KAY WADDINGTON is a partner with North West law firm Stephensons Solicitors. She is head of the firm’s corporate and commercial department, and advises business across the North West in transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, group re-organisations, management buy outs and buy ins.

6.30am:Time to get up and I start the day with a cup of tea. I have a three-year-old son, so I get myself ready, and then my husband and I get him ready for nursery.

7.30am:I set off for the Wigan office, with a pit-stop to drop off my son on the way. We have offices in St Helens, Wigan Manchester, Bolton and Leigh, and we service clients right across the M62 corridor from Liverpool to Manchester, and sometimes farther afield.

8.30am:The first job of the day is to check through a long list of emails with a cup of tea in hand. Decaffeinated this time. I also catch up on the regional business headlines online.

9am:A departmental meeting with the corporate team. We work out the priorities for the day, and I discuss any client issues with other solicitors in the team.

10am:I have a new business meeting with two company directors. The current climate is forcing business owners to re-evaluate their options, and I have seen a marked increase in group reorganisations, which can have big cost-saving benefits. Today, the directors are seeking advice regarding the consolidation of their group of companies.

11am:I set off to see a partner of an accountants in Liverpool city centre. We often refer work between professionals, and today I am meeting with a corporate finance accountant who advised on a mutual deal.

12noon:The meeting is at Piccolino. The perfect place to have an informal discussion with excellent food. We discuss how we can work together to win new business in this tougher climate and the possibility of partnering on up-coming seminars. There’s a football match tonight, so the place is filled with fans.

2pm:Back from Liverpool, just in time to get together with the other department heads from across Stephensons’ commercial areas, which includes commercial property and commercial litigation, to discuss our on-going client relationship management strategy (CRM).

3.30pm:Back to my office to catch up on any emails and I return a few calls I’ve promised to make. I then finalise the drafting of a share purchase agreement on another transaction that I am working on.

4.30pm:I go to meet a client at his office with his accountant. He is in the middle of selling his manufacturing business to another local company and, as with many family-owned firms that we advise, I bear in mind that selling a business is likely to be a new experience for him.

7pm:I leave the client’s office and make my way to Manchester. I’m attending a fashion and beauty networking evening organised by a business rescue, recovery and restructuring firm. It’s an excellent opportunity to network with other women in the regional business community, and a lighthearted end to a busy day.