Lucky Girls 2

By popular demand, we are running another event for women lawyers who are in the earlier stages of their career (though all are welcome). This event is aimed at supporting attendees in their professional and personal development.

When we held our first Lucky Girls event, in May 2024, one of the things attendees told us (loud and clear) is that we could help with networking – how to do it, to do it well, and to enjoy (as opposed to dread) it.

So naturally we turned to award-winning author and personal impact expert Esther Stanhope - The Impact Guru for help.

Esther has kindly devised a very practical and inter-active two hour masterclass for us, during which she will reveal the science behind working a room. It’s easy, she tells us, to be brilliant at networking if you know the unwritten rules and secret tricks.

The session will be held at Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ offices at 110 Fetter Lane, EC4A 1AY, between 4 and 6 pm and will be followed by (you’ve guessed it) networking drinks.

There will be a small charge of £20 pp to attend. Thanks to the huge generosity of both Esther and Weil, all proceeds will go to our Charitable Fund.

Places are limited due to the interactive nature of the session. Members of the Company will be given priority, but we are also opening attendance to anyone who works in a CLLS member firm.

Finally, if you are unfamiliar with our Lucky Girls programme, do take time to read more about its genesis here: Lucky Girls

And remember, no one who attends these events is there as a “Lucky Girl” - everyone who joins us is an already successful professional operating at the top of their game!

We do hope to see you in October, at what promises to be an impactful afternoon.

If you are reading this note, the chances are that you attended the “Lucky Girls” event the Company held, at the offices of Slaughter and May, on Tuesday 21st May 2024. To be clear, no one who attended that event was there as a “Lucky Girl” - everyone was there as an already successful professional operating at the top of their game.

The reference to “Lucky” in the title of our session was a reference, tongue in cheek, to the TikTok sensation known as “Lucky Girls” which suggests it is possible to make one’s own luck by simply putting a wish out to the universe. The idea goes like this – you want a convertible BMW, you make that known, and next thing is a convertible BMW appears in your driveway. It happens simply because you articulate your desire for it.

It's highly questionable whether it’s possible to manifest a promotion, but one of the things we wanted to touch on in our 21st May conversation was the role which having a plan and pursuing it with the fullest of confidence can play when it comes to advancing in the law.

Hence our title. And it was clearly a title which said something to many women lawyers working in City law firms – all available places for our event went within three working days of its being advertised, and we ran a sizable wait list.

This note, prepared by our Master 2023/24, Sarah de Gay, with the support of the incredible Panellists and Rapporteurs who played such a key part in delivering “Lucky Girls”, notes some of the themes which emerged on the day – and makes some suggestions as to how this cross-firm conversation, now started, might continue.

As we operated under the Chatham House Rule, none of the views reported in this note are attributed.

Our afternoon began with a panel discussion, led by Jane Edwarde[i] of Slaughter and May – our generous host.

Our panel comprised a group of outstanding solicitors associated with the Company whether as members of its Court and/or its Committees – namely, Alexandra Marks CBE[ii], Clare Murray[iii] and Sophia Bell[iv] – each at a different stage of their legal career, from different law firms and with different legal specialties.

After our panel conversation, we asked our attendees to do some work – by discussing three (linked) questions on their tables, a discussion which was facilitated by a designated table Rapporteur[v].

The questions we set were:

· How far do you plan ahead when it comes to your career?

· Do you think you need a five year/similar plan to succeed?

· What would the key elements of any such plan be, do you think, and how might the livery company support you in succeeding?

Each Rapporteur then shared their principal takeaways with the room, and finally our Master summed up with what she had heard, identifying some possible actions for the Company – and what more we might do to support woman solicitors with their career development through membership of the Company.

The panel discussion, expertly led by Jane, centred on three issues:

• How can woman lawyers be strategic about their career in the early years?
• How can woman lawyers go about finding the right mentors, and identifying partners as their (internal) client?
• What should/can woman lawyers do, and what must their employer be responsible for, when it comes to them advancing?

The main themes to emerge from this discussion were:

1. Making your own luck

In her introductory remarks, our Master had pointed out that there are many definitions of “luck” – and that one of her favourites is that luck happens when preparedness and opportunity coincide. In other words, we definitely have a role on making our own luck, and success is not brought about by chance alone.

The panel considered how a woman lawyer can approach making their own luck, sharing personal stories about what had worked for them so far in their legal careers.

Although not every panel member had had a ‘Master Plan’ for their career, they agreed that, in the early years of a legal career, it’s crucial to be strategic and that not just having but persevering with your goals was key.

The legal industry is competitive, and success requires hard work, passion and a clear vision. Building relationships, profile and practice are fundamental. It was important to understand that opportunities and recognition must be earned, not given. As an associate, delivering chargeable hours is important, but when it comes to partnership consideration, a law firm will typically look at a lawyer’s practice, client base, network, profile, sponsors and allies. Therefore, laying the foundations of your business case early is essential.

But it was for each lawyer to define for themselves what ‘success’ looks like for them –whilst our discussions were focussed on partnership, that might not be what every lawyer wants.

The legal industry is one based on relationships, visibility, service and boldness.

Being visible right from the start, both within and outside your firm, including on social media, was therefore felt to be important. Networking and building relationships are a key part of this.

Being bold and communicating your expectations was another key element. For instance, in an interview, don’t shy away from expressing your ambitions.

Get multiple mentors and sponsors of influence, to support your endeavours.

Be strategic (and therefore selective) about any internal roles you take on, ensuring they add value to your career – avoid roles which feel like ‘housekeeping’ (i.e. very administrative and internally-focussed) as these won’t help you to develop contacts (internal or external) who will give you work.

Seek out and volunteer for the right Working Groups and Committees – don’t wait to be asked to join one (not least as that invitation may never come). And think about what influential Committees and the like you can join outside your firm – which help to develop your specialism and further extend your network. This will also help you to build a profile both inside/outside your firm.

If you are not visible, then, it follows, you are invisible. This in turn reduces the chances of there being opportunities for others to support you.

The panel touched on the difference between sponsors and mentors, agreeing that both were needed – a sponsor to champion you and your work and prospects to others of influence in your firm, and a mentor (or mentors) to provide you with more ‘behind the scenes’ support.

Typically, sponsors are allocated by a law firm once its lawyers reach a certain stage in their careers, whilst mentors can be found through a firm’s own formal mentoring schemes or through personal effort. Our panel members had benefited from finding their own mentors, naturally. It was thought that there was benefit in seeking out mentors who would be prepared to deliver some hard messages – pointing out what you need to do more of, or better – and that mentors who could introduce you to possible work-referrers were valuable too.

Finding the right mentors and treating partners as your internal clients is great practice for building relationships with external clients.

It was agreed (by more senior people in the room) that, on the whole, it is very flattering to be asked to mentor a more junior lawyer – and most requests will be responded to with a welcoming “yes”. Those who had mentored others also said that they too had learned from the experience – and that there is real value to mentors in reverse mentoring.

For those woman lawyers wanting to start a family, it was felt to be important, when it comes to maternity leave and returning to work, to know what to ask for from your firm.

For example, requesting a return-to-work coach, for your clients to be returned to you, technical refreshers and (if needed) part-time working were all (usually) reasonable asks.

But it was important too for you to stay visible during your maternity leave and maintain your key relationships.

In addition, it was noted that those law firms which actively encourage their male lawyers to take parental leave were good firms to work for, and very forward-looking. Parental leave is such a short period of time, when spread across a long legal career, so it makes commercial sense, as well as being the right thing to do, to extend it to all – it’s a great tool to retain talent and to support future leaders.

Although a generalisation, it was thought there could be a tendency among female lawyers to work hard, work long hours and generally to behave as a ‘good citizen’ in their firm.

But eight/ten years in the firm may ask “where’s your network, your significant relationships and your profile?”. This can result for some in a “you never told me I needed that” realisation.

Any such conversation/realisation could well coincide with you wishing to start a family. And if these two things do coincide, it will be very hard to do what’s needed workwise from scratch.

This circled back to the panel’s opening recommendation – that it’s important to be strategic from an early stage.

The main takeaways from our attendees, having listened to a fascinating panel discussion during which many personal anecdotes were kindly shared, were:

Have a vision rather than a plan? - Plans come across as very rigid. Having one might make it more difficult to take advantage of other opportunities that may arise. It might be better to have a vision as opposed to a plan.

Be flexible - Keep your ear out to opportunities and keep as many doors open as you can.

Seek mentors from other sectors - Don’t feel constrained when seeking out mentors, go broad. Remember to think about finding different mentors for different goals/stages of your career. Also, it can work to have several mentors at the same time.

Use your firm’s appraisal process - Be direct, make it clear what your ambitions are, explore what further support the firm can give you.

Seize suitable opportunities when they came in range - For example, does your firm offer training in public speaking and presentational skills, and the chance to then practice those skills? If not, then volunteering to do this type of activity as much as possible could give you the practice and confidence to do it well.

Take regular stock - Do you enjoy what you are doing, are you moving towards your (own) goals, are you in the right firm?

Reflect and adapt - It is OK to move roles and/or firms. Remember to ask yourself “is this where I want to be?”

Define your own success - There are many routes to and ways to succeed in law firms. Remember to ask yourself what you want.

Have building blocks - Although a rigid plan may not be the way to go, you do need building blocks to support your career. These can vary – for some an ‘Of Counsel’ role is the right stepping stone, for example.

Be vocal - Develop and control your own narrative. What are your career goals? Do you want to be on partnership track, or not? And if you are stepping off it, do you want to get back on it later, and why/when?

Have boundaries - Communication and trust are key to sharing boundaries with those you work with, so that you can reveal your non-negotiables. This can also help to sustain you through stressful periods and isn’t a conversation which should be limited to those with caring responsibilities. Remember to look after your health, including your mental health.

The Master concluded by sharing her own takeaways and then mooting two areas the Company might reflect further on in terms of offering additional support to its younger female members:

· How to network - It had been suggested during the afternoon’s discussion, that there are elements of networking that can be taught. Might the Company facilitate a session on this?

· Mentor matching - There are many senior lawyers on the Company’s Court and Committees, and within its membership. Might the Company put younger female members in touch with those happy to be mentors?

And finally, the Masters’ proudest take-way of the day was a comment (one of many) shared by an attendee, whilst we were clearing the room at the end of the day. “This was brilliant”, she said, “no one does this for us”.

If you have read this far and you are a solicitor who is practising or has practised in the City for at least six months, you can join the Company as a Freeman. The Master would be happy to propose, and find a seconder for, anyone who attended “Lucky Girls” – see the Company’s website, or contact its Clerk ([email protected]), for further details.

Sarah de Gay, 29th May 2024

Endnotes:

[i] Jane is the Head of Slaughter and May’s Real Estate Group, and a Diversity and Inclusion partner, responsible for shaping the firm’s diversity and inclusion strategies and initiatives. Jane is also a sponsor partner of the firm’s Gender Equality Network and Social Mobility Network.

[ii] Alexandra Marks was a partner at Linklaters LLP until 2011. She now sits as a part-time judge in the Crown Court, High Court and First-tier Tribunal. She chairs The Hardman Trust (supporting people on long sentences) and Discover (Children’s Story Centre based in Newham). She is also a trustee of The Howard League for Penal Reform, LawCare (the mental health and wellbeing charity for the legal professions) and Standing Tall (a homelessness charity). Alexandra was honoured with a CBE in 2017 and is a former Master of the City of London Solicitors’ Company.

[iii] Clare is the founder and Managing Partner of specialist partnership, employment and SRA regulatory firm, CM Murray LLP. She acts for US and UK professional services firms, and for equity partners in professional services and investment management firms, in partnership and employment matters. Clare also specialises in providing strategic advice to senior executives and founders. She has a particular interest and expertise in sexual harassment matters; and in March 2018 was appointed as the specialist adviser to the House of Commons Women & Equalities Committee in respect of its Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Inquiry. Clare is a member of the Court of the City of London Solicitors’ Company.

[iv] Sophia trained at Trowers & Hamlins LLP after working as a paralegal at the firm and at Shoosmiths LLP. She qualified as a solicitor in 2020 and moved to Macfarlanes LLP, where she is an associate in the banking & finance team. She acts on a broad range of financing transactions, including real estate finance, fund finance, acquisition finance, leveraged finance and structured finance. Sophia is a member of the City of London Solicitors’ Company and Vice Chair of its Whittington Committee - which is tasked with organising social and charitable events for the Company’s younger members, including participation in the Lord Mayor’s Show.

[v] We are grateful to Virginia Cannon, Professor Sara Chandler, Salome Coker, Uzma Hamid-Dizier, Lee McLernon, Gemma Porter, Tanja Velling and Victoria Young-Husband for performing these roles so enthusiastically and professionally.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

110 Fetter Ln, 110 Fetter Lane, London, United Kingdom