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Continued from previous page Most of my colleagues join committees within the Law Society and then put themselves forward for nomination onto Council however I did the reverse and joined Council first with no experience of special interest Committees. For me this worked really well. It allowed me to have exposure on many different Committees and to see how the work of the Law Society blends across many different areas of law. It also allowed me to see the dual purpose of the Society as a representative and regulatory body also and to experience two different types of Committees. As a younger Council member, I like to think I brought a modern approach to legal reform to the Society, helping the Society to tune into the needs of younger members, especially when my formative years as a solicitor came during the recession years, and the struggle junior solicitors had in the profession with job retention. How and why do you think lawyers should get involved with The Law Society? I would encourage any solicitor regardless of age, experience or area of practice to become involved in the Law Society because the knowledge and support you receive from your colleagues in the Society is immeasurable and you get to experience the justice system as a whole and not just the area of law you practice in. There are several different initiatives run by the Society both socially and in working groups which allow you to develop your colleague network and legal knowledge and, as a result, the Society works extremely collaboratively with its members and takes great interest in attracting diversity from its members onto Committees and Working Groups from all walks of life. For anyone interested in becoming involved, I would encourage colleagues to join local association groups in their local area or to apply to join committees and working groups within the Society by providing short resumes of their experience and interests. What was your strategy during your time as President? I am currently concluding my extended year as Senior Vice President having completed my Presidential year from 20182019. When I took over the Presidency, I inherited a blueprint from my predecessors for modernisation and a Society which meets the changing needs of the solicitors’ profession. I think each President, has in their own way, uniquely contributed to this framework for change. In my year, the focus on digitalisation of access to justice was a key theme and my greatest achievement as President was seeing how digitalisation allowed solicitors to transition to remote working during the Pandemic. What tips do you have for junior lawyers wanting to follow your path in the profession? I firmly believe there is no “yellow brick road” career path for solicitors. The path you choose, is you own path. The benefit of older colleagues is simply to give you signposts. My main signposts to junior lawyers are: ■ be yourself, ■ do what interests you in the profession because you will enjoy it more, ■ see the bigger picture in the legal community for widening opportunities - recognising and remembering your qualification as a lawyer gives you an enormous skill set which is invaluable in allowing you to explore different employment opportunities, for example, in management, finance and business roles. ■
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Did you know? 17 July was International Criminal Justice Day Thanks to the ICC for this great one-minute video to mark it. https://twitter.com/i/status/1416469844048887808 Dame Lilian Charlotte Barker at the National Portrait Gallery The National Portrait Gallery has images and research on Dame Lilian Charlotte Barker. She was the first British female assistant prison commissioner and spent her whole career dedicated to this work, providing the basis for the modern day female correctional facilities in Great Britain. About | A Mighty Girl A Mighty Girl is the world’s largest collection of books, toys, movies, and music for parents, teachers, and others dedicated to raising smart, confident, and courageous girls and, of course, for girls themselves! The site was founded on the belief that all children should have the opportunity to read books, play with toys, listen to music, and watch movies that offer positive messages about girls and honor their diverse capabilities. How to reduce Zoom fatigue Try to replicate a usual environment by: ■ Shrinking the Zoom app window and /or increase the distance between yourself and the screen; continuous eye contact is tiring, and evolution has makes us more alert if sets of eyes are watching us – none of this contributes to being relaxed. ■ Hide the self-view window, to reduce distractions ■ For long meetings with large numbers of people, use audio only when appropriate, so you can move around your room, e.g. standing and listening to the meeting and looking out of the window to rest your eyes. We have a ‘Shecession’ Recessions usually damage men’s workplaces first but COVID is triggering the worst impact on women’s jobs for decades. The pandemic has impacted retail and hospitality which are female -dominated and in other areas of work, the impact of caring responsibilities for children or older relatives means that women’s economic empowerment is declining with untold damage to the individual women and families but also the economy overall (PwC Women in Work Index). So how come Rishi Sunak mentioned women only twice in his whole Budget speech? To see ideas on how to ensure women’s economic interests are taken into account go to the Women’s Budget Group https://wbg. org.uk/. Now more than ever women need to be involved in decision-making. ■
