2023 BLS AWARD WINNERS CELEBRATE SUCCESS: PART2

Liberty Green

Paralegal Of The Year

How have you celebrated your win? I would like to say a huge thank you to BLS as I still cannot quite believe that I have won this award. I celebrated the moment with some colleagues and later that week had dinner with close friends. It was a lovely opportunity to reflect on this achievement and express my gratitude to those who have supported me along the way.

Is there anyone that you would like to thank who has been instrumental in your success? I am sincerely grateful for the incredible support which has been provided by Andrew Forrest and my fantastic colleagues within the EPI and HR Rely teams at Weightmans. I would like to especially thank Ashley Powis whose mentorship, feedback and patience has been invaluable in helping me grow and succeed in my work.

If you had to make an elevator/twitter pitch about your day to day role what would it be? Being a Paralegal at Weightmans is an incredibly varied role as I work on a mixture of contentious and non-contentious matters. My job primarily includes providing advice directly to clients concerning the full spectrum of HR issues. Alongside this, I support and complete case management of Employment Tribunal claims, which includes but is not limited to, liaising with Tribunals, drafting of applications/witness statements, making telephone calls or holding virtual and/or in person client meetings, and requesting and reviewing evidence and providing advice. I also conduct my own advocacy at Employment Tribunal Hearings. Within my role I have some incredible opportunities, such as to provide secondment cover for clients acting as their in-house employment lawyer. I produced and presenting HR training directly to various clients both in person and virtually and I have also internally presented legal update presentations and worked with a team who pitch the firm’s products to clients. In summary - no two days are alike.

What has the pandemic taught you? As a Paralegal my biggest take away from the pandemic has been the importance of adaptability. Whether this be adapting to new working conditions, such as remote working and virtual Tribunal proceedings, to learning how to use new technology and platforms to communicate with colleagues and clients.

If you could create one new law what would it be? The Fair Remote Working Employment Act – This act would be aimed at promoting fair practices and providing additional protection for remote employees. I would ensure that the act includes provisions for 1) Equal treatment of remote employees: specifically, this would include equal pay, access to training and development opportunities, and the ability to participate in company cultural events. 2) Transparency: a key focus being on employers ensuring that remote employees have clear role expectations, performance tracking and access to career development opportunities. 3) The right to disconnect: this right would allow employees to disconnect outside of their working hours and outline that employers must respect and not penalise remote employees for not being available outside of their working hours.

What one thing do you think lawyers need to do to be better?

I believe lawyers should always be striving for better regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR). As a starting point I feel it is important to ensure that the following is continually under review: 1) The incorporation of CSR into the firm culture and ensuring the values have a core emphasis within the business strategies. 2) Adopting sustainable business practices to reduce a firm’s environmental footprint and advocating for environmental causes. 3) Supporting varied charitable causes though fundraising, providing access to resources and volunteering time which is invaluable.

Fiona Farrel Solictor Of The Year

How have you celebrated your win? In being nominated for Solicitor of the Year and undertaking the application process, it allowed me to self-reflect on why I am a lawyer, what drives me and how I can best serve the profession and community in which I practice. Ahead of my win, I therefore applied for a new role at Birmingham City University within their Law Clinic which combines a passion for legal practice, vocational training for the next generation of lawyers to enable much needed access to the profession and pro bono/ community work. My win was, therefore, followed by a change in roles which was cause for celebration but possible, in part, because of the fantastic support I had from my previous employer, Irwin Mitchell and the opportunity provided by Birmingham City University.

Is there anyone that you would like to thank who has been instrumental in your success? My family have played an essential role. Professionally, I have been lucky to be mentored by so many people throughout my career but a special mention to Nigel Mears who took a chance on a very green trainee, Mary Kaye who set an example in terms of pro bono/ community work, Zahra Pabani who was instrumental in mentoring me throughout my career (for which I am so thankful) and lastly (but by no means least) the Family Team at Irwin Mitchell- I am privileged to have worked with the best!

If you had to make an elevator/twitter pitch about your day to day role what would it be?

My new role involves supporting the students during their clinical education, enhancing their knowledge, skills and professional development through ‘doing’, growing the clinical offering, teaching, providing opportunities/ access to the legal profession, careers insight and developing our pro-bono/ community offering. I work closely with the Central England Law Centre and Support Through Court and we are looking to launch further pro bono clinics in the near future so watch this space!

What has the pandemic taught you? I need people! The pandemic taught me that as a lawyer you are only as good as your team and that colleagues, their wisdom, shared knowledge, sense of humour and care is a compelling reason to go to work.

If you could create one new law what would it be? I would create a law which would properly fund Legal Aid or an equivalent to assist reduce the staggering level of unmet legal need. Whilst we, as lawyers, often talk about the importance of providing access to justice and upholding the rule of law this often feels like an abstract concept.

In reality what it looks like is far more human, far more fundamental ; the right to liberty, the right to advocate for habitable housing, access to turning on your heating, fair benefits if you are unwell or disabled, recourse in terms of employment if you are treated unfairly, immigration status and access of children to parents, to name just a few. These are essentials and yet in times of crisis, when these fundamentals are at risk, millions of people have to face the complexities of the legal system alone. The CAB statistics are bleak and demonstrate the widening chasm between those who have and those who do not; those who feel that the justice system is for them as opposed to something they are subject to.

What one thing do you think lawyers need to do to be better? Managing expectation from the first meeting- there is no magic fix and Court rarely is the best outcome- find solutions and compromise where possible. Always consider ADR.