Last month saw the launch of the Women in Law Society’s ‘Black Women in Law’ series, a nod to the observance of Black History Month in October. The idea was formed over the summer by Shamara Blaize, Finance Officer of the Society. She wanted to showcase the brilliance of black role models in the legal industry, and the project was met with great enthusiasm by all involved. 

The first event in the series involved keynote talks from Dr I. Stephanie Boyce (first black President of The Law Society of England and Wales) and Dr Miranda Brawn (Founder & President of The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation and Senior Visiting Fellow at Keble College, Oxford).

Both women detailed their own career stories and drew from their experiences to give tailored advice to the audience on how to navigate their careers. The event was followed by a Q&A and a round of networking. 

The audience was left feeling inspired, with Lina Kharroubi, in her first year on the LLB programme at City, noting that her key takeaways from the event were “patience is the best way to succeed” and “do not be scared of your future because you create it”.  

Professor Stuart Sime, Head of Department for the Academic Programme at The City Law School, said: 

“Hollie Iles, Rochelle Inbakumar and Shamara Blaize from the Women in Law Society organised a wonderful set of talks by Dr I. Stephanie Boyce, the President of the Law Society, and Dr Miranda Brawn, whose career has covered banking, trading derivatives, qualifying for the Bar, working as an in-house lawyer, and lecturing at Oxford University.”

“Both speakers spoke in depth about how through perseverance and a positive approach they had both overcome considerable adversity, sometimes isolation, and on occasion outright discrimination, to forge successful careers in the law.”

“Among the messages that came across clearly was the need to look positively on all experiences, good and bad, to seek to learn something new every day, and to be ready to speak and learn from everyone you are involved with, regardless of whether they are in minor or really important roles at the moment. Shamara Blaize, who is in her second year on our LLB, did an amazing job in inviting both speakers for this event, and gave a heartfelt speech to close the event on how inspiring both speakers have been in encouraging students from minority backgrounds to seek to reach their potential.” 

The ‘Black Women in Law’ series continued throughout October. If you’d like to keep up to date on future events, check out the Women in Law Society’s social media pages. 

Instagram – @womeninlawsoc  

Twitter – @womeninlawsoc 

Facebook – The Women in Law Society at City, University of London 

Linkedin – Women in Law Society at City, University of London 

Thank you to Rochelle for putting this excellent review together for us.