Share
Kennedys recently hosted Sophie Pender, Founder and CEO of The 93% Club, for a conversation around the importance of social mobility and what this means for the legal sector. Sophie trained as a solicitor before going full-time with The 93% Club and, as such, was able to provide a unique insight into how the sector approaches social mobility, the progress being made and what still needs to happen. Sophie was joined by Iskander Fernandez, Lesley Allan, Karen Snell and Gbemisola Obolo from Kennedys for a panel discussion on social mobility.
Sophie kindly shared her story with the panel to start with. She grew up on a council estate in London and excelled at school, becoming the first person in her school to get 3 A*s at A Level. She then went on to be the first in her family to go to university, gaining a place at Bristol University to read law. Here she shared how she felt that she didn't fit in because of her working-class background. Sophie talked about being asked which school she had been to, not realising the connection to private schools, something the audience resonated with. This drove her to start The 93% Club (named after the 93% of people who attend state school), which started as a society at Bristol University.
As the Bristol 93% Club grew, the story resonated with students across the country and started to gain traction. In 2018, the second club launched in Durham. By 2020, this had expanded to more than 45 Universities and a staggering 10,000 students. In 2023, the 93% Club embarked on one of their biggest projects, building on the success of the student network they launched 93% Professionals. This was a network for state-educated professionals, building on the successes of the student network.
Partners Iskander Fernandez and Lesley Allan, Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer Karen Snell and Trainee Gbemisola Obolo joined Sophie to share their experiences of social mobility, how this has changed through their legal careers and their hopes for the future. Iskander shared his experiences of moving to the UK as a child, something he shared in detail for Social Mobility Awareness Day. He reflected on the challenges of growing up having immigrated to the UK, starting his legal career in a smaller Firm and then moving into the city. As a successful Partner Iskander reflected on the progress that has been made in law and balanced this with the work still needed to attract and support diverse talent.
The panel covered a multitude of topics, from unwritten rules in the workplace to misconceptions around social mobility. They shared reflections on the challenges of balancing one's “old life” with one's “new life” and the geographical differences people experience covering London to Scotland. So many people were inspired by the panel, sharing common themes discussed by the panel, how their experiences resonated and the importance of hearing people talk about them.
Senior Partner John Bruce commented afterwards, “This was a great session today. Many of the messages chimed with some of my own experiences. Now is the time to broaden this conversation and take action”.
Moving forward, Kennedys continues to support social mobility in numerous ways. Staff can be involved in social mobility volunteering options in multiple ways, including the GROW mentoring scheme, where over 100 staff have mentored students from lower socio-economic backgrounds looking to break into law, and Chapter One, a Reading scheme allowing volunteers to read with a Key Stage 1 child to raise their confidence and self-esteem.