Lawyer In The Making is heading to Hong Kong

If you follow me on twitter or have liked my Facebook Page, then you will have just seen that I have announced that I have rebooked my trip to Hong Kong!

I was meant to go earlier in the year, but was unable to do so, so I am very excited to have managed to squeeze in a quick trip for work before 2016 is out.

Why Hong kong?

I have been approached by a few people to pop out and chat about work, plus as you know I am such a law geek, so I plan to visit some Universities and courts, and also attend some legal events (as well as sight see, and admire the beautiful Hong Kong Skyline *photo was taken from google*)

Hong Kong

I can’t share too much about the work I may or may not be doing right now but what I can tell you is that I will be visiting the Hong Kong Bar Association and the Hong Kong Law Society whilst I am there. There will be diary entry posts when I am in Hong Kong and of course I will be tweeting and sharing photos on Facebook and Instagram too. So if you aren’t following me on these platforms now is the time to do so.

I will also be visiting a couple of courts (yes I am that much of a law geek), and will definitely be sitting in on 2 sessions at the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, and I am fortunate that there is a criminal and civil procedure matter happening whilst I am over there. I am also looking forward to visiting the High Court and the Competition Tribunal.

I am really excited to be heading to Hong Kong and to be going for work stills feels extremely surreal. This year has felt like I have taken Lawyer In The Making and my digital marketing consultancy business on tour!

Thank you for your continued support of my blog, encouraging law students and prospective students on pursuing a legal career, and supporting lawyers with their digital marketing would never have happened if it wasn’t for your support!

Have you been to Hong Kong? Do you work or study there? Maybe you have some sight seeing recommendations? Let me know!

Rebecca x

Radio Podcast Link – Live

Just letting you all know that the podcast link is now live, just incase you didn’t get a chance to listen in to the radio show as it aired live.

Thank you once again to Star Radio and The Business Hub specifically for having me in to speak. I had a brilliant time, and rather surprisingly really like radio interviews.

If you have any comments, questions, thoughts on some of the things I said surrounding the topic of women networking groups then please let me know.

I realise that my views might be slightly unfavourable to some people, but I am strong believer that as business owners, employees, students and employers we can benefit from the advice, support and mentorship from both men and women, and that creating groups just for women, does not help the push to for equality, it broadens the gap.

Creating groups solely for women, means that tensions build, and an uneasy atmosphere is potentially created. Why do women even need their own set of groups? There are plenty of business and networking groups that are open to all genders and are beneficial.

I strongly believe that there would be complete and utter uproar if men started creating male specific business and networking groups, and I did a very quick Google search on my way to the radio station and I could not find any. However there was a plethora of women’s only ones.

Surely in this time for change, we should be encouraging unity, encouraging women to attend these non-gender specific groups, rather than segregating them further.

Why do we have to support and encourage women by only offering them help from other women? Why can’t men act as great mentors, friends, advisors etc.?

In a push to make the world free from inequality, these gender specific groups are not helping.

What are your thoughts? Should these gender specific groups for women exist? Would you be offended if men started setting them up as well? Let me know!

Rebecca x

Why everyone needs to take some time out?

Time out is crucial, whether you are a student, parent, company owner, employee etc.

I am very conscious that I spend a considerable amount of time working, blogging and studying, and this is something I have done for many many years. However, since running my own company it is so easy to get into the habit of working 24/7.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not moaning about that, I love my job and I love working and being able to work to my own schedule, but sometimes it takes over.

I am someone that finds it very hard to switch off, and stop working. I am that girl that will respond to emails late at night sometimes and will get into a full blown conversation with clients, I am the girl that will be writing content for clients on a Saturday and Sunday – and once again, that is my choice and the reality of working and I am fine with that, and the geek inside me actually loves it.

I love my job, and I love what I do, and the ability to work when I like (which seems to be most of the time!). I am also aware that this is the same for most people, whether they are employed or self-employed, it is just a matter of fact and whilst I am not complaining about working long hours (it was my choice, and it still is) it really is important to take some time out.

I have always been a hard worker and that won’t change, and whilst I am happy with my working patterns, I don’t mind working late nights and weekends, every once in a while it is great to switch off and have a proper weekend to yourself. Not even a weekend, even just a day or an evening, where you can put the phone away, the laptop (or in my case my Mac), disable emails if you need to do so, and just be you.

Do the things you enjoy doing, catching up on boxsets, going out for dinner, having people over, have a duvet evening, run a bath, do nothing, – do whatever it is that makes you you, and make sure the focus is on you and not your work or job.

I am strong believer in taking some time out, and whilst I am not very good at doing that myself, whenever I do, I am always so much more productive for it. It never impacts negatively on my work, and very often I come away with some new ideas as well!

It is far better to take 1 day, 1 evening or a weekend out a month, where you say no to work, you put everything work related to one side and just switch off. So often you see people reach that burn out point, where they are over worked, stressed, unhappy, tired and that impacts on home life as well as work life. Wouldn’t it be better if we didn’t let ourselves get to that point, where our bodies are forcing us to take a break?

Schedule in some time if you need to, where you can be you, do the things you love, and not feel guilty that you are not working! I am going to be making a conscious effort to do this more often.

I will also be sharing some of my top tips and some of things I do to switch off so keep an eye out for that soon.

Rebecca x

Do lawyers feel isolated?

Given the breadth of the legal sector, why does it appear so many lawyers feel isolated?

I have attended a number of conferences this year with lawyers from all over the world, and when we have had conversations many have said that they do feel isolated, and unable to tap into help and support, or unable to recommend or refer work on as they simply don’t know people well enough.

There is often such a community spirit at legal conferences and events, and you can tell that with everyone rushing to catch up with one another, but how often do they speak to these lawyers again afterwards? Or do they typically catch up again at the next event the year after?

It seems silly waiting an entire year to speak to people again especially when these people work in your area of law, or at least work in the legal sector and they understand the challenges but also why you chose this career in the first place, so why not use each other, drop them the odd email, check in with them, it takes 2 seconds!

Does the legal system lack a community feel? Is everyone fighting each other to secure deals and clients rather than helping others?

Being a lawyer isn’t just about representing your client in court, drafting legal documentation, meeting with clients, and all of the endless phone calls and emails. Lawyers also need to stay on top of legal updates and developments, market yourself, bring in new work and help the company by writing content for their sites too!

There is a lot to do and to keep on top of and it is no surprise that some of these things fall by the way side when workloads increase, pressure mounts, deadlines loom and you are given more and more work (and clients!). And it is never the client and billable elements that fall by the way side is it? It is always the events or training which assist you in becoming a better lawyer and developing your skills, knowledge and experience.

Having touched on how busy a lawyer is, there is also a lot to know and remember when being a lawyer, and that doesn’t just mean the legal knowledge of your area of expertise. Lawyers need to be able to (successfully) market themselves and their law firms/chambers, they need to keep their online profiles up to date, as well as learn ways to cope with the inevitable stress that comes with the job, and some days can be a lot more manageable than others.

Is there a community spirit in the legal community? Do lawyers feel able to ask for help from other people?

Sometimes, when work is mounting, having a chat to someone or sending a few catch up emails might help, whilst it won’t make your pile of work disappear you might be able to tackle the problems a little better afterwards.

One of the things I love most about aspiring to be a Barrister is the friendliness of those I meet in the profession, whether that be dinners at Middle Temple, lunches whilst on mini-pupillages or just conversations on twitter. There is a real sense of support and I am grateful to be a part of a community which encourages people to ask for help, and to ask questions, it provides training, experience, development opportunities as well as expertise. They seek to help everyone, whatever stage of their career. However, it is so easy to forget to attend the dinners, or to send a quick email to check in with someone, and all to often I used to see lawyers sign in to CPD sessions and then disappear (or spend their entire day on the mobile sending emails).

Maybe it is that the community feel is there, people just forget or lose sight of that when pressure and work mount.

I regularly speak with lawyers in America, and in comparison to us here in the UK they would appear to be far more isolated given how the system works, where so many lawyers are running their own practices straight out of University, with no support or guidance. They have no one to check in with, seek advice on cases or feel supported.

So whilst people tell me they feel isolated, is it because they just don’t tap into the resources, networks and support systems which are available? Are lawyers so focused on getting the job done (which is fundamental) that they forget about the little things, such as attending training sessions, going to those dinners and engaging with other lawyers.

I would love to know your thoughts, so please get in touch and share your comments with me.

Rebecca x

That Ted Baker dress…

Okay so before you all suddenly think you have read the wrong post on this blog as it isn’t law related, I had to share this…

So, last year I attended a few events at Middle Temple and events with work and wore a particular dress from Ted Baker and I kept getting asked where it was from.

I then wore the dress at the Middle Temple Advocacy Weekend, and whilst at the Pupillage Fair I got asked about it again, so I figured I should share it on here.

Here is the dress (click on the dress for a link):

Here is a larger picture:

The dress is very practical, and does black tights or clear tights, plus with the long sleeves it means I am not freezing (and if any of you know me well, you know I am always cold!).

Let me know what you think.

Rebecca x

P.S. I promise that most of my future blog posts won’t be like this! Lots more law coming soon!