Social mobility is a hot topic and has been on the government’s agenda for decades. It is generally seen as the link between where a person starts in life and where they end up.
It is a complex issue and to me, it should be about everyone being able to progress in a way that is fair without pressure to appear as someone they are not. We should all be proud of our roots, especially when they are the driving force behind our passion and hard work.
Talent is everywhere, but people from less advantaged backgrounds are more likely to face obstacles accessing some professions, including the legal profession.
Qualifications can be a barrier as not everyone has the opportunity to get A-levels or go to university. Even if someone is fortunate (and capable) enough to get the right qualifications, it can still be extremely challenging to secure a job and for many, it is a gamble that doesn’t pay off.
Our Alex Watkinson, Equity Partner, has offered to share his inspiring career story with us:-
Tell us about your background and how you got involved in law?
I grew up in Birley Carr, near Fox Hill, and went to Meynell Primary School in Parson Cross. My mum and dad were always supportive and continue to be. Dad was a mining electrician and mum a typist in Sheffield’s steel industry, then a school dinner lady and subsequently a childminder.
Mum and dads’ involvement in the church led me to Notre Dame Secondary School, which was quite an eye opener, and where I met people from a variety of backgrounds.
I’ve always been interested in people, facts and general knowledge and after A-levels secured a place on a Politics and History course at university in Sheffield. I moved out at 18 and got a job at the Travellers pub close by. I wanted independence but found it difficult to cover my rent and commit enough time and energy to my course, so I dropped out, something I couldn’t face telling my parents at the time.
Then at age 21 or 22, with no degree and still working in the pub, I thought ‘what shall I do?’. I saw a job advert in the Sheffield Star recruiting admin staff at Sheffield Court. I didn’t get the job initially, but they kept my details and a few months later I secured some ‘temp’ work and was then kept on permanently. I’d had no previous involvement or exposure to law but seeing how the Court system worked sparked my interest in law and becoming a lawyer. I spoke to a friend who had done a law degree and was a trainee solicitor, but thought ‘I can’t quit my job now and do a law degree’. He said, ‘have you heard of ILEX?’ (now known as CILEX). I hadn’t, but discovered it was a route to qualify as a legal executive whilst working. I enrolled myself on the ILEX Foundation Course at Sheffield College attending two nights a week after work.
One particular day, I received a call from one of the District Judge’s Chambers asking if I could come through to answer a query. The Judge with the query was, at the time, a Deputy District Judge and was the senior partner at another local, Sheffield law firm. Whilst I was with him, I told him I had started studying the ILEX course and asked him how well-regarded it is within law firms. He asked to see my CV as there may be the need for a clerk at a local, Sheffield law firm in the family department. I was invited to meet the head of the family department, offered a job and worked there whilst continuing to study the ILEX course. It wasn’t easy knuckling down to a job whilst studying, but between 2001 and 2010 I became a legal executive, then a fellow, then did the required core modules and the LPC to qualify as a solicitor. I was exempt from the training contract.
In those days, to become a partner you needed to become a solicitor, which is what I did. There is now the ability to become a partner as a legal executive.
Whilst in the profession, have you ever felt barriers to progress, or felt pressured to appear different to who you are to fit in?
Not necessarily in the firms I’ve worked in, but what I find when you’re dealing with counsel or privately educated solicitors is the way they present opinions seems to be with more authority because of their accent and public speaking skills. As I’ve got more experienced, I’ve become more confident in my own abilities and I’ve found it easier to challenge other people when I don’t think what they’re saying is right, regardless of their accent. There’s still a disproportionality high amount of people from affluent backgrounds in the profession, but it is changing. Overall, I’m thankful for the support I’ve received from my family and from key individuals within the firms I’ve worked in.
CILEX is open to school-leaving apprentices and law graduates alike and gives people the chance to gain legal qualifications, including practice rights equivalent to a solicitor, whilst working full time. It has been recognised by the House of Lords for bringing skilful, socially diverse people into the legal profession as 81.5% of its members do not have parents that went to university. Taylor Emmet also holds CILEX students and lawyers in high regard.
Nick Emmerson, the Law Society President, said “talented, intelligent, tenacious solicitors can be found in every corner of England and Wales”. I agree and would go one step further to replace the word ‘solicitors’ with ‘lawyers’.