Surrey Junior Lawyers Division Report

REPORT

Surrey Junior Lawyers Division Report

Starting out in the legal profession never goes how you expected it to. You picture that you will graduate from your LLB or GDL, then obtain a training contract or pupillage almost immediately. You will readily secure the funds needed for your postgraduate degree and qualify as a lawyer into a practice area that appeals to you.

For most of us this is not always the case. Quite often, when we do finally obtain our first legal role, it isn’t always the right one.

That is why Surrey JLD is so important to me.

Surrey JLD brings together aspiring and junior lawyers in and around Surrey to provide opportunities, build connections and have fun. By organising educational and social events, we aim to make the journey into and through the profession that little bit less rough for our members.

My own experience of trying to enter the law was draining and it wasn’t until I joined the firm I’m at today that I felt hopeful about my future and increasingly certain about progressing through a profession that had seemed firmly closed off to me. Similarly, I have not met a single local JLD committee member who didn’t want to use their experiences to make that path easier for others. The legal profession benefits when the best people access it, regardless of connections or background, and we’re here to help.

On 11 February we and the JLD for Berks, Bucks and Oxon (JLD BB&O) ran a “How to Succeed as a Trainee” panel event with The University of Law. Trainee solicitors Sonay Erten, Adele Edwards, Jonny Farrell and Dinah Liu spoke about their experiences, from the use of non-legal work experience to obtain a training contract to the networking skills they have developed so they can not only be excellent lawyers but also win work.

I was pleased to organise a lunchtime Surrey JLD on Tour chat with Birmingham Solicitors’ Group to discuss the challenges our groups are facing and what we are doing to overcome them. Soon afterwards we enjoyed our second mixer with Herts JLD, JLD BB&O and Northants & Bucks JLD, but the highlight of February had to be our Speed Networking event on the 18th, organised by Kate Lewis and Adele Edwards.

While I continue to run my networking #CocoaWithTheCommittee and at the time of writing am looking forward to the 20th Cocoa tomorrow, it was such a joy to see so many of our members together, from both Surrey and beyond. I was delighted to see connections forming that evening and ecstatic when one attendee said Surrey JLD was the most active and welcoming junior lawyers group she had come across.

I should also mention that in January we took part in the JLD 30 Day Challenge, the #SurreyNotSurrey team walking and running a total of 708 miles over those days, helping to raise over £8,600 for Refuge with walkers across England, Wales and overseas.

Like the Junior Lawyers Division, membership with us is free. Our members currently include LPC and BPC students and graduates, paralegals, chartered legal executives, conveyancers, trainee solicitors, solicitor apprentices, solicitors of up to 5 years’ PQE, pupil barristers and junior barristers of up to 5 years’ practice. Still not sure if you’re a member? Just ask; chances are we’d love to have you.

All you have to do to keep up to date with our events is send an email asking to be added to our mailing list to: surreyjuniorlawyersdivision@gmail.com. ■