As Michael Smyth of Clifford Chance said in a feature I wrote for In-House Lawyer, “it is considered as part of the metrics for bonuses, and certainly it is a factor in determining the ‘A’ list for partnership”.
Smyth, (then), was concerned in case “the glamorous end of the work in terms of international pro bono supplants community based activity which is more attractive to the younger lawyer”.
There are those, like him, who feel that many lawyers doing voluntary work within the confines of their firm’s CSR policy can do good work at home; others, like A4ID, feel they should offer lawyers the chance to use their professional skills.
The Junior Lawyers Division – which represents trainee and newly qualified solicitors in England and Wales, part of the Law Society, perhaps has developed a middle way one which is open to all solicitors.
It has announced the launch, on 2nd February, of its new development programme. This is based on a pilot project undertaken by JLD members. Looking at their blog, the opportunity to work with Raleigh International has certainly inspired the expedition members.
Kat Gibson, an in-house lawyer at Coca-Cola Europe, says endurance was one of her goals: “I wondered whether it was possible to stick the project out and cope with the extremes of temperature, climate, living conditions and hard work involved”.
Gibson says a normal level of physical fitness was required, and basic training was given, with “a two day induction in Jungle Camp, learning safety procedures, basic jungle first aid, and how to recognise the more poisonous of Borneo's creepy crawlies”.
Acclimatising to Borneo's culture and conditions was key. Once there, the team worked hard to make a difference to their environment. As Judith Perkins of the LYLG says, “The project was full of firsts from the start – the first time a group of Westerners had been to the village”.
The lawyers taught English to local children, even if “their English put our dreadful attempts at Malay to shame”.
She says: “The physical difference we made to the community was well received, but the exchange of cultures was equally as important.”
Perkins says the physical results of the project were ten village taps at the end of a pipeline 2.4km long running the height of a mountain.
Keith Etherington, from Mellor & Jackson in Oldham, says: “The best bit for me was the moment the water got to what we called Tap 10, which was the end of the pipeline, physical proof that the project had been successful”.
“The children playing under the running water was immediate evidence of how crucial this project had been for these people….for the first time everyone could drink clear water instead of brown water”.
Etherington called the pilot “utterly humbling” and Perkins says ” I can now be dropped completely out of my comfort zone but still deal with the situation at hand, which is extremely valuable”.
As Perkins says: “The JLD is now firmly convinced that this is a project worthy of considerable time and investment. The benefits, in terms of personal development, and community outreach, are second to none.”
A worthwhile challenge then, for trainees and young lawyers to make their personal development both a professional asset and physical challenge; for those who would rather focus on improving lives, rather than laws.
Ben Rigby
Ben Rigby is a freelance legal journalist, having previously worked as a staff reporter on 'Legal Business' and 'In-House Lawyer' magazines, as well as Bar Editor of the Legal 500 UK. A non-practicing solicitor, he has worked in general practice in Essex and Kent, as well as at the Law Society of England & Wales and the Ministry of Defence.
He is a Past President of the European Young Bar Association and a Past Chairman of the London Young Solicitors Group. Ben has written regularly about issues that affect young lawyers in the EYBA’s magazine, Eurolawyer, as well as for TSG Life, London Lawyer, and YSG Magazine.
It has announced the launch, on 2nd February, of its new development programme. This is based on a pilot project undertaken by JLD members. Looking at their blog, the opportunity to work with Raleigh International has certainly inspired the expedition members.
Kat Gibson, an in-house lawyer at Coca-Cola Europe, says endurance was one of her goals: “I wondered whether it was possible to stick the project out and cope with the extremes of temperature, climate, living conditions and hard work involved”.
Gibson says a normal level of physical fitness was required, and basic training was given, with “a two day induction in Jungle Camp, learning safety procedures, basic jungle first aid, and how to recognise the more poisonous of Borneo's creepy crawlies”.
Acclimatising to Borneo's culture and conditions was key. Once there, the team worked hard to make a difference to their environment. As Judith Perkins of the LYLG says, “The project was full of firsts from the start – the first time a group of Westerners had been to the village”.
The lawyers taught English to local children, even if “their English put our dreadful attempts at Malay to shame”.
She says: “The physical difference we made to the community was well received, but the exchange of cultures was equally as important.”
Perkins says the physical results of the project were ten village taps at the end of a pipeline 2.4km long running the height of a mountain.
Keith Etherington, from Mellor & Jackson in Oldham, says: “The best bit for me was the moment the water got to what we called Tap 10, which was the end of the pipeline, physical proof that the project had been successful”.
“The children playing under the running water was immediate evidence of how crucial this project had been for these people….for the first time everyone could drink clear water instead of brown water”.
Etherington called the pilot “utterly humbling” and Perkins says ” I can now be dropped completely out of my comfort zone but still deal with the situation at hand, which is extremely valuable”.
As Perkins says: “The JLD is now firmly convinced that this is a project worthy of considerable time and investment. The benefits, in terms of personal development, and community outreach, are second to none.”
A worthwhile challenge then, for trainees and young lawyers to make their personal development both a professional asset and physical challenge; for those who would rather focus on improving lives, rather than laws.
Ben Rigby
Ben Rigby is a freelance legal journalist, having previously worked as a staff reporter on 'Legal Business' and 'In-House Lawyer' magazines, as well as Bar Editor of the Legal 500 UK. A non-practicing solicitor, he has worked in general practice in Essex and Kent, as well as at the Law Society of England & Wales and the Ministry of Defence.
He is a Past President of the European Young Bar Association and a Past Chairman of the London Young Solicitors Group. Ben has written regularly about issues that affect young lawyers in the EYBA’s magazine, Eurolawyer, as well as for TSG Life, London Lawyer, and YSG Magazine.
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