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Matthew Huggett, the newly appointed President of CILEX, discusses his humble beginnings at British Gas, catching the employment law ‘bug’, and elitism in the legal sector…
What was your route into the profession?
I never set out to work in the law—I went to university to study business and finance simply to keep my options open. When I left, I got a job with British Gas which evolved into a management information role.
From there, I joined EEF (the Engineering Employers’ Federation—now known as Make UK) where I started to work in human resources and became familiar with employee relations and employment law. I studied for a post-graduate degree in personnel management and remain a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
By 30 I had caught the employment law bug and it became clear to me that to be a respected adviser in the field, I would need to qualify as a lawyer.
At the time I had a mortgage and a young child. There was no possibility of giving up work to study solicitors’ exams in the hope of obtaining a training contract. I needed an alternative and CILEX offered that, allowing me to study while continuing to work. It took me five years to complete my studies, qualifying at the age of 37.
I will be forever grateful to CILEX for providing me with this route into the profession. Without CILEX I would not be where I am today.
What has been your biggest career challenge so far?
Proving myself. As the first EEF employee to qualify as lawyer while in role, I needed to constantly show I was capable of doing the same things as the solicitors and barristers in my organisation. Being appointed as lead lawyer, managing the delivery of legal advice from solicitors and barristers to key clients, was probably the most satisfying day of my career.
Which person within the legal profession inspires you most?
My old boss, Nevil Chesterfield who I worked with for over 20 years. He was a father figure to me as I worked my way up—always encouraging, positive and supportive. He never looked at me in a different way to the solicitors and barristers in our team.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you choose as an alternate career?
I very nearly chose to be an accountant. I was at a crossroads in my career and had always found numbers relatively easy, albeit not that interesting. That’s why I ultimately decided against it.
Who is your favourite fictional lawyer?
Easy. Daniel Kaffee in A Few Good Men played by Tom Cruise. Perhaps a bit clichéd, but I just love the infamous ‘code red’ scene with Jack Nicholson.
What change would you make to the profession?
Where do I start? The most obvious is to end the elitism. Whenever I attend employment tribunals, I am asked whether I am counsel or a solicitor and there is a general lack of understanding and appreciation of the work and role of CILEX lawyers.
The CILEX route is simply an alternative route, not a lesser one. CILEX lawyers should be judged on the work they produce rather than their path to qualification. Many employers have got this right—Carbon Law Partners certainly welcomed me, and my previous employer was the same. I was lucky but others have been subject to far more prejudice, facing barriers to progression simply due to their route into the law. That must change and CILEX is working hard to make that happen. We simply want parity where it has been earned.
How do you relax?
Even at my age, I still love to play cricket during the summer. I also enjoy going to concerts and am looking forward to seeing Arcade Fire in September.
Matthew Huggett is the President of CILEX.
