Determined to pursue her journey to the Bar, Kent Law School student Hena Pagoo switched her networking focus to LinkedIn during lockdown in 2020.
Hena said: ‘I made a decision to use my time during lockdown as an opportunity to attend online workshops, virtual mini-pupillages and talks given by legal professionals.’
As she began building connections and developing her engagement with students and legal professionals across the country, she noticed that many students shared similar concerns around progression to the Bar during a global pandemic. Hena said: ‘This inspired me to create a group where we could all share our knowledge, challenges and experience. It was important to have a community of students supporting each other, especially given the challenges everyone is facing during the pandemic.’
The group – ‘Aspiring Barristers’ – has been meeting every two weeks via Zoom since last summer, to discuss topics such as work experience, applications and interviews – whichever topic the group chooses to focus on.
Barristers are also invited to join the group for talks, activities and Q&A sessions. At a recent meeting, three barristers posed interview questions and shared feedback and professional advice on the best ways to approach the interview process.
The group isn’t limited to students from the University of Kent; it comprises students from different universities, different stages of study and even graduates completing a conversion course into Law. Hena said: ‘It’s open to anybody with an interest, and commitment to working towards a career as a barrister.’
Hena says feedback from the group has been extremely positive. One member commended her for doing “a wonderful job at bringing everyone together”. Another student member said: ‘I have loved the sessions. They have been perfect for having informal, useful discussions, and they feel so relaxed, but have been so helpful!’
Reflecting on her own experience of establishing the group, Hena said: ‘Creating this initiative has reassured me that aspiring barristers will reach the Bar in their own time, and that there is a community which supports you with this transition. I have acquired insight on how best to approach written applications, interviews and engaged with barristers by hearing about life at the Bar. Given that chances of acquiring work experience have been limited recently, the initiative has filled in the gaps and helped answer questions I had in relation to the Bar.’
Hena recommends LinkedIn to other students keen to pursue a legal career. She said: ‘With a number of professions, you will often hear “it’s not what you know, but who you know.” LinkedIn gives you an opportunity to post your successes, and downfalls and both will be recognised by those within your network. The support within the LinkedIn community is fantastic! It’s useful for identifying upcoming events which are taking place, especially virtually. Use it as an opportunity to build your professional network – it works!’
Hena also encourages fellow law students to make the most of employability support options available at Kent: ‘I was awarded a mini-pupillage with Stour Chambers via the University’s Employability Points Scheme, which is work experience I was initially struggling to acquire independently. To help prepare, I arranged for a mock interview with the Careers and Employability Service here at Kent and this was definitely a contributing factor to the success of my interview. It’s better to make the mistakes earlier on, and to have friendly staff guide you in the right direction! Also, exploring the Law School’s bulletins, posted by Employability Manager Jayne Instone, is extremely helpful when it comes to finding events taking place – these cover everyone’s interests! Jayne has also been kind enough to help me prepare for an upcoming interview.’
Now Hena is in the third year of her Law LLB studies at Kent, she’s preparing to take her final exams and planning for what comes next. She said: ‘The next step for me is to undertake the Bar Course. I’ve been busy with applications and I’m happy to say that I’ve received an offer from my choice of university in London! Whilst balancing priorities can be difficult at times, I remind myself that this is the final term at Kent, and do not want it to be over so soon!
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Feeling inspired? Connect with Hena Pagoo on LinkedIn and ask to join the group!