A young legal duo have set up their own company aimed at increasing opportunities for women through accessible and inclusive events.
Final year law students Rukhsar Jahangir, 21, a Middle Temple Major Award scholar, and Maryam Razzaq, 23, an aspiring solicitor looking to qualify in property through an apprenticeship, are both based in West Yorkshire and decided to create Legal Lynk after finding a ‘significant’ gap in accessible and inclusive events for women in the legal profession.
Jahangir said: ‘Maryam was facing barriers with networking events, and I had started to use my social platform a lot more. I had engagement with the community and people asking for advice so Maryam and I collaborated. We shared our experiences and thought we needed to do something, to create something, for women.’
Razzaq added: ‘[As a South Asian woman] when I started my degree, I could not explain to my family about networking and its importance. They did not understand networking is open for connections and a friendship group, that is just one of the barriers we want to deal with.
‘We’ve also heard from older women who do not want to go to “younger” networking events and barriers experienced by those from working class backgrounds too.’
The women are working to set up mentoring schemes, shadowing opportunities and networking events as well as providing advice online and holding discussions for families of those in law or considering a career in the legal sector to help answer questions.
Jahangir said: ‘In Yorkshire, there are a limited number of opportunities so we’re not limiting Legal Lynk to younger or aspiring solicitors and barristers. We are creating a positive space where women can share their experiences and collaborate together.
‘Maryam has been a really great support network for me, it is really nice to have that. Some of our followers are a bit younger than us and we help guide them. A lot of people do not know what it takes to start the bar exam, for example.
‘Some people do not feel comfortable to go to a networking event if there is alcohol…we are doing events that are not based all around alcohol.’
The pair are now looking for sponsorship to help them fulfil Legal Lynk’s aims from financial sponsorship to donating time or office space.
Jahangir said: ‘We’re getting good support from the community, we did a taster event recently and got such a good response from qualified to aspiring individuals. Legal Lynk does not feel like a job, we genuinely enjoy it and though it does get stressful we balance each other very well.’
To get involved or to find out more, contact Legal Lynk at info@thelegallynk.com.
