At the end of last year we ran our first ever Women in Law conference. It was a brilliant event packed with talks, legal tasks and debates, all aimed at demystifying the law scene, showing off its diverse side and giving our mentees and ambassadors the chance to rub shoulders with legal pros without the nerve-wracking vibes.

A big thanks to our mentor Iona who helped organise the event and to all the generous law partners who stepped up to help with the venue, the food, and even some cash for travel. 

Our three awesome ambassadors – Farheen, Rahman and Theresa shared their stories, introduced guests and got debates going and ambassador Ishrat supported by stewarding the event.

The ambassadors and mentors who came along left the Parliament chamber loaded with facts and inspiration to take on the law world. 

Here Iona shares why she wanted to organise this event for girls and young women and a little more about what the day involved...

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I have been a mentor with The Girls' Network for a couple of years and I am currently undertaking pupillage (training to become a barrister) with 5 Pump Court in London. 

Through my volunteering I noticed that there were a lot of girls who were interested in a career in law but a limited amount of mentors with a legal background for them to be matched with. So I contacted The Girls' Network about hosting a Women in Law event that would bring together mentees, ambassadors and female legal professionals. 

I secured sponsorship for the event and I am incredibly grateful to all the law firms, chambers, and personal donations that made the event possible. We were able to bring together 30 girls and 30 female legal professionals. It was really important for me to have a range of legal professionals at various stages of their career. We had paralegals, trainee solicitors, solicitor apprentices, pupil barristers, barristers, and solicitors. 

We had a series of panel talks throughout the day hearing from women about their pathways to law and the hurdles they had to overcome on their journey. There was a debate about whether or not barristers should wear wigs and gowns, and lots of discussions between the girls and the professionals. The day ended with a talk from two judges, Dame Justice Maura McGowan, and HHJ Sapnara. The girls had the opportunity to ask the judges questions and my favourite one was ‘do you know all the laws?’

I wish I had the opportunity to attend something like this when I was younger and ask all those questions I couldn’t find the answers to anywhere else. I hope that this day has given the girls an insight into the legal profession and shown them that, should they want it, there is a place for them here.

Savera an ambassador who attended the conference said:

“For me, the Women in law event provided a platform for legal professionals to network with aspiring lawyers to exchange ideas, learn from one another and stay updated on the latest developments in the field. It was a great opportunity to network and build professional relationships.”

Savera recently wrote a blog post for us about her own journey into Law - you can read it here. 

And you can watch our video from the conference here:

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Thank you to everyone who made this event possible, it was a brilliant and inspiring day for everyone involved. If you want to find out more about a career in Law you can watch our online workshop here.

If you'd like to help us put on an event to help girls and young women learn more about the industry you work in, please get in touch with our Ambassador Community Lead Rabina - [email protected]