace of working for an owner-led business and the firm’s strong commitment to excellence.

Bringing a wealth of experience working in different business sectors, Carole enjoys working with the Management Team and employees throughout Express Solicitors and has seen pivotal growth during her tenure at the firm. People are the most important asset to a Company and Express Solicitors takes great care and commitment to promoting and developing staff from within.

Carole is an Ambassador for Forever Manchester and leads the firm’s charitable roadmap which has led to Express Solicitors winning Corporate Supporter of the Year and a host of activities from sky diving to the 10km run. The firm has spearheaded brand new initiatives with Forever Manchester such as panel grant awards and Community Reporters to highlight the fantastic contribution we make to so many community groups. Express Solicitors are proud to make a real difference to many lives.

Carole enjoys walking at weekends and lives near the Peak District which allows for easy travel to beautiful places. She is blessed with two children and a cat, with another on the way (kitten not child!). Having taken A-level French, she enjoys torturing the good people of France on an annual basis with her franglais; usually visiting the South West of France. Also, having married a Welsh man, the family enjoys plenty of trips to beautiful North Wales. Carole keeps herself busy and enjoys reading books such as 7 habits, Blackbox Thinking, Grit et al. These books are recommended to all – they have been really important to Carole’s personal and professional life.

Kate is a seasoned HR professional with a strong background in managing human resources for various sectors. As a Chartered CIPD professional with over 7 years of experience, she has honed her expertise in fostering productive workplace environments. Prior to her current role, Kate dedicated herself to the care sector, where she managed services for adults with Autism, showcasing her compassion and dedication to improving the lives of others.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Kate leads an active and fulfilling personal life. She enjoys playing netball, serving as the captain of her workplace team and participating in a social league. Additionally, she is currently training for a marathon and enthusiastically participates in events such as the Forever Manchester 10k run, highlighting her commitment to physical fitness and personal challenges.

During weekends, Kate unwinds by taking leisurely walks, with a particular fondness for beach strolls alongside her beloved working cocker spaniel, Ronnie, named after the beloved character Ronald Weasley.

Bożena Tonge (known as B) is an HR Officer.

After moving from Poland to the UK, she completed a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management at Manchester Metropolitan University and gained a level 7 CIPD Advanced Diploma. B has worked in HR since 2017 and has almost 8 years of experience of working at one of the UK’s top 30 law firms.

Petal Peters joined Express Solicitors in November 2021, with a remit to recruitment lawyers across our five departments. This of course presents challenges; given our plans for growth. Petal has made good progress directly placing everything from newly qualified solicitors to Partners and is a highly experienced recruitment professional with over 15 years’ of experience working in legal, procurement and healthcare sectors. Responsible for the full life cycle delivery of best-in-class experience for candidates and internal stakeholders.

Petal prides herself on ensuring candidates have an excellent customer journey and the hiring managers receive a high quality of service. Petal enjoys all aspects of her role, her favourite being interaction with all her candidates, talking about Express’s exciting plans and goals for the future.

If you are interested in joining us, please feel free to get in touch with Petal Peters at petal.peters@expresssolicitors.co.uk

Luiza da Costa is a Recruitment Specialist in the HR Department.

Before joining Express, Luiza completed her LLB Honours Degree in Law, at the University of Hertfordshire and her Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at Leeds Metropolitan University. After working as a fee earner for a number of years at several top 20 law firms, she moved into recruitment in 2010.

Luiza worked for a number of years for a recruitment agency, before moving into in-house roles. Luiza specialises in improving talent attraction, as well as developing selection & assessment strategies. Luiza currently deals with a variety of roles and enjoys turning candidates into colleagues.

Oliver joined Express Solicitors in October 2021 as a HR & Recruitment Administrator and was promoted to Emerging Talent Officer in January 2023.

Oliver has both the LLB & LPC from the University of Law and after joining Express, completed his CIPD Level 5 in HR Management. He also has a background assisting with Employment Law issues and Financial Technologies.

In his role as Emerging Talent Officer, he works closely with the Emerging Talent team in the attraction and selection of Graduates. Oliver also organises the recruitment side of the Vacation Schemes, working with the HR team to ensure that all of our participants have an excellent experience throughout.

Our new joiners always appreciate the hard work he puts into supporting them throughout their candidate journey and transition into work. Oliver loves this part of his role, helping them take their first steps into their new legal careers with Express.