Where are you from? Anybody who has ever watched the TV genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? will be aware that this is not always as straightforward a question to answer as it might first seem. And anyone who has ever worked in a law firm will know that it is not always […]
Born and raised in western Nigeria, I have always been fascinated by rock formations and geology. I spent the summer holiday before the start of my senior secondary school year absorbed in a geography textbook authored by Goh Cheng Leong, earning to uncover more about the earth, mountains, volcanoes, and other natural phenomenon. However, I […]
It was Blair Underwood’s character Jonathan Rollins in LA Law who first inspired me to become a lawyer, cliched as this sounds. As a child aged 7, I had never seen a black man in a professional role before, and I was in awe – representation really does matter. My initial steps into the legal […]
Born into a Sudanese family, my parents made a significant decision that would shape my experiences as a Black woman in ways I could never have anticipated. They chose to move our family to a small town in Oxfordshire, far away from their Sudanese community. This decision, coupled with my education at a Catholic primary […]
As part of Black History Month, The Lawyer spoke to four Allen & Overy lawyers, from trainee to partner, about their experiences in the law.
Growing up between London and Lagos, Claudius Sokenu started out in the US government legal department before later becoming the first Black male partner at American outfit Shearman & Sterling. It was after becoming a partner that he took his career in a new direction by moving in-house. “I always knew that I didn’t think […]
October is Black History Month. We are given 31 days to reflect on the enormous contribution Black people have made to the history of this country; to re-examine diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; and to press the reset button if we feel that our existing ways of operating are no longer working. But, when […]
Mariam Akanbi is general counsel at investment advisory firm ARCH Emerging Markets Partners, based in London. She studied law and sociology at Warwick University, partly because she wasn’t entirely sure that law was the career for her. It was while she was at university that she discovered corporate law, and found out about the path […]
As a Black woman growing up in the UK, I have always been aware of the racial disparities in this country; however, as I embarked on my legal career, I was appalled by the issues I encountered as a visible minority. I have had to overcome a number of obstacles in becoming a lawyer, requiring […]
My name is Rodwell and the story of my life is one about the power of sponsorship, mentorship and people who are willing to go the extra mile to propel a young black person forward. I was born in Zimbabwe. My parents were doing well for themselves, as they had worked to build themselves comfortable middle-class […]
October is Black History Month in the United Kingdom. Many employers are celebrating this by championing new and innovative diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives alongside praising the accomplishments of people of Black heritage in their workforce, as well as Black leaders in society more broadly. Beneath all of this fanfare, there seem to be […]
There are just 90 Black partners at the top of the profession in England and Wales