Back in October we hosted our second Women in Law conference. We invited girls and young women from across our regions for a day of talks and networking with a room full of inspiring women lawyers. Here ambassador Ocean shares what she enjoyed about the day.

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Hello everyone, I’m Ocean

I’m an Ambassador for The Girls' Network. Over the past year I’ve had the opportunity to do some amazing things - from attending a Law conference to visiting Downing Street and contributing to the Ambassador Advisory Group.

I’m currently in my first year studying Law at Kent University, after having studied English Literature, History, and Sociology. My passion for Law started with a simple goal: I wanted to be part of the change. Growing up, I never saw many people like me - someone from an ethnic minority background - in the legal profession. I’m Nepalese, and I’m the first in my family to study law. Representation matters, and that’s why I’m here, pushing for change.

As an Ambassador I was involved in our second The Girls’ Network inspiring law conference, bringing together young people eager to explore the diverse field of law. I had the privilege of speaking at the conference at Middle Temple in London. The event included engaging talks, practical legal tasks, and interactive debates, all aimed at educating and motivating Ambassadors to consider a career in law. Networking opportunities with women from various legal backgrounds provided valuable insights into different career paths and the range of support and pathways available for aspiring legal professionals.

What truly sparked my interest in reforming the judicial system was reading the Law Society Gazette and coming across the case involving the UK government’s Rwanda Asylum Plan. Under this plan, asylum seekers were to be sent to a third-world country under the pretense of safety. 

But, as we know, the reality was much darker. In 2018, Rwandan authorities killed 12 Congolese refugees who were peacefully protesting food cuts. The idea of sending vulnerable people into such dangerous situations goes against everything the Human Rights Act of 1998 stands for.

For me, this case highlights why we need people in law who are willing to fight for fairness, for justice, and for human rights.

As a young person from a minority background, I know how underrepresented people like me are in law. But I’m determined to be part of that change, to challenge the status quo, and to inspire others along the way.

Here is some of the feedback that other ambassadors shared about the event: 

"Today was a great experience that helped me understand what different types of law are, what different careers there are in law, and how there are more diverse areas than I originally thought. It helped me to learn how to network and explain myself to someone."

"I enjoyed learning new things today and talking with everyone. I have started to understand more of how it is, how to get into law and prepare for what's coming. The pace everyone was going at was amazing and now I’m starting to become more prepared for work ahead and to reach my goals."

"I have enjoyed learning about different jobs and different types of law. And also meeting and talking to new people."

"Today was amazing, an eye-opening experience learning so much about how I need to approach law and what I need to do to make myself stand out. Thank you to everyone."

“I had a lovely day! Thank you for all the hard work and dedication that has been put into today.”

Watch a video about the day here:

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We are very grateful to all the women who attended this event and to their firms for supporting them to do so. A special thank you to our wonderful mentor Iona, a practicing barrister, who helped us to plan and organise the day and used her network to get so many other brilliant women to attend too!