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WELCOME TO BLD's NEWSLETTER

Welcome to our January Newsletter, the first of 2008. We would like to wish you a very Happy New Year and thank you for your support in 2007 and do hope we can count on your continued support in 2008. Our main theme of 2008 is raising aspirations. Are you a lawyer, a Trainee Solicitor or a Pupil Barrister? Have you also wanted to give something back or make a difference, just made a resolution to do so or simply just decided on reading this? Do you like talking to young people and feel you are able to inspire them and raise their aspirations by talking about what you do in schools, institutions of further education and possibly universities? If yes, we need you! All we need at this stage is your name, your geographical location, job/professional title, your employer/organisation and your contact address, email and telephone to add you to our list. We will then contact you later in the year.

In this issue you will find that we kick-start 2008 by our fantastic offer to the National Theatre to see the new Kwame Kwei Armah's play Statement of Regret. There a round-up of employment law issues with Herbert Smith in Opportunity Now. Also our choice of Lawyer of the Month and the In Focus feature (below) is on lawyers doing legal aid work who are the unsung heroes and heroines helping many of the vulnerable and disadvanatged in society. At the end of January 2008, we will be starting our two new programmes - find out more about our Legal Launch Pad Programme for university law and non-law students and now existing BLD mentees (the application closing date is 11 January 2008 and if you want to apply, do it now! Downlaod the application form and brochure) and the Today's Children, Tomorrow's Lawyers Programme for 13-17 year olds that will include various video podcasts (vodcasts).

One high point in 2007 has to have been the launch of our ground-breaking Black Letter Law publication at our Black History Month event, sponsored by Clifford Chance, on 4 October. Mrs Justice Dobbs, Britain's top-ranking BME judge, was the keynote speaker, as reported in the Law Society Gazette. Black Letter Law, edited by BLD founder Debo Nwauzu, was also favourably featured in The Times Online and the November issue of the In-House Lawyer. To order your copy, please do download and complete the Black LetterLaw order . The work on the 2008 edition has already started.

However, 2007 was jam-packed with other highlights. It began as the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All and to commemorate this we held our Diversity in Law Event generously sponsored by Allen & Overy, on 1 March, happily coinciding with BLD's first anniversary in February. We were also delighted in May to be one of the sponsors of the Minority Lawyers Conference and a Media Partner of The Lawyer Diversity Conference. The same month saw us welcome Barclays Bank, a FTSE 100 company and one of the world's largest banks, as both a sponsor and an advertiser, the first corporate team to do so. The summer came along and in July we held a joint event with the Association of Women Solicitors (AWS), sponsored by Slaughter & May asking: "Is Networking an Art or a Science?" This was a great success, despite a rail crash and the weather!

We look forward to building on our achievements in 2008, which also promises to be even more packed!

Lawyer of the Month

Our Lawyer of the Month is Saimo, a partner at Bindmans & Partners, a "trailblazer" according to the British Institute of Human Rights and the winner of the 2006 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Award (LALY) in the Mental Health category.Read more

In Focus

In Focus this month is Andrew Holroyd OBE, President of the Law Society of England and Wales, and the Senior Partner at the Liverpool Legal Aid firm, Jackson & Canter. Liverpool also happens to be the European Capital of Culture 2008. Read more

Jobs and Careers

Jobs! View our latest jobs

Success Coaching for lawyers by Caroline Newman. Read more

I wish I could do that! Find out how other lawyers did it.

Dates in your diary for January/February 2008

13 January: BNLF Network. Read more

25th January 2008. BLD night at the National Theatre to see a Statement of Regret. Read more

31 January: Induction Day at DLA Piper for the successful Legal Launch Pad applicants

16th February: Society of Asian Lawyers Annual Ball at the Cafe Royal. Read more

Did You Know That?

Round-up of employment law issues in Opportunity Now with Herbert Smith. Read more

Excuses for lack of diversity in law will run out by Eduardo Reyes. Read more

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