First Generation to go to University | Aspiring Solicitors - Law Careers Diversity Advice

Luke St

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 09:48:40 +0000

My journey into law has been challenging but rewarding. Coming from a working-class background in Wrexham, law wasn’t the typical route to working life.

My first significant hurdle was the financial barrier to university. After leaving school, I worked in a factory over the summer. Once college began, I applied for countless part-time jobs without success until I finally secured a cleaning role at a doctor’s surgery. This job required a daily 15-mile round trip by bike through the Welsh hills, which built resilience that has been invaluable in my career.

After A-Levels, I earned a place at the University of Manchester to study law, expecting a straightforward path to becoming a lawyer. However, I quickly realised I was unprepared for the concept of commercial awareness. Unlike my peers, I had no background in political or commercial discussions, which put me at a disadvantage. I faced multiple rejections from law-related events and schemes, and my grades were unimpressive. This led to imposter syndrome and a temporary decision to abandon law for other graduate schemes.

While applying for business-related roles, I honed my skills in psychometric tests, video interviews, and assessment centres, even securing a few offers. Encouraged by my improved academic performance, I realised I wasn’t ready to give up on law. I pursued a masters in international business on a scholarship, dedicating myself to bridging my commercial awareness gap. This effort culminated in securing various vacation schemes and a training contract offer from Shoosmiths, where I will start in 2026.

The importance of diversity in the legal profession cannot be overstated. The best solutions arise from diverse perspectives, and this can only be achieved by introducing different experiences and backgrounds into the legal sphere.

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Najma A

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 13:23:42 +0000

I was born in Somalia but raised in Hackney, London. I was very academic at school and initially wanted to become a doctor (I did all three sciences for A-level). However, a short stint in the ICU and a love for history and debating signalled the end of my medical career.

After a year of soul searching during my gap year teaching physics, I decided to attend Warwick University to do a degree in Liberal Arts. Unsure of what I wanted to do after I graduated, I did various internships whilst at university, including at the Civil Service, a digital marketing internship at an Ed-Tech company and a vacation scheme at a law firm. I also volunteered to teach physics at a local secondary school. I enjoyed the technical and international nature of corporate law and following a successful vacation scheme, I accepted a training contract offer at Norton Rose Fulbright.

Following graduation, I completed the gradate diploma in law (GDL) and the legal practice course (LPC), and commenced my training contract in March 2021. During my training contract, I completed seats in financial services regulatory, banking (on international secondment to Dubai), investment funds and tax. I enjoyed the technical but also varied nature of financial services regulatory, and had a particular interest in asset management, so decided to move to Kirkland & Ellis following qualification in February 2023.

First and foremost, diversity is important because it is the right thing to do. People should not be prevented from accessing opportunities because of their background. Secondly, diversity allows firms to access and hire the best talent. Finally, it is now the expectation amongst clients that law firms reflect the diversity of the society they are part of.

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Cedric V D B

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:14:44 +0000

I am a partner in the Capital Markets group of Kirkland’s London office. I was raised in Belgium, in a loving family with no connection with the law, and I am the first member of my family attending university. I was fortunate enough to benefit from the mentoring of lawyers while being a law student, and to receive a full merit-based scholarship to attend an LL.M. at Harvard Law School. That degree allowed me to take the New York bar exam, and to pursue a career in New York and London. I am looking forward to giving the same level of mentoring to aspiring solicitors.

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Samantha J

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 09:56:24 +0000

I was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, where I completed my law degree as a first generation university student. After working in competition law at a firm in South Africa for three years, I received a full scholarship to study my masters degree in the UK. I now work at Kirkland & Ellis in the competition team, as a South African qualified lawyer, advising on transactions across the world. I am not admitted to practice in the UK but form part of a diverse, international team of lawyers – every day is a reminder as to what our different training and skillsets can bring to our cases and to the workplace.

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Kahwing F

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 09:47:36 +0000

My family ran a Chinese takeaway in a small town called Clacton. I grew up here with a relatively poor education system and a community that did not promote further education nor a job in the “City”. Despite this, I was determined to go to university and I became the first in my family to attend university.

I dreamed of becoming a lawyer at a young age and Aspiring solicitors and other higher education initiatives such as “Aim Higher” were key to my journey. I met great lawyers and mentors and the support network that I developed was invaluable helping me navigate the obstacles and challenges of legal education as well as my career.

I have always been passionate about helping students. I have participated in programmes such as Future First and other social mobility programmes. I have also informally mentored students, sharing insights and advice based on my own experiences and many of those have gone on to secure training contracts and this is something that has given me a lot of joy and I would like a more formal platform to show other aspiring solicitors that having a successful career in law is not out of reach.

I believe I have what it takes to be a mentor because I have overcome the barriers that many of these students will have faced or are currently facing and I am passionate in helping them reach their potential.

I believe that all students should be given an opportunity to pursue a career in law because we face many challenges and diversity is our greatest asset. It allows us to approach work from different perspectives and it teaches us compassion and understanding of different cultures. Law is practiced globally and we must be able to demonstrate awareness in order to succeed.

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Liban F

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 17:20:51 +0000

I am a Trainee Solicitor at TLT’s London office, having started my training contract with the firm in March 2023. Prior to TLT, I was a Compliance Analyst on Barclays graduate scheme for 18 months.

Aspiring Solicitors were instrumental to getting my foot in the door in the City. Their open days with partner law firms and their application workshops equipped me with the tools I needed to improve my applications and become a strong candidate for interview.

As a first-generation immigrant from Somalia who attended a state school in London, I am the first generation of my family to attend university. Growing up, I didn’t know a single lawyer or anyone that worked in the City, which is common for people from working-class backgrounds.

Providing access to diverse talent is important to me as, throughout my life, I’ve known people who were incredibly talented but didn’t have the network, opportunity or support to nurture their growth and career ambitions.

From a commercial perspective, diversity is important as there is a giant pool of incredible untapped talent that would make an invaluable contribution to the Legal sector.

I have been lucky enough to face numerous setbacks, rejections and obstacles. I say lucky because failure has taught me where I needed to develop and has blessed me with the knowledge to prevent others from making the same errors.

As an AS Mentor, I am keen to help improve social mobility and diversity within the legal profession, and I am happy to provide application, CV and interview support to AS mentees who are navigating the competitive, and often confusing, graduate market. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about working at TLT or generally about pursuing a career in commercial law.

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Declan G

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 09:55:08 +0000

I am a paralegal at A&L Goodbody and will begin my training contract in September 2023. After a successful summer of internships at Irish commercial firms, I went on secondment at Tesco’s Group Head Office and worked alongside their Legal Counsel and Head of Legal. Working in- house provided me with a wide scope of different work. Following this, during my final year of my LLB at Queen’s University Belfast, I secured a paralegal role at A&L Goodbody.

I was incredibly lucky to participate in the first Aspiring Solicitors’ Mentoring Scheme in Northern Ireland. Coming from a working-class background, working in a professional environment, never mind the legal sphere, was completely alien. The mentoring provided by AS helped me develop essential skills for my training contract applications.

Feel free to contact me using this platform. I am more than happy to have a chat or answer any questions.

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Navi S

Fri, 31 May 2024 14:45:39 +0000

I was born and bred in Birmingham and was the first in my family to go to university, studying Law with a year abroad at Warwick University and Monash University, in Australia. Growing up, I had very little exposure to corporate careers, having come from a single parent, ethnically diverse background, and neither I, nor my family really knew anyone that worked in London. It wasn’t until I got to university and spoke to lawyers at open days and events on campus that I realised that there were so many people that looked like me, spoke like me, and had similar backgrounds to me. I was offered a training contract with Travers in my final year. During my training contract, I rotated around the Investment Funds, Commercial/IP, Private Equity and Employment departments, qualifying into Private Equity in September 2023.

Deciding what you want to do with the rest of your life when you’ve just left school or university is daunting. Whilst there have been efforts in recent years to “demystify the city” via CSR and outreach initiatives, it’s impossible to really know what a career in law looks like until you find lawyers that you’re able to ask difficult questions to, and receive honest answers from. My motivation for being an AS Mentor is to hopefully be that person and bridge that gap for aspiring solicitors. One of the major things that lawyers do is solve problems, which is why I think diversity of thought, background and experiences is so vital, and should be seen as an opportunity rather than a barrier for young people.

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Cindy S

Fri, 31 May 2024 14:27:26 +0000

I went to a state comprehensive school in South London. I was the first in my family to go to university (I studied English Literature at Leeds University). I am a second-generation migrant: my mother and father came over to the UK from the Philippines and Kenya respectively.

We didn’t know anyone who had a professional career, and I received no career guidance or support during my education. My path to becoming a lawyer was a result of luck and circumstance. In a Summer job, I met a couple of people who encouraged me to think about becoming a lawyer- I would never have considered it otherwise.

I am an AS mentor as I am very passionate about ensuring that people from all backgrounds have access to legal careers. We can all benefit from advice, guidance and support throughout our careers, but it is especially important when you are starting out. Students can email me or contact me on LinkedIn, and I am open to having calls with mentees to discuss their plans and ambitions.

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Vanessa R-H

Fri, 31 May 2024 14:13:48 +0000

I was born and raised in Islington, London, and went to primary and secondary state schools before commencing my A-level studies. During this time, my father had a severe accident, leaving him paralysed and wheelchair bound. With perseverance and support from family and friends, I achieved A-level results I was proud of. In 2013 I moved to Leeds to do my LLB at Leeds University as the first member of my household to go to uni. I had a great network at Leeds university, but I felt different from my peers in that I had not come from a wealthy background. On graduating, I returned home to London to complete my LPC and MSc, working part-time at the weekends to help fund it. As I was back home, I could also resume shared caring responsibilities for my father. This was a lot to juggle at once and did impact me more than I thought at the time. I graduated and began working at a lovely high street firm in Notting Hill. However, I knew I wanted to work in the City so, after many applications, I secured a paralegal role at Addleshaw Goddard. Then, unfortunately, in 2019 my father went blind due to surgical complications. My father’s paralysis and blindness did, and continues to from time to time, impact my wellbeing and capacity for work and social commitments. My path to securing a training contract has been longer but this is my journey, and I wouldn’t change it. I am now an employee at an amazing firm that acts proactively with regards to diversity.

Providing access to diverse talent is important to me because I believe in a fair and equal starting point for all. I also believe that with determination and resilience you can begin a successful legal career regardless of your background, and I would love to support you in fostering these skills on your journey. I sought help from Aspiring Solicitors when I began my Training Contract applications, and I had a mock interview with one of their mentors at the time.

If you have a state school background and/or were the first in your home to attend university and/or you are a part-time carer, we may share similar experiences and hopefully I can offer another perspective.

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