Reflections on the Junior Lawyers Conference 2022 : The Solicitor of Tomorrow

On Friday 21 October 2022, the Law Society hosted their annual Junior Lawyers Conference at Mills & Reeve. Trainee solicitors from Kingsley Napley attended the event to learn more about the future of legal services, maintaining good mental health in a demanding career, developing our skill-set as future lawyers and navigating making mistakes.
 

In this blog, we explore some of the themes and issues discussed in each session and our key takeaways on what makes the Solicitor of Tomorrow.

The future of legal services - how to be a sustainable solicitor

Climate change is a fundamental issue affecting all of society. All organisations, including law firms, are considering their role in sustainability and their impact on the environment. Not only do law firms have a role to play but each solicitor also has a pivotal role to play. The term “sustainability” can be quite ambiguous and as such daunting to try and make a difference, so we found the definition of the United Nations Brundtland Commission from 1987 helpful – they define sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

At the conference, the key note speech was on how to be a “sustainable solicitor” and the panel consisted of Mary Ormerod (Content Director and Founding Shareholder, RSGI), Josh Hopkins (Legal Secondee from Clyde & Co, The Chancery Lane Project), Alasdair Cameron (Climate Change Policy Adviser, The Law Society) and Claire Shasha (Community Advocate and Integrator, Lawyers for Net Zero).  They considered some practical steps solicitors can take to be sustainable in their professional life including:

1. Awareness and involvement in a firms Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) processes;
2. Educating yourself on matters pertaining to climate change – this can be awareness of climate issues in the news or more specific in law for example the Law Society published a climate change resolution to support solicitors and the companies they work for;
3. Where appropriate advising clients to think ahead in terms of climate change issues affecting their matter, for example the inclusion of climate change clauses in contracts;
4. Volunteering for pro bono work in the climate change field; and
5. Being sustainable outside of work in everyday life, for example considering plastic use, shopping habit and travel.  

Kingsley Napley are committed to finding ways to minimise the environmental impact of their work and promote sustainability in everything the firm does. The firm has a dedicated Environment & Sustainability Group which is split into two work streams – first operations and secondly internal engagement. The operations team review the functions, actions, procedures and practises of the firm and the internal engagement team ensures colleagues and stakeholders are aware of the firm’s initiatives as well as encouraging everyone to take positive actions in both their professional and personal lives.

The firm is implementing a formal Environmental Management System in line with ISO 14001 accreditation, which will provide the foundation for further steps towards reducing the firm’s carbon footprint and becoming more sustainable. Kingsley Napley have also signed up to the Greener Litigation Pledge and are a member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance.

 

Maintaining good mental health and responding to challenges

Working as a solicitor can be demanding and can take a toll on mental health, as indicated by recent statistics. LawCare, a mental wellbeing charity for the legal community of which Lucinda Soon (professional support lawyer at Kingsley Napley) is a board trustee, published a report which found over two-thirds of lawyers have suffered mental ill-health.

At the conference the panel discussing maintaining good mental health was made up of Dr Helen Hartley (Medical Director, Healthcare Management, Bupa Insurance), Chloe Benton (Associate, Reed Smith) and Tracey Summerell (Managing Practice Development Lawyer, Dentons). The session considered some challenges solicitors face on a day to day basis including:

1. Taking on too much work;
2. The evolution of technology where everything is instant and people expect a response immediately; and
3. Society in general being intolerant to making mistakes.

When all of the above piles on at once it can be extremely hard to juggle and it can be hard to speak up and ask for help. Some top tips from the panel were to communicate with colleagues honestly about capacity and keep each other updated if this changes, acknowledge emails even if you won’t be able to send a substantive email straight away and be honest and transparent if you feel overwhelmed.

The importance of good mental health is an absolute priority for Kingsley Napley. Kingsley Napley have a dedicated wellbeing committee established to help improve mental, as well as physical, wellbeing and most recently the firm has proudly partnered with Self Space which enables employees to connect with qualified therapists in an accessible way. The firm currently supports a mental health charity, PAPYRUS, and has previously partnered and supported a number of mental health charities including SANE and Maytree.

 

Essential O-Shaped skills 

When starting out in a legal career, many focus on developing technical legal skills. This session, led by Adam Curphey (Senior Manager of Innovation at Mayer Brown), explored the idea that this “T-shaped” professional, may be high in technical competence, but lacks the breadth in other valuable skills. To be a good lawyer capable of meeting the challenges of the legal environment of the future, we are required to be well-rounded problem solvers aware of business and commercial ramifications. Developing our softer skills will ultimately make us more effective “O-shaped” professionals.

The organisation O-Shaped was founded to make the legal profession better for those who are in it, use it and are entering it. Their five key characteristics for an “O-shaped lawyer” are as follows:

1. Have an Open mind: Adopt a growth mindset to allow us to be more open to new perspectives and ideas

2. Take Ownership: Focus on taking accountability, for instance for business-driven outcomes beyond pure technical legal advice

3. Be Original: Take an innovative and creative approach to problem-solving

4. Be Optimistic: Think of ways to expand rather than risk-averse solutions to hamper expansion and opportunities

5. Make and take Opportunities: Look broadly to take opportunities outside of our traditional spheres of influence.

Those starting out or those seeking to enter the legal industry, are encouraged to garner an “O-Shaped’ skill set drawing from experiences outside the industry, and importantly develop an open mindset of lifelong learning.  Kingsley Napley is currently reviewing their training programme and offering for trainees and are considering all elements of the O-Shaped programme to help build something exciting.

 

Changing the blame game

Everyone makes mistakes, whether through misinterpretation, miscommunications, or simply getting something wrong. In recent years, junior lawyers have expressed concern over the ‘blame game’ in the legal industry with high expectations, workplace pressures and deadlines leading to mistakes being made more often. This, set alongside recent Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) decisions impacting the practice of junior solicitors, has sparked conversations on what junior lawyers can do to incite change.

In this session on "Changing the blame game", Julie Norris (Partner, Regulatory) and Peter Cadman (Consultant, Russell Cooke and Chair of the Law Society’s Professional Standards and Ethics Committee) discussed how it is the manner in which we deal with the issue and not the mistake itself that is the focus.  Making mistakes is a key part of learning, and failing to admit them can only make matters worse. The panel discussed how there is a clear difference between making a genuine mistake and carrying out a negligent or reckless act, or dishonestly concealing a mistake. It is the latter which the SRA is keen to address.

Their key tips for those entering the legal profession can be summarised as follows:

1. Be conscious of your regulatory obligations:

Make sure you have read and understand the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs and the SRA Code of Conduct for Firms. It is crucial to recognise that trainee solicitors, paralegals and other non-qualified legal professionals should still be aware of their obligations under the codes.

2. Be honest when you do make a mistake, and report it to your line manager.

 3. Work with your organisation to remedy the mistake.

At Kingsley Napley, our core values of teamwork & respect, integrity & fairness, commitment and understanding, are integral to the way we work. Our non-hierarchical and open-door policy environment ensures that all members of the firm feel comfortable speaking to their line manager where mistakes are made and to remedy the issues as a team.

 

Conclusion

The conference highlighted that the Solicitors of Tomorrow are mindful of their environmental impact, take care of their mental health armed with the tools to tackle challenges at work, well-rounded problem-solvers, and well-versed in their regulatory obligations, understanding how to approach mistakes. It is positive that discussion is taking place around how to support junior solicitors and how we, in return, can make the most out of our careers.

About the Authors

Lavanya Loganathan and Charlotte Stringer are first year Trainee Solicitors at Kingsley Napley.