The CILEX president tells NLJ about her journey from trainee legal secretary to leading a large team of specialists, and about the progress made by CILEX lawyers over the past two decades
What was your route into the profession?
Issues at home around the time I completed my GCSEs meant staying in school and going to university were just not realistic for me. I needed to get a job. The role I found just happened to be as a trainee legal secretary in a local law firm. It was largely a legally aided practice, aside from the conveyancing department, which is where I began my legal career.
There were several CILEX trainees in the business and it seemed to me that I had stumbled on something which might lead me to a professional qualification after all, without having to go to university.
With the full support of my boss, I finished my CILEX exams five years later, having been exposed to every area of law that the firm practised in, starting in conveyancing before moving to family as well as covering some personal injury, wills and probate, and clerking at the Crown Court for the criminal department.
I qualified as a family law specialist initially, running a full legally aided caseload before relocating to London to work for a niche family law practice. I was admitted as a fellow in October 2010 and gained incredible experience in that role, including in advocacy in the Principal Registry and assisting on reported matters at the Royal Courts of Justice.
But family law had never really been my desired specialism—I had always loved the thrill of getting a deal over the line. When a chance opportunity in a fast-paced new-build property team at Foot Anstey came up, I jumped at it. That was back in 2014 and since then I have progressed from chartered legal executive to principal director, leading a large team of new-build specialists.
What has been your biggest career challenge so far?
It’s been navigating out-of-date opinions of vocational routes to qualifications in the law. The vast majority of colleagues now understand that CILEX lawyers perform the same role at the same level as solicitors in our specialist area or areas, so we have made great progress here in the 21 years I have worked in the law.
Which person within the legal profession inspires you most?
Our current Lady Chief Justice. I have had the privilege of meeting her and hearing her speak, and she is incredibly inspirational—firm but measured, warm and personable to all. Her passion for increasing diversity in the judiciary shines through when she speaks of it and the importance of the work being done in this area cannot be underestimated.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you choose as an alternative career?
Had university worked out for me, I had hoped to study politics and build a career with a global element, perhaps in international relations, though my foreign language skills would definitely have needed some work! Good communication is an integral skill to success in the law, so it is easy to see why so many lawyers end up in politics.
Who is your favourite fictional lawyer?
Martha Costello in BBC’s Silk, played by Maxine Peake. I adored her pragmatic realism and how refreshingly unglamorous she was. I spent some time clerking in the Crown Court as a junior and it felt as close to the real thing as I had seen.
What change would you make to the profession?
True equity is the goal. For the legal profession to properly reflect the population it represents and serves, we must increase our diversity. Working on the variance in the socio-economic background of our lawyers and judges is particularly important in achieving this goal, and we know that CILEX lawyers can contribute hugely to this.
How do you relax?
Between my day job, my current role as president of CILEX and co-parenting a very nearly three-year-old, I don't have a lot of down time! I really must find a hobby when my term ends next July.
Yanthé Richardson is the current president of CILEX and principal director at Foot Anstey.
