Sarah Wilder
This is a slightly amended version of what I posted on LinkedIn today: I went to a comprehensive school in Romford. I read law at Cambridge University. Neither of these facts are particularly relevant day to day at this stage in my career. But when I first wanted to become a lawyer, the first was incredibly relevant. I didn’t know anyone who was a lawyer, and were it not for the kindness of my A-Level English teacher, who persuaded the local firm where her husband worked to give me a week’s work experience (thanks Ms Bagot!) I would not have had any experience of law at all when I went to my Cambridge interview. There are lots of incredibly bright kids at schools and university across the UK who, simply because of their circumstances, do not have any opportunity to talk to professional people and obtain some insight into their potential careers. This is a huge barrier to social mobility. Thank goodness then, for the clever people who set up The 1 Hour Project. I had my first call this week with a prospective lawyer, and it was brilliant! Talking to a young person at the start of their career journey to share the benefit of my experiences was a fantastic way to spend an hour and I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you can spare JUST ONE HOUR A WEEK to change the world for the better, please consider signing up.