Interview with Contracts Assistant – Nahum Eustaquio

Please talk us through a typical day at TCP?

No day at TCP is ever the same and it is that which makes the job so much more enjoyable. The majority of the day is spent liaising with both colleagues and clients to ensure the swift and efficient management of contracts, while also expanding the business and reputation of TCP as a company in building upon the old and new working relationships with the clients and agencies that we interact with on a daily basis.

A typical day would start with a nice, much-needed cup of coffee in the morning and would then range from drafting and reviewing employment, client or agency contracts for the 6 European countries managed by the UK office, to doing some legal research and maintaining our contracts in line with legal updates and changes in local labour laws. As a result of the numerous countries we work with, we have a lot of variety in the work that we do as a company and means that each day has a new challenge to face.

Tell me specifically about your job role and how you work with agencies/companies etc to help them employ staff abroad?

My role essentially revolves around the preparation, drafting and negotiation of contractual terms for client, agency and employee contracts in the multiple jurisdictions that TCP operates in, and I make sure that our contracts are in line and fully compliant with local labour laws. The international element of my role means that I regularly work with the members of our wider teams to better understand the position of TCP in the employment relationship, while also regularly keeping up to date with legal updates and communicating with clients to manage their expectations.

As a legal team, we therefore seek to expand our understanding of standard contractual terms including termination, sick pay and holiday pay by having regular catch ups with our colleagues in Amsterdam and Berlin, as well as obtaining legal advice from external lawyers in the multiple jurisdictions that we have a presence in.

Is it important for TCP to have a personal bond between the company and customers?

I believe that in any company, there should be a great deal of importance placed on client and customer relationships and the positive effect of this is reflected greatly in how we conduct ourselves as a business. In my role, particularly, I have found that communicating with a personal, but professional, approach leads to better management of client expectations and also produces a higher standard of work due to the mutual respect for each other’s roles in completion of contracts.

While TCP strives to deliver excellent customer service across our various teams, there is also an equal amount of importance placed on relationships as colleagues and I believe that the quality of work is an accurate reflection of the warm and pleasing working environment that we are in.

What job did you do before joining TCP?

Prior to working at TCP, I worked as a paralegal after finishing the Legal Practice Course, both for law firms in the City and a regional law firm, and have mainly assisted and dealt with employment matters and disputes in a full range of employment issues including unfair dismissals, unlawful deductions from wages, termination, redundancy and general ad hoc employment law issues. My responsibilities would often involve spending time at employment tribunals, communicating with legal counsel in the progression of case matters and also assisting with external HR events organised throughout the year.

While working for an in house legal team has its differences to working for a law firm, majority of the skills are still highly transferable and there are a lot of similar elements to the work that is carried out at TCP. It is always such a pleasure to continue working for companies that invest so much time and effort in the development of individuals and it is great to be in a working environment, such as TCP, that nurtures longstanding working relationships with both colleagues and clients, which is effectively reflected in the growth and reputation of the company.