Law firm supports Birmingham black lawyers ' student initiative with empowerment scheme

National law firm Freeths has hosted Birmingham Black Lawyers ' (BBL) Student Empowerment Conference: Tomorrow 's Lawyers.

The conference is designed to provide information, inspiration, and empowerment for college students from African and Caribbean backgrounds who are interested in careers in law.

Its aim was to offer guidance and support to 16-18-year-olds who attended, giving them confidence and equipping them with the knowledge and skills they will need to take those important first steps in law.

Students took part in several activities, such as a panel discussion, and skills workshops that included tips on networking and interview techniques. They then had the opportunity to practice their team building and advocacy skills with a short debating session with Abiola Adeboyejo, playing the role of Judge and delivering her final verdict.

Abiola Adeboyejo, a lecturer in law and Founder of the Tyro Lawyer Mentoring Programme said: “Our students left motivated and they haven't stopped talking about all they saw, heard and did. Thanks to all the presenters and panel members. It was a truly amazing event for our aspiring lawyers ”.

Lasharna Barnett, legal assistant in Freeths ' Birmingham corporate team, attended on the day and spoke to the attendees.

She said: “It was a pleasure to form part of the panel for the conference. The students were so excited and interested in the different areas and routes into law. Events like this are important for inspiring the next generation of lawyers and ensuring diversity within the legal profession. ”

Becky Egan, Freeths ' head of D&I, added: “We were delighted to be able to host this event on behalf of BBL and what a fantastic day it was! The students learnt about being a barrister, a judge and a solicitor and had the chance to find out more about different routes into a career in law.

“There was also opportunity to develop some of the essential skills needed in the legal industry such as networking and teamworking.?Feedback from the students is that they ended the day feeling empowered and excited about pursuing legal careers, and the team at Freeths are proud to have been a part of this. ”

Birmingham Black Lawyers was launched on 7th April 2011, the brainchild of four junior lawyers who were keen to be part of a network of people from similar backgrounds and with similar experiences, something that was at the time missing in the Birmingham legal market.

A non-profit organisation, BBL is managed by Co-Chairs Kishma Bolaji, a Principal Associate specialising in medical negligence and one of the founders of the organisation, and Tamina Greaves, Senior Crown Prosecutor at the CPS.

Kishma Bolaji, said: “Empowering the next generation of lawyers is at the core of what we do and Freeths has for many years shared our passion for D&I and has been a major supporter of our initiatives. To be able to work together to bring this conference to life has been wonderful - and we are proud of what our young people have learned and taken away from the event. Hopefully, we will have witnessed the start of some very promising legal careers. ”

For more information on BBL, visit their website

Pictured from left to right: Becky Egan, Freeths ' Head of D&I, Kishma Bolaji, co-chair of BBL, Abiola Adeboyejo, Founder of the Tyro Lawyer Mentoring Programme, Tamina Greaves co-chair of BBL, Nicola Dolman, Freeths ' Senior Business Development Manager, Birmingham