It’s safe to say that I’m not someone who has followed a traditional legal education or legal career. I went to a state school and didn’t go to university; neither did my parents or older brother.
I was working as an office junior in a small firm of solicitors in Rotherham at the age of 17, earning £50 a week. I was instantly mesmerised by the law and knew I was on the right path. In 2003, I went to work at Irwin Mitchell as a legal secretary - I had left school with very good clerical grades and an exceptional typing speed, plus a skill in shorthand I never knew I possessed. It was whilst working there as a typist that I first heard about ILEx courses (as it was known then). I decided to enrol on the course, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
What has been your biggest career challenge so far?
Changing career direction has been my biggest challenge. I left the legal industry in 2017 after 24 years – it was all I knew and had known since I was 17. But at the age of 41, I had my daughter and my outlook changed. I had always had a strong sporting and fitness background and even passed my kickboxing blackbelt the same year as my CILEX final exams. I got presented with an opportunity to go into the fitness industry, albeit at a strategic and senior leadership level. I acquired shares in a chain of gyms in Sheffield and I am now Operations Director for the whole organisation. Career change is tough – the emotional rollercoaster guarantees a rough ride! At times it felt like more lows than highs, but I also instinctively knew I was doing the right thing.
Which person within the legal profession inspires you most?
Suzanne Munroe is a solicitor and Director at Switalskis Solicitors in Huddersfield. She is one of the legal industries unsung heroes. I learned so much from her during my early career and later she became a confidante and friend. She knows about adversity, the challenges women face in demanding careers whilst also trying to balance family life, and the importance of treating everyone fairly. She is hugely inspiring to me and her humble nature will probably mean she is totally unaware!
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you choose as an alternate career?
Definitely either a rehabilitation personal trainer or physiotherapist. My interest has always been in rehabilitation and helping people regain physical mobility after serious injury. My sporting background is in martial arts so I would also have loved to have done that on a more competitive level and then gone into coaching children.
Who is your favourite fictional lawyer?
Martha Costello from Silk (played by Maxine Peake) – mainly for saying what she thinks and not dressing it up in legal jargon. I admire her honesty and lack of self-importance. And, I know she isn’t fictional but I would also love to say Judge Judy too! She’s like a militant super-hero armed with a gavel.
What change would you make to the profession?
Without doubt, to make it more accessible to people who aspire to be lawyers but who think they can’t due to their educational background. I want to break down barriers faced by CILEX members in particular, from the longstanding snobbery too often demonstrated by other branches of the profession to the legal barriers that see CILEX members barred from certain positions and activities. I dream of a legal system that represents the communities it serves.
How do you relax?
With a lively four-year-old daughter, two equally lively springer spaniels and a very supportive husband, I love nothing more than going on walks in the glorious countryside where we live. Obviously fitness plays a big part of my relaxation and is my go to ‘me time’ activity.
Caroline Jepson, President, CILEX (Chartered Institute of Legal Executives)
