3 minute read
Alternative Careers in Law
Meet Louise Hall
Legal Women talks to Louise Hall, Senior Lecturer in Law, Solicitor and Salford Information and Legal Knowledge Scheme ( SILKS) legal employability Lead at Salford Business School.
Having worked in both the private and not-for-profit sector, Louise made the transition to academia in 2016.
Louise has been an instrumental part of the team establishing and leading SILKS: the pro bono law clinic offers free and impartial legal advice to members of the Salford community, enabling students to observe real world cases to improve their learning.
“When I first graduated, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue a career in law, but I did a year of work experience with the Crown Prosecution Service after graduation, and that made me realise that it was something I wanted to continue with”…. I qualified as a solicitor in 1998, and undertook my training contract in private practice’’.
Louise started her career in private practice, before moving to the not-for-profit sector, where she undertook senior -management roles and continued with her focus on housing law. Advocating on behalf of tenants, she took on cases which included disrepair, homelessness, possession proceedings and anti-social behavioural issues.
“I loved the flexibility that my not-for-profit role offered me at that time in my career when I had very young children. For me, I have always had a focus on Social Welfare law. I feel the focus of students is often on corporate law or private practice, whereas there are actually more options available than you might think and I feel it’s part of my role to inform the students of all the possibilities.”
Working her way up to Managing Solicitor for North Manchester Law Centre and Manchester Citizens Advice Bureau, Louise balanced her career with being a mum to her young family. It was in 2016 that she decided to take the leap into academia, when a role opened up at the University of Salford.
“The University has such a strong focus on industry partnerships and ensuring employability in our students,” says Louise. “It meant that I could give something back by teaching, while still maintaining my work as a practising solicitor.”
“The best thing about being an academic? Watching the students succeed. And I don’t just mean those who shine academically: I like working with students from all backgrounds, and giving them the tools and the confidence to make decisions about their career paths, whether that be in law or otherwise.”
As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field, Louise is no stranger to challenges.
“I think women face different challenges to men,” she says. “If you want to start a family, that obviously impacts on your career, and finding that balance is difficult. Even at a young age, I find that female students are thinking about this, whereas men don’t share the same focus. Luckily, lots of organisations are becoming more flexible and introducing part-time positions, but there’s still a lot of progress to be made.”
To find out more about undergraduate law at Salford Business School, visit LLB (Hons) Law | University of Salford ■
