I’ve been involved with SHU Law for just over two years and the distance that we have travelled during that time building something which is simply amazing and pioneering has been overwhelming.
My motivation for joining SHU Law came from having roots in managing departments in high street law firms. My journey into law was not always easy and I wanted to expand my own knowledge and experience of running a business whilst also demonstrating to the students that no matter what your background or qualifications, there is a place for everyone in the legal profession; If I can do it then anyone can and if you want something bad enough it will happen.
Similarly, I want to ensure that those clients who would never contemplate getting legal advice (either because they were scared of the profession or could not afford the fees) could approach us as equals; capable of speaking with them in a way that they understand and offering support on a practical level.
These two worlds have collided in a positive way within the walls of SHU Law and in many ways they aren’t that different; students struggling with the challenge of navigating their lives, clients struggling with navigating life’s challenges all learning from each other.
To build a business from scratch is one thing but to then have the privilege of working with so many other dedicated organisations and talented individuals in the shared objective of giving something back to the next generation of lawyers and to the community has been an absolute privilege.
We still have work to do. We have a list of things we want to achieve for the business, for the clients, for the students, for our colleagues and (selfishly) for myself. We are convinced that we will achieve more great things, all in the inspirational shadows of knowing that as our next generation of lawyers hit the job market they will soon be able to look back and say that SHU Law played a part in inspiring them to be who they want to be. For our clients, we symbolise hope, reassurance and an olive branch that in a legal climate where legal aid is reducing by the day that would otherwise remain broken.
I’m looking forward to the future and what’s around the corner and rest assured Covid-19 will not stop us from developing our new and exciting projects so that clients and students alike can benefit from SHU Law’s unique not for profit approach!