A primary mission of International Women’s Day is to forge inclusive work cultures where women's careers thrive and their achievements are celebrated. Here at Wilkin Chapman, many of our colleagues have committed to making this reality.
Volunteering their time as mentors, they are guiding the next generation of lawyers through the Career Ready programme. We caught up to learn more about what mentoring means to them.
I am the first person in my family to attend university. I graduated with a bachelor’s in law from Manchester Metropolitan University in the summer of 2022 and have since began studying a Master’s in Legal Practice alongside the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) with The University of Law, all whilst working as a paralegal in the recoveries department.
My keen interest for the legal sector has been apparent ever since I was young. However, most recently I have found it intriguing that this sector will always be one that is in high demand. With modern technology constantly evolving and the need for a human workforce in many different industries decreasing, the public need for fair representation, alongside the promotion of justice and equality will always be prevalent.
I was adamant as soon as I saw the offer to become a mentor that I wanted to take part. The main reason for this was because back in 2015, I was a mentee with the programme myself and took away so many benefits from the experience.
Having a mentor to help me align my options and to guide me through the process of applying to university really helped me to achieve all that I wanted. If anything, I want to give back to my community and help another likeminded student in the same position that I found myself to be in all those years ago.
I’d like to see work experience and placements in the legal sector become more accessible for students. Providing our Career Ready mentees with work experience will give them a head start in making a strong application to, not only university, but vacancies within such a competitive sector. Showing that you are willing to learn, open to challenges, and dedicated to your future is vital when building a strong and reliable CV, but having the relevant experience to reflect this can be so hard to obtain.
I think running these opportunities will also benefit mentors like myself who would like to be challenged and put into a position where we are responsible for guiding another individual in the workplace, as opportunities like this can be rare.
I give my mentee the same advice I give to myself! It is so important to celebrate everything – even the little things. Every little bit of success that comes your way is building the path that leads you to your end goal. If you’ve worked hard for something, why not celebrate it?
I have always had an interest in pursuing a career in the legal sector which is what drew me to apply to Wilkin Chapman as a paralegal in 2018, straight after completing my A-Levels. This role solidified that a legal career would be something I’d enjoy, which led to my decision to leave my role as a paralegal to complete my LLB law degree in 2019.
In the final year of my degree, I was lucky enough to be given a training contract at the firm, starting in2024. I’ll also work part-time in the meantime whilst I complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC).
It is definitely hard work balancing working part-time, commuting to Sheffield for a full-time course and ensuring I complete all the necessary work. That said, Wilkin Chapman is very supportive and flexible when I need to swap my working days to accommodate my exams or any study I need to do which definitely makes completion of the LPC more manageable!
It’s great to continue to work within the legal environment, build my experience and relationships within the firm as well as professional skills, all whilst completing the course and seeing how the concepts I am studying apply in real life.
Whilst completing my A-Levels, I didn’t realise the Career Ready programme was in place at the time. Looking back, it would have been beneficial to have a mentor from a professional background to provide some guidance, advice, and work experience opportunities for progressing in the legal industry after college.
I was driven to become involved in the programme to hopefully help some of the A-Level students with building both their confidence and professional skills for their future journeys, particularly as I was always a shy student who would have massively benefitted from the programme when I was at college and contemplating a career in law.
Wilkin Chapman definitely embraces equity in the workplace by supporting colleagues in their personal journeys and does its best to accommodate each individual’s needs and goals.
The firm provides great opportunities for progression and recognise the value in developing its employees’ skills and knowledge through programmes like Cilex, which gives people the opportunity to qualify without the need to attend University or follow the traditional route.
