Hello from Heriot Brown - Celebrating Pride!

I hope you’re well and at long last I can add, and enjoying the sunshine! ??

It’s crazy to say this but since my last email, I’ve celebrated one year at Heriot Brown and wanted to say thank you for all of your support!!

Community & Events

I’ve teamed up with Xavier Langlois , Beamery and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati to bring the community THE Pride event of the year for the LGBTQ+ community and their important allies! Every Pride Month becomes full of panel events and hearing from guest speakers. We want this event to be different! We want to hear from you and learn from your experiences. This is networking with a twist. Find out more and RSVP for this free to attend, spectacular networking event here: Driving Change with Pride: Networking with a Twist

Are you someone who loves to network but not so much over a glass of prosecco? Well, we’ve heard this from a few people now so are working on some non-boozy networking events, kicking off with our In-House Community Yoga class on Monday 26th June with Millie Jackson ! There are three spots remaining for in-house counsel to join us so don't delay!

This is actually one of the reasons that I created an in-house community team for the London Legal Walk this year – if you’re planning on walking and want to meet up, let me know! Cheekily too, if you have a few quid you spare us in the form of a donation, the team would really appreciate your support! Donate to the In-House Community Team here ??

I’ve held two more roundtables this month and our sub communities are growing nicely – let me know if you’d like to hear more or have ideas!

Top Content Picks

Speaking of Xavier, I’m delighted to say that season 5 of Lessons I Learned in Law has just been released this morning! We’re kicking off with Xavier on being a ‘jack of all trades’ and harnessing your transferrable skills and it’s a great listen! X talks about how there’s no one way to have a legal career, his experiences of sharing his whole self with his colleagues, specifically his sexuality as a gay man. Whilst he says he doesn’t like the term ‘coming out’, he instead tried normalise his experiences through honesty with his team. And finally the importance of not just being “the lawyer.”

Speaking of Lessons I Learned in Law, I’ve nicked the name from Scott and been running roundtables with a member of the community sharing their lessons and then a general discussion. I’ll be posting summaries and the first one is live here: Lessons I Learned in Law: How to approach legal operations and make it your career?

As most of you know, I spent 7 happy years at The Lawyer and always happy to introduce you to the team should you wish to find out more about being interviewed. Check out the most recent profile, Paddle GC Maryam Ziarati McLoughlin: “If you don’t like change, this place will give you whiplash!”

Community Corner

There are some exciting things that members of the community are working on at the moment that I just had to share!

The In House Pro Bono Group is running a great event on 21st June: Become a Charity Trustee / School Governor Workshop . Becoming a charity trustee or school governor is one of the best ways to broaden your horizons, expand your professional network and learn about the fundamental aspects of strategy, operations, risk and stakeholder management; all the while supporting a social cause that you care passionately about. As an in-house lawyer, your skills and expertise could make a significant impact on a charity/school (and also be good training for NED/board positions!)

Why not nominate someone for the O List before Friday 30 June! What is the O List? This is a new initiative from O Shaped , recognising those individuals across the legal industry who are making a difference by putting people first. How much to enter? Nothing! It's free. Who judges the entries? It is entirely judged by GCs. Is it just lawyers? No! It is anyone connected with the legal ecosystem. How do I nominate? It’s a quick and easy form here: Nominate someone for the O List!

InterLaw Diversity Forum have a fabulous event schedule planned this year and I highly recommend you taking a look! View the Upcoming Events schedule here.

I’m also always here to help so please feel free to reach out or pop a time in my diary to catch up too! Whether by phone, video or in-person (why not come to The Hoxton Southwark for a coffee ?!) it’s always a pleasure to find out what’s happening in the community and where I might be able to help!

All the best,

Emma

P.S if you like reading the ramblings of an In-House Head of Community each month, please subscribe!