CAREER OPPORTUNITIES: High Court judge claims Carter reforms would reduce pupillages


Mrs Justice Dobbs, Britain's first minority ethnic High Court judge, has called for senior black and minority ethnic (BME) lawyers to volunteer as mentors to help BME students launch successful careers as solicitors and barristers.



Speaking at the launch of the Black Letter Law directory last week, Mrs Justice Dobbs said that, despite considerable advances, BME students still faced difficulties securing solicitor traineeships and, in particular, pupillages. She warned that the Carter reforms to legal aid would further exacerbate the problem for BME students.



'If Carter bites, it is possible, and likely, that the number of pupillages will drop... we should be able to provide a large pool of professionals who can be mentors to young people who can, in turn, become mentors themselves and support the youngsters that follow behind them,' she said.



She called on all BME lawyer groups to pull together 'to avoid duplication of effort' and asked firms and chambers to recognise many BME students do not attend the 'traditional universities' they tend to recruit from.



Mrs Justice Dobbs also encouraged more practitioners to consider applying for judicial appointment, even if only on a part-time basis, for the good of the profession and the public.



'Your clients are entitled to walk into court and feel that at least one judge there understands where they are coming from,' she said, adding that experience on the other side of court would also rapidly improve advocacy skills.



Sibghat Kadri QC, a founder member of the Society of Black Lawyers, called on the bar to improve opportunities for BME students. 'I have always believed that the bar should accept the principle of positive discrimination, call it what you might,' he said.



l The Black Letter Law directory, edited by Debo Nwauzu, is available free of charge to many organisations. Extra copies are £25 each. Order via: debo@onlinebld.com.



Anita Rice