Life, Lemons and the Law

Fulfilling Dreams

Both Clare Gregory and Mamunul Wahid knew from an early age that they wanted a career in law.  But neither came from what the industry, and perhaps society, would see as a typical background for becoming a lawyer.  Clare and Mamun talk about their individual and very challenging journeys to becoming lawyers, from the expectations of family, friends and teachers through to understanding their own self-limiting beliefs. 

Confidence and Career

Umar Farooq and Chelsea Mace sit down with Ed to discuss their journeys as Trainee solicitors and focus on their future aspirations in the legal environment. 
The UK’s lack of social mobility can manifest itself in many ways and Umar and Chelsea talk about the lack of encouragement they received from the education system and how their families didn’t have the experience to support their career aspirations, meaning they faced all sorts of challenges in navigating the legal profession. 
Umar and Chelsea are both keen advocates of mentoring the next generation to ease their path to law and their advice includes the importance of confidence, preparation, and embracing differences as strengths. 
They also cover their involvement with the Social Mobility Foundation and other charities, highlighting the need for more support and opportunities for young people from non-traditional backgrounds, changes in the recruitment process and the provision of soft skills training to improve social mobility in the UK.
Find out more about Clarke Wilmott and the Social Mobility Foundation here, https://www.clarkewillmott.com/news/national-charity-partnership/

Opening Doors

Tabitha Candy and Sam Harkness join us to discuss their experiences and the challenges they’ve faced in pursuing a career in law.
The issue of social mobility has been significant for both Tabitha and Sam, proving an obstacle first as school, then university, then again when it came to finding a training contract.
The conversation touches on touch on the vital importance of personal connections in accessing opportunities in the legal profession and how mentorship may be the key to levelling the playing field, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Both Tabitha and Sam credit the impact of programs like Pathways to Law and the Sutton Trust in shaping their career paths and they’re keen to offer opportunities to young people who, like themselves, find their path to the law seemingly blocked by a lack of opportunity.
Sam and Tabitha are bringing their own experience to bear with their work on Clarke Willmott’s diversity and inclusion committee, and they touch on their desire to make legal work experience accessible to everyone.
The episode emphasises how essential it is to change perceptions with open and transparent discussions about social mobility.
Find out more about Clarke Wilmott and the Social Mobility Foundation here, https://www.clarkewillmott.com/news/national-charity-partnership/

Challenging Assumptions

Tom Costin works as an IT trainer at Clarke Willmott, while Ryan Rahim is a solicitor in the business recovery unit. This episode explores the experiences and challenges they have faced in their respective careers as a result of the issue of social mobility.
Tom and Ryan share a story of struggling within the education system, while Ryan faced additional obstacles as an immigrant student.
The conversation explores the challenges faced by individuals from underprivileged backgrounds in pursuing their career aspirations and highlights the impact of ADHD and dyslexia as well as and the barriers posed by financial constraints.
Tom and Ryan's stories both show how the education system needs to provide better support and opportunities for individuals who, for whatever reason, don't "fit"within classrooms.
It also becomes clear that, as Ryan points out, "language is the heart of the social mobility story in Britain"
Find out more about Clarke Wilmott and the Social Mobility Foundation here, https://www.clarkewillmott.com/news/national-charity-partnership/

Mentoring Matters

In the next chapter of our look at the problem of social mobility in the UK we hear the stories of Charlotte Murray and Karl Brown, both lawyers at Clarke Wilmott.
Charlotte and Karl discuss the challenges they faced in attempting to enter and advance in the legal sector, from a lack of role model, to the ill-considered advice of careers advisors, to landing that elusive training contract.
Both Charlotte and Carl emphasise the importance of mentoring and providing support to individuals from less privileged backgrounds.
They also discuss the partnership between the Social Mobility Foundation and Clark Willmott, designed to address these issues and the need for action to create a more inclusive and accessible legal sector.
Find out more about Clarke Wilmott and the Social Mobility Foundation here, https://www.clarkewillmott.com/news/national-charity-partnership/

Invisible Barriers

As our new series of Life, Lemons and the Law focuses on Social Mobility we knew we wanted to invite former guests Clare Gregory and Mamunul Wahid onto the pod again.
In many ways Clare and Mamun's experience encapsulates the problem of social mobility and the reasons that Clarke Wilmott has partnered with the Social Mobility Foundation.
Neither Clare or Mamun come from what we might perceive as a typical background for becoming a lawyer. In this episode they discuss how their ambitions were stifled by the challenges of expectations, a lack of role-models and network, and, perhaps most importantly, by self-doubt. 
Find out more about Clarke Wilmott and the Social Mobility Foundation here, https://www.clarkewillmott.com/news/national-charity-partnership/
 

Episode 1 – Positive Partnerships

‘Positive Partnerships’, features Karen Higgins, Head of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) at Clarke Willmott; Peter Swinburn, CEO of Clarke Willmott; and our special guest, Sarah Atkinson, CEO of the Social Mobility Foundation.
In this episode, we delve into why social mobility matters to us as firms and why shedding light on this topic is crucial. Karen, Peter, and Sarah share their thoughts, discussing imposter syndrome, the struggle to fit in, and how these adversities motivated them to collaborate with the Social Mobility Foundation.
Stay tuned on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean, and other platforms where you access your favourite podcasts for Season 2 of: Life, Lemons and the Law: Social Mobility in Action
Find out more about Clarke Wilmott and the Social Mobility Foundation here, https://www.clarkewillmott.com/news/national-charity-partnership/
 

Thirty-Two Years Later

Charlotte Murray knew from a young age that she was adopted. She always had access to her adoption papers, but it wasn’t until she was a teenager that she felt affected by what was written in her notes. She talks about fear of rejection, meeting her birth father for the first time and why she would love to adopt a child in the future.

From The Ground Up

Building and exiting a business can be a rollercoaster. Joe Cripps and John Lam share the highs and lows of their business journey, including their initial inspiration, why they exited and what they learnt along the way. Joe talks about the impact of the pandemic on Trail, an app designed for the hospitality industry, and seeking co-founder relationship advice. John shares how he forged ahead with an idea when others didn’t see his vision and the impact of his commitment to Mazuma Mobile on his family.

Normalising menopause

Would you recognise the symptoms of menopause in yourself, your colleagues or your loved ones? Lauren Chiren (Women of a Certain Stage) and Juliette Staunton didn’t know what was happening to them when they entered menopause and peri-menopause, leading to worries about early onset dementia and whether they’d be able to continue with their careers. From sleepless nights to suicidal thoughts, in this episode they share their menopause stories. They talk about how employers can support their staff, how every woman’s journey through this period of their life is different and the importance of normalising conversations about menopause.