Former refugee fulfils career ambitions with help from the Law Society

A former Somali refugee has been awarded a scholarship by the Law Society to help fulfil her ambition of becoming a solicitor.

The Law Society Diversity Access Scheme (DAS) aims to improve social mobility in the legal profession by supporting talented people who have faced exceptional social, educational, financial, or personal obstacles to qualification as a solicitor. The scheme has already helped 150 aspiring solicitors to date.

At just 13-years-old, Nafisa Aden was separated from her siblings and the grandmother who had raised her when fleeing Somalia's civil war.

Recalling her arrival in the UK, Aden said: 'The solicitor we had at the time was to me a hero, having persuaded the UK government to give us a permanent right to stay.'

Aden explained she was drawn to studying law having seen the power it had to transform lives, including her own.

'Having survived a civil war, and then starting school much later than most of my peers, as well as adjusting to a new language and country without family support, I really doubted if someone like me could join the profession I so admired,' she said.

Aden added she found human rights and EU law the most interesting practice areas of study as an undergraduate. 'But I've also worked in a firm that specialises in family and immigration law, which were very interesting in practice,' she added. 'If I end up in any of those areas I think I'll be very pleased.'

She added that the Diversity Access Scheme allowed her to pass a financial hurdle that would have 'ended my ambition not because of lack of academic merit, but means. For that I am ever grateful and feel humbled to have been chosen,' she commented.

'Many people in my position lack the equal opportunity of finding help with financing expensive but necessary courses such as the LPC,' she told SJ. 'That is why I think programmes like the DAS are so vital, because, even though they cannot help everyone, at least they are attempting to do something about this imbalance.'

In addition to financial assistance to undertake her legal practice course (LPC), the scheme is to offer Aden and her fellow awardees relevant work experience, a professional mentor, and networking opportunities.

In 2015 the Law Society is supporting one awardee - Claire Lathwell - on a training contract at North Kensington Law Centre and we will be providing a training contract place for one DAS alumni within the society's legal team in 2016.

Previous DAS alumni have experienced time in local authority care, resisted coercion into arranged marriage, escaped oppressive regimes, and battled for access to university due to disabilities.

Law Society president Jonathan Smithers congratulated this year's awardees who represented the diverse talent needed for the profession to thrive.

'They have each overcome extraordinary challenges to get to this stage in their career,' he said. 'I am so glad the Law Society is able to support them in taking this significant step towards realising their ambitions. The profession is lucky to have these exceptional and inspiring people in our ranks.'

The full list of DAS 2015 award winners is:

Claire Lathwell - DAS PLUS awardee, with a training contract at North Kensington Law Centre

Nafisa Aden

Ruth Nsenga

Olivia Wint

Aroosa Ahmed

Tara Woodward

Leasha Newman

Danial Butt

Ria Begum

Harriet Jackson

Callanthea Goodliffe

John van der Luit-Drummond is deputy editor for Solicitors Journal
john.vanderluit@solicitorsjournal.co.uk | @JvdLD