The Chair of the Bar Council, Sam Townend KC, has warmly welcomed the launch of Lawyers Who Care - the UK’s first legal mentorship organisation for care-experienced aspiring lawyers.
Lawyers Who Care (LWC) is led by two inspirational care-experienced aspirational lawyers, Lucy Barnes and Gemma Creamer and co-founded by Kate Aubrey-Johnson, barrister at Garden Court Chambers who co-authored the Dare to Care guide for criminal lawyers representing care-experienced young people.
LWC will provide a community for care-experienced aspiration lawyers by offering long-term mentoring with leading barristers and solicitors, access to paid work experience opportunities, support with applications, interview advice and access to resources on understanding the legal profession and accessing financial and other support.
LWC will provide mentors with care aware and trauma informed training. It will build a sense of community and belonging for care-experienced young people to feel seen in the legal profession for who they are, erasing stigma and empowering careexperienced aspiring lawyers to achieve successful legal careers.
Welcoming the launch, Sam Townend KC said:
"The Lawyers Who Care initiative is a brilliant one that I fully support.
"The purpose to give some targeted support to care-experienced aspiring lawyers is both unprecedented and absolutely focussed on a cohort of legal talent that both needs the initial support, and which has historically been underserved, even ignored.
"It’s fantastic to see a number of chambers have already signed up as members and I am sure that many barristers will be keen to act as mentors. I wish Lawyers Who Care every success for the launch and beyond."