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Professor Sara Chandler QC (Hon), the first-ever female President of the FBE, talks to Charity Mafuba about her career as a lawyer
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ara Chandler qualified as a lawyer at 49, reinforcing the “it’s never too late” adage. She has always had an interest in Social Law and spoke to Charity Mafuba about what has inspired her in her career so far and her work for the FBE.
African jurisdictions. The FBE is changing. While I was President, we established an Equalities Commission, we have more women taking leadership roles, and there are more black lawyers attending congresses and participating in the Commissions.
Prior to her legal career, Sara Chandler travelled to Chile to carry out research for her PhD. However, the military coup of General Pinochet resulted in her return to London where she worked with Chilean Human Rights groups including supporting Chilean refugees. Sara then spent six years as a bilingual social worker and was first introduced to the law while on a placement at North Lewisham Law Centre. She then studied law on a part-time evening course, subsequently working as a qualified solicitor for some years in South London before moving to the Plumstead Law Centre as a housing solicitor.
What was your journey towards the election as President? In 2006 I attended as President of Westminster & Holborn Law Society and I was introduced to the Human Rights Commission. This was important for me as I have been active in human rights campaigns since the 1970s. However it was not until 2015 that I was elected to the FBE Presidency after having been Chair of the Human Rights Commission for a number of years. I had been able to bring Colombian human rights lawyers to the FBE congresses in three different years and my profile was raised as the Chair of the Human Rights Commission. This meant that when I broke the mould of “tap on the shoulder” of a chosen candidate, I stood and got elected. It was admittedly by a small margin, but it was novel to have an election.
In 2003 Sara was appointed as the first Supervising Solicitor at the College of Law’s Legal Advice Centre in Bloomsbury. She went on to become the Director of Pro Bono for the entire college in 2006. In 2008, Sara became Professor of Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education at the College. She is now a supervising solicitor in the Legal Advice Clinic of London South Bank University and also a Visiting Professor in Clinical Legal Education. Sara continues to be a considerable force for change and in particular, she has been involved in policy reform. In her position as Chair of the Law Society’s Young Solicitors’ Group in 19992000, Sara successfully campaigned for the implementation of a trainee seat on the Law Society Council.
Do you have any suggestions on how women should approach developing their profile when standing in an election? I have experience in some organisations of standing for election and getting elected. The electorate needs to know who they are voting for and that can be done in the FBE by speaking up in congresses, working in commissions and reporting as Chair of a commission. The FBE also has debates on issues from the different jurisdictions and any bar association or law society can raise issues and debate.
Women should be ready to contact organisers of Women should be ready to contact Sara currently serves as Chair conferences, and seminars organisers of conferences, and seminars of the Equality, Diversity and to explain their expertise and to explain their expertise and how they Inclusion Committee of the how they could contribute as Council of the Law Society of panel members. It is always could contribute as panel members. England and Wales where she good to hear from enthusiastic has completed 19 years as a women members. Any lawyer Council Member. who is a member of an FBE member law society, such as Westminster & Holborn Law You were the first female FBE President, could you Society, can attend a congress. describe the diversity of the organisation as it was when you joined and now? What was the impact of your election on the FBE? I first attended the FBE in Barcelona as the Chair of the Law The election did change the focus of the FBE and encouraged Society’s Young Solicitors Group. I was the only female in the women to participate and stand for leadership roles. We now group from England & Wales and there were few women in the have an Equalities Commission and we have had two women event. I returned 6 years later in 2006 as President of Westminster Presidents since me and there will be another in 2023. As & Holborn Law Society (WHLS) which is a long-standing member President in 2017, I had the choice of topic for the Congress of the FBE and accounts for two FBE Presidents. and where it was held. Naturally, Westminster & Holborn was the centre of attention as the congress was organised in London in The congress of the FBE was strange. The panels of speakers November 2017, and the topic was Climate Change and the role were nearly always made up of men. However when the plenaries of lawyers. opened for discussion, there would be female lawyers asking questions and making comments from the floor. It was not a From the extensive travelling you have done with the FBE, racially diverse organisation, though delegates came from around what do you see as key differences in leadership between 250 bar associations and law societies from all over Europe. There different European countries? Is there a gender impact? were many nationalities and ethnicities but few people of colour. I have seen there are certain jurisdictions, such as Spain, where there are more women in leadership as the Deans of their bar Each year the FBE holds a Mediterranean Assize and that is associations. For example, while I was President, Madrid and more diverse because of the participation of lawyers from North Barcelona had women Deans. There is a change on the way 30 | LegalWomen
