Features

Society Spotlight On: Women In Law Society

Rosie Pinder

A relatively new society, Women in Law at UoN was established in 2018. I interviewed the External Relations Coordinator, Chidiebere Okoroafor, to find out more about the society and the exciting events that they have coming up.

What is Women in Law all about?

The society aims to raise awareness, not only of the challenges women may face in the legal profession, but also of the increasing number of opportunities that are now available.

We hold ourselves high in developing a supportive network that is specific to women in the subject of law, with the main goal of unifying members, both women and men, to promote diversity and equality in the legal profession.

We also held giveaways for members, with prizes such as internship handbooks and access to the Commercial Law Academy

What kind of events do you run?

Last semester, we had an event with a leading careers coach to offer members practical advice with any upcoming applications and a social media takeover with a current trainee solicitor.

We also held giveaways for members, with prizes such as internship handbooks and access to the Commercial Law Academy, where you can practice for psychometric tests, prepare for interviews and things like that.

Additionally, we hosted a virtual coffee morning for first years and offered a ‘law mum’ scheme.

But this semester, we are trying to move away from commercial law and offer other events because we understand that everyone has varying career interests.

What events are coming up?

We have a virtual dinner coming up on the 8th of March with Eversheds Sutherland, where six of our members will be given Deliveroo vouchers to order what they want whilst networking with associates and trainee solicitors at the firm.

On the 15th of March, we are holding a panel event on faith in the legal profession in collaboration with BarSoc. There will be barristers and solicitors from different religions, so our members can get their perspective on how their faith has impacted their work as a lawyer, looking at conflicts of interest and how they navigate these in the legal profession, etc.

More events are also in the planning stages, including something with The Howard League for those interested in criminal law and a collaboration with the Business, Management and Leadership Society for equality and diversity week.

How did you get involved with the society?

In first year, I attended some of the Women in Law events, when it was a relatively new society. I attended an application workshop for under-represented students in collaboration with Aspiring Solicitors (black and other ethnic minority students, people who are first generation university students, etc) which got me interested in the society.

What does your role involve?

I’m the External Relations Coordinator so I’m in charge of coordinating events and initiatives with other societies in the university and outside of it. Furthermore, I am responsible for reaching out to and maintaining relationships with external individuals like trainee solicitors, career coaches, etc.

The reason I liked the External Relations Coordinator role is because it is very important for a new society. It is a great chance to expand ourselves further through collaboration.

It’s very informal, in the sense that we are most likely wearing comfortable clothing whilst discussing current issues and plans

What does an average society meeting look like?

I’ve never had a meeting in person because of COVID, but we mostly run meetings on Teams. It’s very informal, in the sense that we are most likely wearing comfortable clothing whilst discussing current issues and plans. We mostly go over what we have planned, specifically any ideas we have and how we actually hope to implement them.

We consider what sort of online events we can run, and what societies we can collaborate with, to increase engagement.

Our publicity officer runs a ‘Feminist Friday’ series on Instagram, where we select a woman in law and focus on the things she has done

What would you say to people who are thinking about getting involved?

Buy a membership and become an active member!

If you’re not too sure, you can follow us on our social media (details at the bottom of this article) to see what we are about.

Our publicity officer runs a ‘Feminist Friday’ series on Instagram, where we select a woman in law and focus on the things she has done and the inspiration you can take from that. For this month, there is a focus on LGBTQI+.

I also want to say that this society is not just for women, just because we are called Women in Law.

We have male members too, so both men and women are welcome. Equality is not a woman’s job, it’s everyone’s job. So, we really encourage men to join to gain an awareness of some of the challenges that women face.

It’s about developing this supportive network for women in law and we want to unify our members – women and men – to promote this.

Where can you go to find out more?

To stay updated on our upcoming events, follow us on our social media:

Facebook and LinkedIn: University of Nottingham Women in Law Society

Instagram: @uon_womeninlawsociety

If you have any questions, you can send us a DM on Instagram or contact us by email

Society Email: wilsociety@nottingham.ac.uk

Rosie Pinder


Featured image courtesy of the University of Nottingham’s Women in Law Society. No changes were made to this image. 

In-article images courtesy of  @uon_womeninlawsociety via Instagram. No changes made to these images. 

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