My blog and platform – which is designed to inspire the next generation of lawyers – was borne out of my own experiences and difficulties in becoming a lawyer.

I am actually Kenyan and since I was a young girl, I always wanted to qualify as a barrister in the UK. In order to do so, I needed to have a qualifying law degree from the UK. I come from a single parent home, was a first generation university student and I did not have any ability to get a loan for my studies. I could not afford to study in the UK directly. So I actually started my law degree in Malaysia, knowing I could transfer to the UK for my final year. I really was not happy about this initially but my mother always taught me to dream big. She taught me that it did not matter where I studied but what I did with that education. During my time there, I was made to study English, Malaysian and Shar’ia law, and I distinctly remember questioning where I would ever apply them again. I eventually embraced the whole experience and it ended up becoming one of the most memorable ones of my life.

I then transferred to Cardiff University for my final year. When I transferred, I did not have any guidance on the actual route to qualification as a barrister in the UK. I had to figure everything out on my own. As an international student who had been in the UK for five months, I managed to get a full scholarship from my Inn to then pursue the Bar. I will forever be grateful to my Inn for believing in me.

Once you pass the Bar course, you can get Called to the Bar, but you also have to do 12 months of training called “pupillage” to be able to appear in court in England in Wales. So over a few years, I made over 20+ applications for pupillage. I also faced 20+ rejections. After being Called to the Bar, it took a lot of soul searching to figure out what to do next.

I then moved to Kenya and got a job as an Associate in an international arbitration firm. I also spent part of my time volunteering with death row inmates. When I finally I stopped looking for answers about what to do next and focused on my present and actually doing what I loved, which was practicing the law, I actually got some clarity. I made two decisions.

First, I wanted to set up my own charity to build more positive futures for the children that accompany their mothers to prison. I am so pleased to say I have now done this! Visit www.beyondkenyanbars.com for more information.

Second, I decided to apply to qualify as a Solicitor in England and Wales, but only at my dream law firm.

So because I had a full time job, I woke up at 4am for three months to practice and prepare for my interview, of course with support from a lot of well wishers along the way.

Eventually, I did land my dream job. But do you know what helped me stand out? The fact that I started off in Malaysia and studied the subjects that I would have never thought mattered; that I faced those rejections when they really hurt; that I only got clarity once I lifted the pressure of my shoulders and just lived in the moment; that I decided to start from scratch when I was most afraid to; and that I realised my mum was always right, it didn’t matter where I studied, but what I did with that education.

I trained as a Solicitor with Clifford Chance LLP, a magic circle law firm in the UK and one of the 10 ten most prestigious law firms in the world. In April 2023, after 14 years of working towards this, I finally qualified as a Solicitor.

I am a huge social mobility advocate and have set up this blog page to share everything I have learnt over the last few years to with the hope that it can make the lives of all aspiring barristers and solicitors easier. I also want others to know their ambitions are not capped by arbitrary factors like their race, gender, financial position or citizenship.

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To stay up-to-date with my own journey and plans for my blog, you can follow me on instagram. My page is linked below.