On 13 June 2018, Just Lawyers was launched on the first day of the Law Society’s In-House Division Conference. Our panel of speakers – Nikki Elliot (Co-Chair of Lawyers Against Poverty’s In-House Thematic Group), Mark Maurice-Jones (General Counsel at Nestlé), Claire Mortimer (Assistant Legal Adviser at the Foreign Office) and Joss Saunders (General Counsel at Oxfam GB) – chaired a series of roundtable discussions on achieving social justice as a lawyer.
Our first discussion was around creating a culture of compliance within an organisation and influencing others in our role as lawyers. We considered the need to encourage the right behaviours and communicate with openness and transparency in order to increase meaningful engagement, especially with more junior members of an organisation, and foster trust.
Our second discussion considered public perceptions of lawyers and whether or not we are seen as guarantors of justice. We discussed the fact that perceptions are changeable and will often be coloured by contemporary events or individual experience. The consensus was that more education is needed to encourage understanding at an earlier age of our role in upholding principles as imperative as the rule of law.
Our third discussion was around achieving social justice as lawyers. We discussed the fact that we can work in aid of social justice most effectively in circumstances where we are using our skills and training as lawyers. Several members of the audience told us of social justice initiatives they had developed (such as a work experience scheme for children from deprived backgrounds and a “hack” to debunk the legal barriers around using solar energy).
We were honoured to have Christina Blacklaws, the Vice President of the Law Society, announce the launch of Just Lawyers after our roundtable discussions. She spoke with much enthusiasm of the website as an empowerment tool that could help lawyers to become leaders of justice in society and as a forum in which to seek inspiration and inspire one another. Our many thanks to her and to the Law Society for hosting our launch!
Visit the website for information, ideas, tips and case studies on how to become a Just Lawyer and a make a difference in your organisation, in your profession and in society. Please also email us if you would be interested in working with us or have any comments or questions.