JUNIOR LAW DIVISION

Surrey Junior Lawyers Division Report

SJLD held its second Annual Gala on Friday 8th March 2024 at the Guildford Harbour Hotel & Spa, and what a success it was, if we do say so ourselves! We had over 100 attendees on the night, ranging from university students, to paralegals, to pupil barristers, to trainees, to junior solicitors and to junior barristers. We even had Surrey Law Society’s very own Sushila Abraham (Law Society Council Member for Surrey) in attendance on the evening (thank you, Sushila)! The photos speak for themselves on how well everyone scrubbed up!

On the evening, we enjoyed talks from SJLD Chair Bethany Walker, Zac Marshall from G2 Legal, Deputy Vice President of the Law Society Mark Evans and Director of the Halow Project Neil Wheeler, along with two incredible individuals benefitting from the work of the Halow Project. It was incredible to have Mark Evans in attendance on behalf of the Law Society, who gave an inspiring speech on his journey from junior lawyer to future President of the Law Society of England and Wales and how important it is to make the most of the network around you, especially at the junior stage of your career. Thank you to Mark for attending and we hope that he enjoyed himself and his very first visit to Guildford!

As touched on, it was also fantastic to have representatives from our chosen charity of the year, the Halow Project, in attendance on the evening too. We heard about the brilliant work that the charity does in supporting young people with autism and learning difficulties and are very pleased to announce that everyone who attended on the evening contributed to the fantastic £2425 raised for the charity, through a percentage of the ticket sales and through the proceeds from the raffle on the night. Congratulations to those who won a raffle prize on the evening (including a helicopter ride!), brilliantly organised by our Charity Representative, Joanna Earl, along with the support of Surrey Law Society Representative, Katie Foulds.

We then enjoyed some wonderful food, drinks and dancing to round off the evening, with a touch of magic from our magician.

A huge thank you from SJLD to everyone who attended and to everyone who contributed to making it the success that it was, including the SJLD Committee as a whole, with a special thanks in particular to SJLD Events Representatives Ellie Sullivan, Joe Lloyd-Perks and Daniel Hart, Chair Bethany Walker, Vice Chairs Alex Watson-Lee and Bisma Hussain (with Bisma also being the SJLD Sponsorship Representative and integral to securing sponsorship to make the event happen), Treasurer Seema Gill and Charity Representative Joanna Earl.

SJLD would also like to thank its main sponsor of the evening being G2 Legal, with a particular thanks to Zac Marshall and Gayle Woolf who attended on the evening to represent the recruitment agency, as well as thanking the table sponsors, being Moore Barlow, Stevens & Bolton LLP, Lamb Brooks, Morr & Co LLP and Guildford Chambers. SJLD is hugely grateful for the support of these sponsors as otherwise it would not be able to put on such an event.

SJLD looks forward to next year already and hopes to see as many of you there as possible again! If you would like to sponsor our Gala next year and have the opportunity of getting your firm/company’s name out there to a huge number of junior lawyers in the Surrey area, then please do get in touch at surreyjuniorlawyersdivision@gmail.com. It is never too early!

SJLD Let’s Talk: Practice Areas

Looking back further, Chair and Universities & Colleges Representative, Bethany Walker, held a virtual session titled ‘Let’s Talk: Practice Areas’ on Tuesday 23rd January 2024 aimed at aspiring lawyers or trainee lawyers looking to find out more about various practice areas that you find in a typical private practice set up. The session was chaired by SJLD Vice Chair, Alex Watson-Lee, leading our panellists on the evening representing their respective practice areas, being Anoushka Nehra (Private Wealth Disputes), Natalie Dunn (Family), Chantelle de Filippis (Employment), Dean Outten (Corporate), Bethany Walker (Private Wealth), Martin Whitehorn (Property), Sarah Wilson (Personal Injury) and Olivia Bishop (Commercial Dispute Resolution). Thank you to our fantastic panellists who gave up their time to tell our aspiring lawyers why they should consider their respective practice areas and what made them fall for said areas in the first place, as well as to the 40 people who attended virtually on the evening to tune in!

Wellbeing in the junior lawyer community

SJLD Wellness Representatives Alexandra Pruvost & Danielle Mcleod have been working on encouraging more of a ‘speak up’ culture in the junior lawyer community and also highlighting how we are all in the same boat in terms of the highs and lows that we will naturally go through as junior lawyers. Our Wellness Representatives have a wholesome event lined up for Mental Health Awareness Week to get everyone together and talking but, in the meantime, have been circulating some beautiful photos and quotes on our Surrey Junior Lawyers Division LinkedIn page to provide you with a welcome break on your timelines and a moment to pause, breathe and reflect. If you do not already follow us, then please follow our LinkedIn and social media pages (Instagram and X) for these very welcome breathers, as well as, of course, being able to keep up to date with our upcoming events, initiatives and news from the wider junior lawyer community.

Coming Up – ‘Get Your Foot In The Door’ with Lavanya Hart, Daisy Welland and Ellie Sullivan

Join SJLD for an exciting online event, over two sessions, that will help you kick-start your career! Whether you're a fresh graduate or looking to begin a career in the legal industry, this is the perfect chance to learn from three of the Surrey Junior Lawyers Division committee members and to gain valuable insights into the industry. Our interactive sessions will give you the tools you need to stand out from the crowd.

SJLD Diversity & Inclusion Representative, Lavanya Hart, Events Representative, Ellie Sullivan and Secretary, Daisy Welland, will be hosting these sessions which aim to inspire and guide aspiring lawyers looking to start their career in law, regardless of their backgrounds. Each session will also include a Q&A to address any specific concerns you may have.

Session 1 will take place on Wednesday 10 April 2024 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm (Becoming a Desirable Candidate). Session 2 will take place on Thursday 11 April 2024 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm (Tips & Tricks for Applications and Interviews). The Microsoft Teams login for each session will be sent to you via email one week before the first session. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to advance your career and speak to those who have been in your shoes. Reserve your spot today by heading to the SJLD Eventbrite page and signing up for free!

Coming Up – ‘Pathways to Law’ (SJLD and University of Surrey collaboration)

Calling all aspiring lawyers! On Tuesday 23rd April, being hosted in person at the University of Surrey, SJLD and the University of Surrey will be coming together to discuss and help students, career changers and aspiring lawyers apply their soft and transferable skills towards shaping a career in law. We are very grateful to have SJLD Chair, Bethany Walker, SJLD Vice Chair, Alex Watson-Lee, SJLD Events Representative, Joe Lloyd-Perks, SJLD Career Changer Representative, Linda Asare, Senior Lecturer and Director of Employability (School of Law) at the University of Surrey, Claire Lillywhite, and Membership Development Manager of the Law Society, Stephen Drew, with us on the evening to give their insights. Thank you to our Career Changer Representative, Linda Asare, for organising this event and initiative and bringing together aspiring lawyers in Surrey for the evening.

To secure your spot, please visit the SJLD Eventbrite page to sign up for free. Refreshments will be provided on the evening, courtesy of the University of Surrey.

Coming Up – Guildford Legal Walk

In aid of the London Legal Support Trust (LLST), the Guildford Legal Walk is back on Monday 8th July 2024 and SJLD will have a team again taking on the Guildford 10K walk through the beautiful Chantries Woods and up onto Pewley Down, all whilst raising money for the LLST and the work that it does in providing accessible legal support to those who need it most and otherwise would not be able to afford it.

If you would like to be part of SJLD’s walking team, then please do get in touch on surreyjuniorlawyersdivision@gmail.com so that we can note you as joining the team and please keep an eye out on our social media and LinkedIn page for information on how to donate to our charity page to support the LLST and help to raise as much money as possible. We look forward to seeing you there if you will be taking part with your firm!

As you can see, we have a busy few months ahead, with other events in the pipeline but not yet announced, so do keep up to date by following SJLD and we look forward to seeing you very soon at our upcoming events! ■