The Law Society

Gaming lawyer, Harry Clark, isn't convinced that training for lawyers is keeping up with changes in law tech 💻 Harry, who's an associate at Mishcon de Reya LLP said, "there doesn’t always seem to be a fully traced through picture of whether aspiring lawyers will have the technology know-how they'll need by time they enter the profession” Despite there being an uptick in investment in tech tools across the legal sector, legal professionals ultimately need to understand new technology to use it effectively and ethically. As someone with a passion for law and tech, Harry shared how he currently uses generative AI in his work: "I use our GenAI tools as a copilot. They help with administrative issues, tone – in a drafting sense outside the confines of a contract – or offer a sounding board for ideas, such as planning for an event. "I've personally found it to be useful for those things. I see it as a stepping stone to help deliver an end product, or to offer a different perspective." AI is just one topic that Harry will be discussing as part of a panel at the Junior Solicitors Network Summit next Friday in London at City law firm CMS UK. You can sign up for the summit here: https://ow.ly/7tU250ThglX

🎓 “I studied Law and graduated with a 2:2. I was gutted. I mean utterly devastated. I’d been led to believe a 2:2 wasn’t good enough…” Hannah McCrindle, Law Society Council Member, shares her legal journey and advice for anyone who’s questioning their next steps because of their university results ⚖️ After graduating in 2010 from the University of Birmingham, Hannah had a difficult start to finding her first legal role. “I went through the motions of applying to Training Contracts at large corporate firms because that’s what everyone was doing, and I got nowhere. “I remember so clearly the pre-application questions that popped up at the start of every application: ‘Do you have or do you expect to receive a 2:1 or above in your undergraduate degree? If not, do you have any mitigating circumstances?’ “When I ticked 'no', it would come up and tell me that I didn’t meet their minimum requirements and basically, not to bother applying. “As it happens, there were circumstances that affected my mental health during my time at university, but I never shared this on my applications. So I got rejected. A lot. “🌏 Whilst trying to work out what to do with my life, I went travelling with my now husband, Toby McCrindle. 💍 “💼 I then got a job working in sales and did that for a few years before coming to the realisation that the Law was where my heart was! ❤️ “💷 I self-funded my way through the accelerated part time LPC, studying alongside my full-time job. I got a Distinction. It was hard. I mean really hard, with very long hours but I finally felt like I had redeemed myself after my disappointment at university. “👩🏼⚖️ Knowing that Family Law was what I wanted to qualify into, I got a job as a Paralegal at Expatriate Law Ltd whilst living in Dubai and I was thrilled when Alexandra Tribe offered me a training contract. “👩🏼🎓 I finally qualified as a Solicitor in 2018, 3 weeks before my 30th birthday and 8 years since graduating university.” Six years have passed, and Hannah is now an associate at Irwin Mitchell 🎉 She’s enjoying “working with brilliant people on interesting, complex and high net worth cases. “My route to qualification was not the most direct, and it certainly was not the expectation when I started university. But that is ok. I made it. I am here. And honestly, I think the obstacles and the perseverance it took has made me the lawyer that I am today. Hannah’s advice for anyone who’s disappointed with their results: “take some time, don’t make rash decisions and don’t write yourself off. You can do it, in your own way, in your own time.” “My inbox is always open to anyone I can help ✉️” Thank you, Hannah for sharing your journey! Pictured is Hannah at her admissions ceremony, with her husband and pregnant with their daughter. #aspiringsolicitor

"My mum considered remortgaging the house to pay for my legal training..." - Frances Onyinah, a 2021 Diversity Access Scheme (DAS) Awardee. Now a trainee solicitor, Frances stands with her mentor Whitney Joseph, who she says provided her with guidance and offered a lot of patience. With Whitney's help in having a focused approach, Frances is now completing a specialist contract in employment and professional discipline law. ⚖️ Frances reflects: “Being able to have the scholarship and the mentorship really changed my life.” A huge congratulations to Frances on her accomplishments so far! 🌟 Want to support the future talent of the profession? Find out how you or your firm can get involved with DAS, here: https://ow.ly/C2Zo50TftrU

“Our Oldham head office was named as a place for masked demonstrators to assemble...We’d all seen the reports of extensive violence, so the threat was real.” Ono okeregha, director of Immigration Advice Service, shares his experience of his firm being one of the 38 companies targeted by rioters in August 🔽 “We had to take action to protect our clients and staff. We received guidance from the Law Society and the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner to help us navigate the situation. “The police were an amazing support.... They advised we work from home and take down the signs on our building to make us less identifiable to rioters. “It may sound minor, but as many of our clients don’t speak English, clear signage helps them find us...It made us realise the severity of the threat.” Over 150 counter demonstrators assembled against the rioters. "We can’t thank Oldham enough for the support and huge turnout...It proves there are more people with good intentions than those who want to sow discord in our society.” However, the lasting effects on his team and clients of the threats remain: "Many still haven’t returned to the office, they feel vulnerable...We’ve provided counselling to staff who need it. “You don’t know who’s going to come to reception...That tension isn’t going anywhere, and we’ve still not put our signs back up.” Despite this, Ono states: “We won’t be deterred from helping those in need. “The immigration narrative must change to promote the positive impact migrants have made to society.” Read Ono’s full reflection here: https://ow.ly/xHTZ50Telml

"The best part of my job is when I ring the client after a decision... [One client] started sobbing when I delivered good news. Later, I got a photograph from him with his wife and six children with their thumbs up. Telling the story sends a shiver through me. I just think, how profound an effect has this experience had on his family?" - Solicitor advocate, Jon Goodwin Jon has prosecuted and defended over 800 regulatory and professional disciplinary cases. This has included defending clients in front of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. His advice to solicitors is simple, "If you make a mistake, own up." Read Jon's story: https://ow.ly/UMW850TcpXJ

"If you’d have told me when I began my legal journey 12 years ago that at the age of 31, I would become the youngest President of the Birmingham Law Society in its 205-year history, I’m going to be honest - I probably would have laughed at you." - Alice Kinder shares her legal career journey ⚖️ Growing up in a working-class family, with parents who did not attend university or have legal connections, Alice said, "it was definitely not a given that I would even make it into the legal profession, let alone go on to take on this role." "My greatest challenge when going to university and deciding what I wanted to do was understanding my options and the steps I would need to take to pursue a professional career." As Alice's career progressed, she realised that there was a lot of information and advice available that she wished she could have accessed sooner. So, she became chair of a dedicated social mobility sub-committee for Birmingham Law Society to promote the value of social mobility across the legal profession. Now coming to the end of a year as Birmingham Law Society president, Alice is a great role model to junior solicitors starting their journey 👏 Alice added, "Getting to this point has by no means been easy. In a profession known for its established tradition, it never is going to be easy to carve out a path that hasn’t been taken before. But for others to follow, somebody has to go first. "And I hope that by going first, those that come after me will never need to doubt that their dreams are possible." We asked Alice the best career advice she's been given: "The first is that to get the highest rewards you must be prepared to put in the effort. A legal career is not easy and can require long hours and hard work. "Opportunities must be actively sought out and to benefit the most you must really put yourself out there and get involved as much as you can. "The second is that you should always be vocal about your goals. Nobody will know what you want to achieve if you do not tell them and communicating your ambitions to a wide range of people will often assist you in moving forward." #legalprofession #socialmobility Photo Credit: Alice Mutasa

“During those recent riots, I made huge asks of the police and of the criminal justice system – people already stretched to the limit… Let me tell you this – they delivered.” Earlier this week, Sir Keir Starmer expressed gratitude for people working in the criminal justice system who did their part to meet demands during the riots. He also acknowledged that the justice system is broken and vowed to fix the foundations of society.  When data was last analysed, there had been a 26% drop in duty solicitors providing representation at police stations and fewer than 4% of duty solicitors are under 35 years old – and there are no duty solicitors under 35 in Cornwall, Lincolnshire, Wiltshire or Worcestershire.  The deterioration will worsen as the workforce gets older and people continue to leave the financially inviable sector – potentially leaving the public without key support when experiencing the criminal justice system. The sustainability of criminal legal aid remains top of our agenda. We’re aware of the continued pressures on the system and members working within it, including the impact of Operation Early Dawn.  The general election disrupted our discussions with government about the outcome of the judicial review, but we’re continuing to engage and push the issue with ministers. We will update members as we work with the new government to rebuild the foundations of the criminal justice system.  

The dreaded gavel 🧑⚖️🛑 American media seems to have had a substantial impact on how law and the legal profession is perceived by many people in Britain. A classic example is when a stock image of a gavel makes its way into a news article about British law - unlike in America, of course, gavels are not and have never been used in English and Welsh courts. Or, there are the many appearances of gavels in courts scenes on British TV - the attached image is from 'The Scandalous Lady W'. The issue has become so commonplace that a X account '@igavels' is dedicated to sharing the use of gavels in the media and on TV. So, how many legal Americanisms have made their way over to Britain? We asked Californian graduate diploma in law student Elijah Granet to help us compile some of the most famous examples. Here are a couple of them: 'Taking the stand' has found its way in a few British news headlines, despite the fact that English and Welsh courts - unlike American courts - don't have a witness stand. Ours have a witness box. 'Trespassers will be prosecuted' are offered by many sign sellers across Britain, but they're not very relevant domestically. While in America trespassers can be prosecuted and in some states shot on sight, English and Welsh law generally treats trespass as a civil tort, making the signs a worthless decoration. Comment any other examples you can think of!

"This achievement is not just a personal victory, but a testament to the power of hard work and determination." A huge congratulations to Celeste Chen, who recently attended her admissions ceremony. 👏 Reflecting on her journey, she offers some great words of advice: "For anyone out there striving to reach their goals, remember that every challenge is an opportunity to grow, and every setback is a setup for a comeback." Speaking on the ceremony, Celeste said: "Thank you to Mark Evans, deputy vice president, for kindly sharing your inspiring journey with us. It really resonated with me personally and professionally and made me reflect on my journey so far in this great profession. As a member of the Law Society, Celeste joins a community of like-minded and engaged professionals working together to grow as solicitors. ⚖️ ✨ It’s never too late to celebrate your success! You can book your place at an upcoming admissions ceremony here: https://ow.ly/IEbX50T7hlc