3 minute read
Foreword
Foreword
SPRING 2024
I feel privileged to be serving as guest editor for this edition of Legal Women magazine and am grateful to our Founder and Editor-in-Chief Coral Hill for according me this opportunity. It is fascinating to be privy to the intricacies involved in co-ordinating and collating information for publication.
The legal landscape appears to be changing in relation to the non-traditional routes to qualifying as a solicitor, on the premise of advancing social mobility and levelling the playing field in terms of accessing the profession. Specifically, the significant uptake of Solicitors Apprenticeships and the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) which was launched by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) in 2021.
Consequently, this has meant that those from ethnic minority and limited socio- economic backgrounds now have the opportunity to enter the profession. In tandem, these non-traditional routes have the added benefit of enabling non-law graduates/ professionals the opportunity to become solicitors without the need for completing a conversion course like the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) in the case of the SQE route. Education providers like Barbri, have developed a pre-SQE 1 foundational course which covers basic law principals aimed at non-law graduates.
This edition features contributions from women who have taken these paths to qualification, those in the process of entering it and those like myself who have just entered it, (having recently qualified). Reading their personal stories has been refreshing, albeit nostalgic, as it took me back to my own non-traditional route to qualification which began after graduating from BPP
University. I opted to complete the New York Bar course during the pandemic and qualify as a New York Attorney whilst simultaneously completing the Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme (QLTS),so I was inspired to include my personal story.
We also get to hear from the Course Tutor and Coaches perspective on the advice they would offer students and those considering embarking on this journey.
Refreshingly, more law firms are now receptive to these routes as evidenced by the rise of law firms and institutions ascribing to them.
Additionally, we will hear from women who are already in the legal field and have made the transition from private practice to in-house. On this topic I interviewed one of my mentors as well as my former boss on their personal experiences of this, which will hopefully serve as “food for thought” to those considering making the transition. ■
Charity Mafuba
Solicitor (England and Wales), New York Attorney, Advisory Board Member - Barbri
LW magazine is for everyone; lawyers, solicitors, barristers, advocates, judges, legal executives and those working as paralegals, legal secretaries, advisers or recruiters, the list is endless. We welcome the many male champions as readers and contributors.
Our mission is to:
■ Provide clear information on gender parity
■ Inspire practical initiatives to create real change
■ Promote innovation in leadership and practice
