Mentoring scheme helping students realise their career dreams

August 15, 2024

A mentoring scheme by Exchange Chambers is helping young people from under-represented backgrounds realise their career dreams.

Over the last 2 years, 28-barristers from Exchange Chambers in Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds have acted as mentors to students and young people who might otherwise lack access to the legal profession.

Encouragingly, a number of mentees from the scheme have gone on to secure pupillage with Exchange Chambers.  Pupillage is the final, vocational stage of training for those wishing to become practising barristers.

As well as providing one-to-one support, advice and practical experience, the Exchange Chambers barrister mentors have worked closely with local charities including L8 A Better Place, a community development project based in Toxteth, Liverpool.

Exchange has also hosted a series of events, such as its Day in Court session, with students visiting local courts and meeting with judges and barristers.

Commenting on Exchange’s mentoring programme, 19-year Gabriel Mikoleizik from Liverpool said:

“Exchange’s mentoring scheme has provided me with an invaluable opportunity. It has really helped me to get onto the right path to becoming a barrister.”

Practising for over 25 years, Jacqueline Deans, a family law barrister at Exchange Chambers grew up hearing about and experiencing the difficulties the Black community had in the 1960s onwards with police, immigration and social housing.

As part of her role as a mentor, Jacqueline recently took part in a round table discussion about access, class and race barriers.

Jacqueline said: “From a young age and from personal experiences growing up in the UK, I understood what injustice meant and wanted to advocate for fairness to ensure there was a just outcome for every person who encountered the law.”

Jacqueline added: “At school, my career teacher told me a career in law was not for ‘people like me’, and a career in nursing was more suited to ‘people like me’. I was all the more determined to successfully pursue a career in law, break down barriers and challenge the perception a career at the Bar was more suited to white middle-class males.  It’s hugely rewarding to act as a mentor to young people who would otherwise lack access to the legal profession.”

Criminal barrister Stella Hayden has been instrumental in the ongoing development of Exchange Chambers’ mentoring scheme.

Said Stella:

“Our mentoring scheme provides students across the North with access to a barrister mentor who can advise and support them to develop key skills and areas of knowledge by providing an insight into a career in the law.

“As a progressive barristers’ Chambers, we are committed to achieving equality in representation within the legal profession.  We want the composition of Chambers to reflect the community we represent.”

Added Jonathan I’Anson, Chief Executive at Exchange Chambers:

“Our mentoring scheme is an important way of improving access and diversity in the legal profession.

“We are delighted with its success to date and look forward to expanding the programme in the months ahead.

“I would like to thank all our barrister mentors who have put their time, commitment and energy into this exciting project.”