SCC Seminar: Achieving work-life balance and career progression in the legal profession

Achieving good career progression and work-life balance tends to be challenging in the legal profession. On Wednesday, 24th of October, Ms Simone Ritchie, Property Litigator, Consultant Solicitor at Woodstock Property Law and listed in 'The legal 500' as one of the best property solicitors in the country, gave this talk, where she discussed her personal experiences on how to successfully juggle work and family life.

The seminar was very well attended by over 35 participants including staff and students. The students were very engaged and found it really interesting and inspiring. A 3rd year LLB student who attended the seminar said: 

“As an aspiring lawyer, I think that work-life balance in the legal profession is rarely talked about. You hear about billable hours and how much work you are expected to put in, however you don’t hear about the other side of things that is equally important - a family life. Especially in a career like law, it is hard to manage that balance, and having family commitments inevitably leads to implications for female lawyers, regardless of how flexible and progressive the law firm is. This talk was very useful as it gave an insight into Ms Simone Ritchie’s own successful career as a property litigator and how she was able to adapt to include family life as well. Hearing her passion to continue her legal career whilst being a parent was extremely encouraging, and I really value her supportive words of wisdom.”