At the end of 2022 we ran a panel event on ‘Accessibility into Law for Black Lawyers’ where we covered the struggles and barriers our panellists faced along the various stages of pursuing a legal career. One of these stages included a very specific experience of studying to qualify whilst also working in the legal sector to gain experience, something both our panellists went through in their journey. It appears as though there is a cultural issue rooted in the legal sector where it's common to dismiss the pressures and demands of studying to qualify as a solicitor whilst simultaneously working in a legal role at a level that pleases their supervisors.
Like most people, Isaac and Maab worked while studying to become a solicitor, in order to help finance their LPC. This is a common situation many aspiring solicitors find themselves in, whether it's the LPC or SQE (Struggling with funding? Check our funding tips here). “I really did the LPC because all the jobs I was applying for at the time required the LPC.... Whilst I really was not able to afford to self-fund the LPC, I knew (that) in order to get a job that is within the sector that I am interested in; to hopefully get me a training contract… I had to do the LPC.” Maab explains the pressures of having to work alongside studying.
One of the key causes for concern that was highlighted during this event was that not every firm acknowledged the needs of staff who were studying alongside working. Isaac explains how not all law firms provide aspiring solicitors with study leave, often meaning students are forced to use up their annual leave in order to study and ensure they can pass their assessments to qualify. For those who do get study leave it may not be sufficient enough and some students may find they still need to ‘eat into’ their annual leave in order to continue studying.
Law Firm Culture
When it came to exploring the culture of firms and the response of co-workers to study leave Isaac explains “You have to request (time) for study leave, and people are aware (that) you’re doing this course but at times it’s like they forget…People act as if it’s a holiday when it’s not a holiday you’re actually exhausted and you need time to rest…” Before further expanding “It can be very very stressful…a lot of people had the feeling that people just did not care that you were doing this course and that you doing this course was a bit of an annoyance as opposed to (being) a necessary part of your training.” Highlighting a concerning response to the needs of aspiring solicitors and a lack of support in helping the future generation of lawyers.
However, what is the reasoning behind this lack of support and empathy? Maab often found that the approach more senior lawyers had was to liken it to their own experiences when they were looking to qualify as a solicitor and approach it through a lens of ‘if I could do it, so should you’, however, the landscape of the legal sector, its competitiveness and the various obstacles within the sector have changed over the years. This, coupled with external factors including the broader changes of the world, cost of living crisis, political changes, and more, have formed an entirely different landscape making the two experiences incomparable. When referencing a positive mentor figure Maab mentions “...I really wish a lot more lawyers were like that and they aren't hazing us because they were also hazed as juniors.” raising the question, is there a deep-rooted hazing culture in law?
As much as it is important for line managers, supervisors, and more broadly the firms, to ensure that their staff are fairly treated and have the ability to study for their assessments reasonably, it's also vital that students themselves make it clear the level of support they need and negotiate with their employer their needs as it is different for everyone. Law firms have never been known to be 'easy' places to work in and can be quite a culturally rigid environment, it certainly takes confidence and awareness to negotiate with the people around you. Are you negotiating your needs and boundaries clearly with your employer?
The Post-qualifying Experience?
In addition to the experiences of aspiring solicitors, what do newly qualified solicitors and junior lawyers overall feel regarding their place of employment? The Gazette recently published an article highlighting the results of a survey conducted by Thomson Reuters where they found a significant number of Associates from those surveyed felt underappreciated at their firms. 25% stated that they are 'somewhat or highly likely' to move from their current firm in the next two years and 12% were unsure in this regard. When it came to their reasoning, those surveyed stated that feeling underappreciated and the compensation system were their top reasons.
Firms making a positive change
Not all law firms are the same, each firm comes with its own culture, expected work hours, rigidity, or flexibility on aspects such as working from home, flexible hours, and more. It's important to find the right firm for you even whilst studying to qualify as burnout can be a real risk. Legal Cheek's 'The Firm's most... List" is a great tool for filtering firms based on what's most important to you, including work-life balance, average start and end times, WFH options, company perks and more, allowing you to find the firm best suited for your needs. You can also filter firms based on who provides the most in regards to LPC grants (as well as GDL grants) which may also help alleviate financial pressures.
In addition to this, there are a number of firms working to increase social mobility in the legal sector and help bridge the gap between different minority groups and their access to the profession. During the panel event, Isaac mentions how the space of grace that may be there for a non-black candidate is 'almost non-existent' for black people, making the experience of working in a law firm more stressful and difficult and may contribute to the reduced retainment of minority groups in the legal sector.
The awareness surrounding both diversity and inclusion and well-being has definitely increased within the legal sector, with more and more discussion on the various topics happening within many spaces from initiatives being taken at an examination level (with the introduction of the SQE), or firms increasing their awareness and working to tackle these issues, to legal influencers speaking out on these topics and more.
An example of a law firm moving to make a more positive impact in the sector is Browne Jacobson, which not only ranked as the UK’s leading employer in the Social Mobility Employer Index in 2021 but have also retained the ranking for a second year running. In addition to that Browne Jacobson also ran their FAIRE event in 2021 where over 13,000 attendees aged between 16 and 19 joined, many of which came from lower socio-economic areas or were of Black, Asian or Minority ethnicities. "People from lower socio-economic and minority backgrounds are still hugely underrepresented in the legal profession. We want to change this. We want to break down barriers to accessing a legal career and help everyone - whatever their background - get a foot in the door."
RollOnFriday also undertook what they referred to as their 'most comprehensive survey' where over 8,000 people in private practice rated how happy they were at their law firm, determining which were the best and worst law firms to work at in 2022. DAC Beachcroft, Clarke Willmott, TLT, Mills and Reeve and Burges Salmon ranked as the top 5 based on this survey results. Employees from DAC Beachcroft shared their thoughts on the work-life balance at the firm. "Flex Forward has been an absolute game changer for me," said a senior lawyer. "It really lends itself to life with a small child. I split my working day around him, and feel like I am able to spin both plates pretty successfully, as a working mum and as a solicitor. I am far more productive without my commute."
Similar surveys and reports pop up annually across various sites, showing the growing awareness and perhaps trend in the sector to work towards a more inclusive sector with better work-life balance.
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Panellists
Isaac Eloi is an award-winning, two years qualified music publishing lawyer at ICE and the co-founder of the Black Men In Law Network. The 320+ member strong network was founded to increase the representation of and reduce the attrition of Black male lawyers in law in the UK. He has been interviewed by the BBC podcast, Not All Lawyers Have Degrees, he has written on the importance of diversity and inclusion within the legal profession in The Lawyer and more widely in the Times Student Review and became a published author in 2021, writing about eastern Caribbean diasporic carnival culture in Black Joy, published by Penguin Random House.
Trainee solicitor working in-house qualifying through the SQE pathway. Between work and studies, Maab creates career and lifestyle specific content to share her experiences as a black practising Muslim in the corporate sector with the intention of helping and inspiring other young professionals.