Join Estella Edwards and today's guest, Inez Brown, as she discusses her struggles and experiences with discrimination in the legal industry, how she built her clinical negligence team that now specializes in all types of claims, including birth and brain injuries, and how she won her case. And her story of becoming the first black president of the Birmingham Law Society and raising funds for charity during the pandemic year.

Themes:

• Diversity Inclusion Scheme
• conversation about flexible working
• Law and Technology

Links:

LinkedIn

Quotes:

“..We couldn't afford to buy books. So what she would do is give us the Bible to read. And we had to read it from cover to cover. So we learned English, and we learned about grammar.”

“..At no point did I ever think that we didn't have enough, we didn't have enough, but at no point was I made to feel that we didn't have enough. And as a result, from about the age of 12, I knew that I wanted to become a solicitor, maybe a barrister one day.”

“..Self belief is having a goal, something that you aspire to and believing that you can achieve it ,no matter what.”

“..to have self belief, you've got to have confidence. Confidence is something that you don't just get overnight. It's something that you learn.And it is a journey.”

“..I always wanted to be accepted by everyone that I met. And if you didn't accept me, I felt as though I'd failed. And  my confidence was very, very low. “

“..why do you need people to affirm you? Why don't you just believe in yourself, accept yourself, and those around you in your immediate circle, they will then be supportive of you. But until you believe in yourself, and accept yourself, you actually won't make it.“

“..whatever you do, it doesn't matter what job you are in, be the best in that job.”

“.. As a lawyer, I was a trainee solicitor, but I was the only black person in the firm, who was training to be a lawyer, and who was not in an admin or support role.And what you find when you're the only one, they will try to encourage you to go into areas of law that you don't necessarily want to do.”

“..They were directing me into the areas which, unfortunately, people of colour, tend to be directed into crime, family, immigration, housing, those are the areas that they tend to direct people of color, but that wasn't what I wanted to do.”

“.. I qualified into personal injury and medical negligence, and I've remained in medical negligence, and I absolutely love the combination of medicine and the law.”

“..We had a press conference with over 30 members of the press who were there, including Channel Four ,ITV.I went on this morning, I went on BBC News, I went on Sky News, talking about the changes in law.”

“..On our journey, people will say things that can be extremely discouraging and hurtful, and especially when you're trying to be noticed, because as a young lawyer, you want to be noticed by your supervisor, because that means there is scope for promotion.”

“.. one thing that journey has taught me as well, when I've been treated badly, or when I've been discouraged, is to learn not to do that to anyone else.

“..I think it's really, really important that we offer a helping hand, it can't be only Inez, it's got to be the legacy for me, is passing or imparting my knowledge and support to those who would not have the opportunity that others have.”

“..when I looked at the Law Society, there was no diversity at all, at that time, and rather than sit back and just complain,I believe that the solution is to get involved, to roll your sleeves up and get involved. And so that's why I started to volunteer with the Law Society, and I volunteered on the PR and media committee, and then I was a volunteer for the personal injury committee.”

“..I've never seen myself as just a solicitor, I think there's something bigger out there for me to do,and to help others on their journey. “

“..I wanted to set up a scholarship.It was called the diversity and inclusion scheme, where I was going to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds and underrepresented groups to access the profession.”

“.. not to give them a training contract, because they would have to work for that if you want something, and you believe in yourself, you've got to work towards it, you cannot be handed everything on a plate.”

“..It's about us believing in ourselves, aspiring, but what can we do”

“..For others, it's about giving back and making sure that there is a community behind us who see someone who looks like us, who comes from where we have come from, and can aspire as well.”