Welcome to the first blog post for TheLawyerFiles!
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In this first edition, we feature Charity Mafuba, a dual-qualified Solicitor (England & Wales) and New York Attorney, who shares her inspiring career journey, insights on Banking & Finance law, and valuable advice for aspiring solicitors.
Let’s dive in! 🚀
- What inspired you to pursue a career in law?
I worked for the Royal Borough of Kingston-Upon-Thames for over 10 years, and in my final role as a Support Co-ordinator (essentially a social work assistant role), one of my responsibilities was the completion of assessments for physically disabled adults who required funding to enable them to live in a Residential or Nursing home. I had to provide a convincing rationale as to why the panel should approve the funding.
This motivated me to pursue a career in law and I successfully applied for a place at BPP University in London near Waterloo where I duly commenced my LLB Hons Law degree in January 2015.
and given your extensive paralegal experience in Banking & Finance and Corporate/Commercial law, what influenced your decision to focus on these areas, and do you see yourself continuing in this direction as a solicitor?
During the holidays (after completing my 1st and 2nd years of law school), I completed an internship with the local council – in the family law department dealing with custody hearings and then a mini pupillage in a barrister’s chambers -focusing on immigration and criminal law matters. I decided that these practice areas were not for me and that I preferred transactional areas of law.
When it came to selecting my electives in the final year of law school, I chose-Banking and Finance, Commercial Law and Trade Finance , Company Law and Corporate Governance and Financial Crime. I found these quite fascinating and really enjoyed the subject matter. When it came to applying for Paralegal roles, naturally I applied for roles in these subject areas.
I definitely would like to continue work in Finance and Regulation as a Solicitor, specifically in Derivatives-however, with the rise of Digital Assets, I am open to working in this space too. In fact I recently interviewed for a Junior Legal Counsel role in the Digital Assets sector, (although I was unfortunately unsuccessful).
- How do you handle the demanding workload and maintain work-life balance?
I have always been super organised and disciplined – (If I may say so myself!) from my law school days where I would spend 10 hours (in classes and at the library) then go home when the library was about to close. Once I had eaten and had my evening shower (then sorting out my clothes and lunch for the next day), I would relax and then resume studying before going to bed-to get adequate rest, ready to resume the next day-freshly rejuvenated.
Fast forward to when I enrolled on both the New York Bar Course and the Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme (QLTS) Course and was also working full time. Monday to Friday -I would work from 9-5, then I would rest for a couple of hours (catching up with friends and family) and commence the New York Bar homework according to the Personal Study Plan (PSP). This would be in the evening around 7pm until midnight. I would then ensure I got adequate sleep. Saturday and Sunday – I treated myself to lie ins and then would complete my chores (for example-laundry, cleaning and cooking) before commencing my QLTS course assessments. I carved out time to go for walks and would also watch some of my favourite shows-although I had to be careful as this posed the risk that I would slack off with my studies.
So whether you are studying or working full time or doing both as I was, always ensure you maintain adequate rest, exercise and eat well. This will ensure that you are energised and focused to adequately study and perform well. More importantly-it prevents burn out.
Also -make use of your diary and calendar, create a to-do list, study time table if studying, and carve out time for your loved ones as relationships are very important.
(*I should note that I do not have caring responsibilities, and I am not married-and appreciate that this may not be the case for others)
- What are some current challenges facing the legal profession, and how can aspiring solicitors prepare for them?
Whilst strides have been made to advance social mobility, especially with the implementation of the Solicitor’s Qualifying Exam (SQE) in 2022. There is still a long way to go in achieving equality.
A “persistent attainment gap” issue continues among black candidates who are not performing as well as candidates from other backgrounds, meaning they are achieving lower results. The causes of this issue have yet to be determined. The SRA has commissioned an independent review to evaluate whether the SQE is on track to achieving some of its objectives and tasked the IFF (a marketing agency) with this.
There have been concerns about the pass rate, specifically with regards to the SQE 1 assessments, which hit an all-time low of 44% last year.
For those who have self-funded the SQE courses and assessments, and gained the requisite qualifying legal experience (QWE), rendering them eligible for admission to the roll of Solicitors , securing an NQ (Newly Qualified ) role is proving to be difficult as they are competing with those who have qualified through the traditional route. Giving credence to the “bottleneck” effect. One might be viewed as an over qualified paralegal with a law licence.
A recruiter informed me that I was not worthy of applying for an NQ role and that she “would not even get a fee for placing me”
I have recently started applying for NQ roles – both in Private Practice and In House and some roles – the feedback is that I am over qualified. When I have opted to apply for paralegal roles – as an entry avenue to a subsequent NQ role, I have been instantly rejected or not made the cut.
Additionally, DEI appears to be under attack, which affects us all in different ways, and will make it harder to access the profession and progress to senior level.
It is advisable for aspiring solicitors, especially those who are self-funding to network and sign up to attend events hosted by organisations such as the Interlaw Diversity Forum
http://www.interlawdiversityforum.org/
Commercial awareness is extremely important and so is signing up to mentoring schemes-as this fosters relationships with senior legal contacts who may be instrumental in securing legal roles.
- What advice can you offer aspiring solicitors on qualifying in New York?
It is definitely not for the faint hearted, but very achievable. If you completed your law degree in a common law jurisdiction, like England and Wales, the syllabus is 70% the same-that is half the battle.
Make sure that your documentation is in order (University transcript, supporting letters from either University module leaders or tutors) -the eligibility verification can take up to six months and do not enrol onto the course until this has been confirmed.
If you have not completed the standard 3 year law degree, you are most likely not eligible to sit the New York Bar unless you complete the US LLM.
The New York Board of Law Examiners https://www.nybarexam.org/Default.html are very efficient and easy to contact by phone and email, and as such will clarify any queries https://www.nybarexam.org/Eligible/Eligibility.htm
I would also recommend using renowned providers like Barbri who have been administering bar prep courses for over 50 years. Opt for the 10 month course as that gives you ample time to study and revise accordingly to best position you to pass at first attempt.
Additionally, unlike the UK, in relation to the SQE, one of the most helpful policies the NYBOLE has in place is the publishing of past exam papers-albeit this does not include the multiple choice portion, on the premise that this will limit the pool of questions they can examine from.
This is very helpful for revision purposes as it enables one to experience and familiarise themselves with the actual exam questions.
After one has successfully passed all the exams and satisfied the pro bono requirements, the “application for admission” process is a mammoth task to say the least. However, the consolation is that the turnaround time is quite quick, and before you know it, you are a qualified New York Attorney at Law.
Unlike the UK, where renewal of the Practising Certificate is annual, the New York license is renewed bi-annually.
I would however also add a cautionary tale- whilst the qualification is great-unless one intends to move to New York or work in a US Firm or perhaps a US Bank in their jurisdiction, the qualification can almost feel redundant.
- What’s one piece of advice you wish you had received earlier in your career?
That my journey would not be linear-(I would need to pivot), and failure is a part of the process. To not compare my journey to others. Determination and resilience would be my keys to success.
Charity Mafuba – https://www.linkedin.com/in/charity-mafuba/
Commissioning Editor-Legal Women UK
Solicitor (England and Wales)
New York Attorney
Thank you for reading the first edition of TheLawyerFiles!
I hope Charity Mafuba’s insights have given you valuable guidance and inspiration for your own legal journey. Whether you’re navigating law school, gaining experience, or exploring different practice areas, resilience and determination are key.
Stay tuned—shortly after this post, we’ll be releasing a podcast episode where Charity dives even deeper into her experiences and advice. Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it!
Until next time—keep learning, keep growing, and keep pushing forward! 🚀⚖️
-Denice Obeng 🙂
