The post Cedric V D B appeared first on Aspiring Solicitors.

In my final year of University, I secured a training contract with Berwin Leighton Paisner (now Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner). I started with the firm as a trainee in 2012, having completed my LPC at the University of Law in London. I qualified into the Commercial Litigation team as an Associate in 2014. I joined Goodwin Procter in 2020 as a Senior Associate in the Litigation team. I advise clients across multiple industries, including private equity, funds, technology and life sciences, and financial services, and have a particular interest in shareholder disputes.

I am a full time working mother, the first in my direct family to obtain a university degree and the first to become a lawyer. As far as I am aware, I am also the only person in my school year to enter the legal profession, and one of a handful of people from the years above and below me at school to pursue a career in the City. I am passionate about encouraging talented young people from diverse backgrounds to find out more about becoming a lawyer and pursuing a career in the law. It can be a daunting process and it is important to have the right support in place to help unlock future potential.

The post Rebecca W appeared first on Aspiring Solicitors.

I decided to study law at university after studying it at a-level, and I attended a non Russell group university and achieved a 2:1. I didn’t have any family or friends in the profession, so when I decided to embark on securing a training contract I felt the competition was overwhelming. However, with hard work and perseverance (not letting rejection get in the way), I commenced my training contract at Kennedys in the Cambridge office, following my LPC. I quickly realised litigation was for me, and regularly attended Court doing advocacy for application hearings and CMCs. One year post qualification I joined Hill Dickinson (returning to my northern roots!). During my 10 years at Hill Dickinson I have progressed from a newly qualified to Senior Associate, with two maternity leaves within that time, and I now work part-time.

I appreciate first hand the hurdles faced by diverse groups. I am proud to work for a firm who are committed to support and retain talent in the firm, and has won awards for flexible working and recruitment; there is a real commitment at Hill Dickinson to tackling issues and effecting change.

The post Steph W appeared first on Aspiring Solicitors.

I considered law in the final years of my PhD as I felt academia was not where I wanted to be. Initially, I was advised to pursue intellectual property law but after completing a mini-pupillage, I realised that I was interested broadly in commercial law, particularly disputes.

I have been an active member of Aspiring Solicitors throughout my TC journey, starting from Aspire, VDLF and emerging as a finalist in the Commercial Awareness Competition. This enabled me to understand the legal sector as a career changer, while building on my skills.

I would say that diversity comes in many forms. For me, it was about bringing in perspectives as a STEM student and researcher into the practice of law. I was pleasantly surprised by how my skills from university, such as the ability to deal with large volumes of information and present complex data in a meaningful way, were relevant when I completed vacation schemes. Additionally, being an international student also enabled me to bring in the perspective of South and East Asian markets when I was completing tasks.

Therefore, I would say that treat diversity as a strength while writing applications and participating in assessment centres. Don’t be afraid to bring in your unique perspectives to stand out as a candidate. If I could help you in your TC journey, please do not hesitate to contact me.

The post Akhila, J appeared first on Aspiring Solicitors.

I studied Petroleum Engineering at London South Bank University as an undergraduate, and at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh for my Masters. It was challenging, but more than anything it thought me that I could succeed in anything – all that is required is hard work and a dedication to a defined goal. My goal was to quit engineering soon as possible and pursue what I wanted to do in life.

Since graduating, I enjoyed a lot of exhilarating life experiences and careers that led me back to law. I was married when I made the decision to pursue a legal career, and my wife’s support was integral through the process. It was tough. Self-funding the GDL and applying for training contracts while trying to get the best possible grade. But again, hard work and dedication.

I initially was tentative about applying to Farrer, because of the reputation of the “Farrer lawyer”, which I thought I clearly wasn’t. But I did, and from my first interview till this moment in my first seat in Financial Services with a 6-month-old son, I have been embraced. I am a Farrer lawyer. We can all be Farrer lawyers. It’s hard work and dedication.

Through each challenge and life experience, I utilized my diverse background and was keen to learn from the background of others. The appreciation of diversity improved me as a person, as it did the companies and people I worked with.

The post Amen A appeared first on Aspiring Solicitors.

Coming from a working class family in the West Midlands and being the first of my family to go to university, when it came to applying for vacation schemes and training contracts I had very little knowledge of the legal profession or what a career as a solicitor entailed. I was nevertheless fortunate enough to secure a vacation scheme at Hogan Lovells and at Linklaters, followed by a number of training contract offers. I have no doubt, however, that my background put me at a disadvantage compared to some of my peers who had family connections in the law (or at least in the professional sphere) who could offer them invaluable insight and support. This is why I think initiatives such as the Professional Ambassadors Assistance Programme are so important, and why I am keen to provide that insight and support to those who don’t have access to it elsewhere.

As a gay man I also feel very grateful to be at a firm that appreciates the importance of diversity and since joining Akin have been actively involved in diversity efforts, having served as LGBT representative on the London office inclusion council, and now as the Social Mobility representative.

Feel free to get in touch with any questions – I’m more than happy to share my experience and offer any advice and support that I can.

The post Matthew D appeared first on Aspiring Solicitors.

I joined Skadden as a Trainee in 2012 after securing a Training Contract at a summer vacation scheme in 2010. I also undertook a vacation scheme at an English firm, but decided to take the plunge and train at a US firm. I was drawn to the firm’s friendly, collegiate atmosphere, smaller trainee intake, international reach and the tangible sense that diversity and inclusion are part of Skadden’s DNA; attributes of the firm that are as important to me now as they were when I accepted my Training Contract offer. Since qualifying into the Corporate department in 2012, I have been fortunate to work on a broad range of public and private M&A deals, capital markets transactions and general corporate advisory matters.

Skadden has a number of affinity groups and initiatives designed to promote diversity and foster inclusion. I am a member of the London office Diversity & Inclusion Committee, an associate chair of SWAN (Skadden Women’s Associate Network) in London and a member of the Graduate Recruitment Committee. I also act as a mentor for a number of junior attorneys.

The post Claire C appeared first on Aspiring Solicitors.

I think diversity is so important for so many reasons; from an organisation’s standpoint, studies have shown a connection between innovation value and the degree of diversity within a team, which absolutely tracks for me – of course a cacophony of voices / opinions / perspectives will bear richer fruit than a chorus all singing the same note. Law firms can be a bit stuck in the mud but our clients aren’t, and we need to keep up with them in order to provide them with the best service we can.

On a personal level, I will admit that I didn’t think I “needed” feminism or diversity etc. growing up as I was very lucky to grow up never feeling “less than” because I was, inter alia, a young, minority female. Entering the workforce was a quick lesson in that! With experience, I can now see that it takes a particular kind of person to be able to imagine themselves  – and work towards putting themselves – in situations where no one who looks like them, or shares their values / background / accent, etc. has ever been, let alone succeeded. If you suffer from even the mildest case of imposter syndrome, it becomes just that much harder to believe you belong somewhere, that much easier to think “why should I, of all people, be the person to overcome this?”

The post Jo J appeared first on Aspiring Solicitors.

I completed an Undergraduate degree in Law and International Relations LLB at the University of Sussex in 2010 and went on to complete a Masters degree in International Law LLM at SOAS University of London in 2011. Since then I have had a successful and challenging career as a Business and Compliance Manager of a Recruitment Agency and also managed to set up my own Recruitment company. In 2019 I successfully completed the LPC on a full-time basis whilst continuing to work for two companies, using my evenings and weekends to study.

As a career changer I have acquired a wealth of experience and knowledge which will be valuable to my career as a Solicitor.  It was absolutely imperative for me to ensure I was applying to firms which I truly believed would welcome my previous experience and entrepreneurial spirit. Therefore, I took advantage of all the events which were offered to me and this helped me decide on the type of firm where I wanted to begin my legal career. The Aspiring Solicitors Coaches guided me on how to best demonstrate my transferable skills. With their help I attended bespoke events at numerous city firms and completed an excellent Commercial Awareness Scheme. Through AS I was able to meet Trainees, Associates and Partners and gather important tips for my applications which helped me secure my training contract.

I would like to support Aspiring Solicitors continue to diversify the legal profession and bring opportunities to those who deserve it, without their sex, race or perceived inequalities being a hurdle. I aim to help and inspire others to navigate their way into the legal profession by being a Professional Ambassador.

The post Sarah Y P appeared first on Aspiring Solicitors.

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