Our second IWD highlight of today is Hannah Laithwaite. Hannah undertakes a broad range of civil and commercial work, with her practice primarily spanning the areas of commercial, insolvency, and property.
What made you decide to pursue a career in Law?
“Embarrassingly, watching too much CSI which piqued an interest in the law more generally, before a very good tutor on a law elective I took whilst reading English literature at university introduced me to the concept of shadowing a barrister on a mini pupillage.”
What area of law were you drawn to?
“Initially, criminal law but after shadowing a number of different barristers practising in criminal, family and civil, and speaking to them about their experiences at the Bar, I ultimately ended up drawn to a career at the civil Bar.”
How did your career begin?
“Pupillage at a civil set.”
How has working in the legal services field changed?
“It has definitely modernised in my time with the increase in use of technology for court hearings, the almost complete eradication of paper briefs and use of paper authorities / legal texts (the offering of the online legal libraries has improved). The Bar, and legal services more generally I think, has also modernised and become more progressive in acceptable attitudes and approaches to the provision of services too, although there is still more to be done to improve accessibility, diversity and equality.”
What advice would you give females who wish to embark on a legal career?
“Perseverance in the early years of applications and training is key, and it will pay off. It is extremely rewarding practising at the Bar so it is worth the hard work in the earlier years to establish yourself.”
Who are some of your role models?
“Lady Hale is my role model at the Bar – having met her at a female inclusion event, she was incredible supportive and down to earth and clearly has given a lot during her career in law.”
