Naeema Yaqoob Sajid (She/Her)’s Post

Pause for a moment. Read this post. Reflect. Absorb. And if you are lucky enough to have a black women in your inner circle, share this with her and let her tell you her story. That is what #blackhistorymonth and this year’s theme #reclaimingnarratives is all about. I for one want to hear their stories and narratives not the one’s outdated structures and cultures have decided to force upon them. 🙏🏽 Brianella Scott Jamila Archibald Gloria Adetula Thank you Charna Walfall 👏🏽

Did you miss yesterdays sold out ‘Look Up and Beyond’ event? Fear not, here are the highlights: Topic: How to elevate your business development. Panelist’s: Beena Sharma, Grieg Honeyman and Laila Kennedy What did we cover? 💡Imposter syndrome: real v fake, advantages v disadvantages, challenges v solutions 💡Work/life balance: gaining v maintaining, leading by example and one size doesn’t fit all 💡 Networking 101: The secrets to success 💡 Managing expectation: Personal and professional And with an insightful discussion on reforming legal education and embracing structural and cultural change, for good measure. Couldn’t have asked for a better panel and a more engaged audience. Huge thank you to Thorntons Law LLP for sponsoring the event and a special mention to the wonderful early career talent team at Look Up and Beyond 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Looking forward to our next event. Like to collaborate with us? Reach out to me or any of the team: Danielle Shand Rose Grant Lesley Allan Jacqueline Moore Ruth Croman Angela Fyfe Naomi Pryde Catriona MacPhail Rupa Mooker Rachel Williams

Welcome to Black History Month. I'd like to learn and share about this important event, especially with friends and colleague in the Scottish legal progression. I feel there is a genuine and large gap of knowledge, including my own. I've made a personal effort to educate myself by having conversations with legal professions with the relatable experience, culture and heritage. It takes time, commitment, resources and the will to want to learn. The subject matter is massive, as are the rewards, particularly in terms of developing your emotional and cultural intelligence. Managers and leaders take note. It's something I'm still working on. Every conversation I have leads me one step closer to my goal - to fill my knowledge gap, a gap that should have started to be filled at school. This year's theme 'reclaiming the narrative' is particularly pertinent. It is something we can all embrace to help educate (or re-educate) ourselves. Therefore, I'm reaching out my network of Black legal professionals. Educate me. I'm here to learn. 🙏 Gloria Adetula Iona Nelson Isa Musaddaq Katie D. Madiha Waseem Zayn Ali Annie Allan Ammara Farooq Anmol Rana Hosniea Ghousi

Everyone likes to learn - agree? And free education should be a basic tool available for all. I’m guessing you won’t disagree with that. Therefore, we now have a section on our website dedicated to sharing resources - free! Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/e4khXbZy In the coming weeks and months we will be adding to the resources with lots of topical information and ideas. If you have a particular interest or specialism in all things equity, equality, diversity and inclusion and would like to collaborate with us to add to these resources, please reach out. We’re not in this space to be alone, there’s nothing inclusive about that. We don’t pretend we have all the solutions, but we’re willing to learn and share. We love to collaborate and help others grow. And most importantly, there’s room enough for everyone. Reach out to share and learn with us 🙏🏽 Diversity+

While we celebrate 75 years of female KC’s in England and Wales 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 let’s talk about something we don’t talk enough about because too many believe it’s no longer an issue. The gender pay gap in the legal profession in the UK, which is very much alive and kicking. Why talk about it now? Because I was stopped in my tracks yesterday when I paused to read an email from Rachel Spink of Female Lawyers' Club. If you don’t follow Rachel and sign up for her newsletters, you should (link in comments). Here’s just some of the things Rachel eloquently highlighted (full blog below): 😱 The gender pay gap in the UK legal profession sits at a shocking 25.4%, one of the largest in any industry. Now for a profession that is build on principles such as fairness, justice and equality - what does that say about us? 🆓 This stark figure means that as of Monday 30 September 2024, many of us will essentially be working for free for the rest of the year. Which lawyer would advice their client that this is a just outcome? Why does it persist, despite the many advances women have made in the profession? Here are Rachel’s thoughts: ✋🏽Lack of women in senior roles 🕥 Part-time work and flexible arrangements. 💷 Biases in pay negotiations 💡Perceived value of "soft skills" What can we do about it? £ Know our worth. ✋🏽Negotiate better 👍🏽 Consider working for a fee share firm. And for my tuppence worth, support and join organisations who are fighting for equitable outcomes in the legal profession, like the Female Lawyers' Club, Diversity+ and Look Up and Beyond. How does it feel working for free today? Not so good I imagine 😔 Enjoy the read and I hope it makes you pause and think.