In partnership with the Raheem Sterling Foundation, Black Solicitor's Network, and the Junior Legal Fellowship Programme, The Dickson Poon School of Law gave a group of school pupils a glimpse into what it is like to study law and tips and insights on how to pursue a legal career.
On 19 June, The Dickson Poon School of Law partnered with the Raheem Sterling Foundation, Black Solicitor's Network and the Junior Legal Fellowship Programme (which is steered by legal professionals from several City law firms) to host a Legal Insight Day at King's, bringing together African-heritage and/or students with disabilities from fifteen schools across London and one from Surrey to learn about pursuing a Law degree and career.
The students interacted with academics from the Law School, including actively engaging in a taster lecture on Contract Law presented by Professor Solène Rowan, Chair of Contract Law and Vice-Dean for Students, Culture and Community. They also received guidance from Professor James Lee and Dr Jenny Russell on the application process for university degrees, including how to apply to study Law at King's.
The event was the product of a new way of doing widening participation. By bringing partners together that can offer what young people want (and not just need), such as scholarships, mentoring, networking, role models and more, we have taken a big step to advance our Social Mobility & Widening Participation mission that: 'The opportunity for a great education is not distributed fairly. We want to change this'.
Dr Sham Qayyum
Legal Careers: Journeys and Inspiration
Guest speaker Christine Ohuruogu, international athlete and Olympic gold medalist, shared her story on transitioning from elite sports to studying Law and working in sports law. She explained how law intersects with fairness, integrity, and the rights of athletes.
Christine reflected on the significant impact her teachers and lecturers had on her journey, encouraging her to pursue both sports and law. She urged the students to challenge themselves to achieve excellence and seize every opportunity to be their best.
Now a specialist panel member in sports arbitration, Christine works on resolving sports disputes. She encouraged students to be true to themselves, believe in their goals, and actively seek work experience and learning opportunities wherever possible.
It is a privilege to support The Junior Legal Fellowship Programme in partnership with the Raheem Sterling Foundation and a consortium of law firms. This initiative provides invaluable real world engagement with many aspects of the legal industry and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing with the attentive young people, my legal journey. I look forward to observing the initiative's success across the next decade as it strives to support and guide younger generations into the industry in the hope of producing the next generation of lawyers.
Christine Ohuruogu
The event also featured a diverse panel of speakers representing a range of legal fields, including criminal law, health and safety law, advocacy for the rights of disabled individuals, and music law. They shared their distinctive pathways into the legal profession, outlining the various routes they took and the motivations behind their work. The panellists offered their professional insights to the students and reflected on their career experiences.
Raheem Sterling Foundation
Mr Chris Bird, CEO of the Raheem Sterling Foundation, shared the inspiring story of Raheem Sterling and the Foundation's commitment to harnessing "The Power of 7". This initiative supports young people from marginalised communities across seven key areas: social mobility, employment, education, community, creativity, leadership, and enterprise. All of these areas focus on the holistic development of young people.
The Raheem Sterling Foundation awards scholarships to King's students of Black, African and Caribbean heritage from socio-economically underrepresented backgrounds in Greater London. These scholarships enable recipients to pursue eligible three-year undergraduate degree programmes at King's.
Junior Legal Fellowship Programme
Joan Scott, Founder of the Junior Legal Fellowship Programme, shared her journey into the legal profession, encouraging students to reflect on and pursue their own ambitions within the field.
I am truly honoured to have partnered with my alma mater, King's College London, alongside the Raheem Sterling Foundation and a consortium of law firms and organisations to officially launch The Junior Legal Fellowship Programme. With the support of so many incredible institutions, we are working collectively to make a positive change and impact in the lives of young children from underrepresented backgrounds, helping to guide their aspirations into the legal profession in a meaningful way over the next 10 years and beyond. Excited to embark on this journey to encourage the next generation of future lawyers.
Joan Scott
The event provided the participating students with valuable opportunities to engage with current Law students and a diverse range of legal professionals, while also learning about academic programmes and support resources designed to foster the development of students at King's.
Student Feedback
While before the event only 35% of students either agreed or strongly agreed with the question 'I have a good idea of what studying law at university would be like', after the event 92% agreed or strongly agreed with the question.
Confidence of the cohort also increased in relation to applying to university. While before the event 55% of students agreed with the question 'I feel confident applying for university', after the event 81% agreed or strongly agreed with the question.
Overall, 96% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they enjoyed the event.
