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.<\/p>\n
Talent is everywhere, but people from less advantaged backgrounds are more likely to face obstacles accessing some professions, including the legal profession.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t pay off.<\/p>\n
Our Alex Watkinson, Equity Partner, has offered to share his inspiring career story with us:-<\/strong><\/p>\n 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\u2019s steel industry, then a school dinner lady and subsequently a childminder.<\/p>\n Mum and dads\u2019 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.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve 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\u2019t face telling my parents at the time.<\/p>\n Then at age 21 or 22, with no degree and still working in the pub, I thought \u2018what shall I do?\u2019. I saw a job advert in the Sheffield Star recruiting admin staff at Sheffield Court. I didn\u2019t get the job initially, but they kept my details and a few months later I secured some \u2018temp\u2019 work and was then kept on permanently. I\u2019d 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 \u2018I can\u2019t quit my job now and do a law degree\u2019. He said, \u2018have you heard of ILEX?\u2019 (now known as CILEX). I hadn\u2019t, 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.<\/p>\n One particular day, I received a call from one of the District Judge\u2019s 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Not necessarily in the firms I\u2019ve worked in, but what I find when you\u2019re 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\u2019ve got more experienced, I\u2019ve become more confident in my own abilities and I\u2019ve found it easier to challenge other people when I don\u2019t think what they\u2019re saying is right, regardless of their accent. There\u2019s still a disproportionality high amount of people from affluent backgrounds in the profession, but it is changing. Overall, I\u2019m thankful for the support I\u2019ve received from my family and from key individuals within the firms I\u2019ve worked in.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Nick Emmerson, the Law Society President, said \u201ctalented, intelligent, tenacious solicitors can be found in every corner of England and Wales\u201d. I agree and would go one step further to replace the word \u2018solicitors\u2019 with \u2018lawyers\u2019.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Social mobility is a hot topic and has been on the government\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":5160,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"blog_posts.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2587,2585,2586],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers","category-diversity","category-inclusion"],"yoast_head":"\nTell us about your background and how you got involved in law?<\/h3>\n
Whilst in the profession, have you ever felt barriers to progress, or felt pressured to appear different to who you are to fit in?<\/h3>\n