Choose your Leeds JLD Committee for 2024
EVENTS OFFICER:
Michaela Longland

I started my career at Irwin Mitchell in Sheffield in 2016 as a Paralegal, and completed my training contact in August 2023. In March 2023, I began a seat as part of my training contract at the Irwin Mitchell Leeds office, and I now work at Leigh Day in their Leeds office as an Associate Solicitor (<1 year PQE).

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I have a keen interest to join the JLD committee as I am passionate about bringing together junior lawyers from across the profession to network, and to also enable them to build a peer support network. I have attended events historically on the JLD Sheffield committee and have close friends who have been and continue to be part of the committee in Sheffield; and therefore, I have some knowledge of the expectations that would be involved in being part of the committee. I am keen to apply for the Events Officer role due to my experience below, however I am flexible and would also be interested in the Charity and Education Officer role.

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From 2016 up to 2019, I was a member of the Young Legal Aid Lawyers Committee in Sheffield. My role as part of this group was to organise events and liaise with professionals in the industry including my contacts to gather attendance at events. This involved arranging social events at local bars for events such as the Great Legal Quiz, and organising panel events on topical issues including Protest Law, Women in Law and Access to the Legal Profession with HHJ Robinson kindly speaking. I also prepared and created posters for the events, and dealt with circulating these both on our mailing list and through social media.

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I was also part of the Irwin Mitchell Sheffield social committee in my previous role as a Paralegal and then Trainee Solicitor. This involved organising social events for 60+ individuals, liaising with venues, and our accounts department as to any budget restrictions. I worked with a group of 3 individuals to arrange the events and dealt with obtaining any necessary pre-event orders.

I also have contacts/links in the Sheffield region to legal charities including the Support Through Court charity (previously the Personal Support Unit) and sat on their fundraiser committee prior to the COVID pandemic. As part of my role on the committee I was involved in generating ideas as to how fundraising targets could be met, and arranging events following on from meetings to ensure targets could be achieved.

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Whilst I am relatively new to the Leeds region, I am very keen to join the committee and to get involved with the JLD events; now that I have qualified and settled in Leeds, I feel joining the committee would also allow me to meet new people and build my network.