Women in the Law UK is to host its annual conference online on Friday 20 November. The event, which will be held via Zoom, will take the theme, “Empowering you to do what you do best and unlocking your talent.”
Women in the Law UK is a professional development organisation that promotes gender diversity, women’s progression and social mobility in the legal sector. Based in Manchester, the organisation operates nationwide and, before the pandemic, held regular events in London, Scotland, Wales, the Midlands and Yorkshire, as well as an annual conference for members and supporters.
Since the implementation of lockdown measures in March this year, Women in the Law UK has operated a wide-ranging programme of webinars and online social events, providing a combination of education and wellbeing support. Several of these webinars are held every week.
This year’s Women in the Law UK annual conference is being sponsored by the financial services provider Wesleyan, which has a specialist offering tailored to the legal profession.
The conference will be hosted by Sally Penni MBE, founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Miss Penni, who was made an MBE in the most recent Queen’s Birthday Honours list, is a successful barrister-at-law who practices out of Kenworthy’s Chambers in Manchester, and is vice-chair of the Association of Women Barristers.
Topics to be covered at the conference include tips how to be more confident, how to communicate with confidence, how to establish professional networks and create connections, and how to deal with imposter syndrome.
Confirmed speakers include: Ros Bever, national head of the divorce and family practice, and Manchester regional managing partner, at law firm Irwin Mitchell; Alex McCann, founder of social media training business Altrincham HQ; Kate Dodd, diversity and inclusion consultant at law firm Pinsent Mason; and Chrissie Wolfe, solicitor and founder of the career development YouTube channel “Law & Broader”.
Miss Penni said, “Our annual conference has become a mainstay of the Women in the Law UK calendar, and we were determined to continue with it despite the current restrictions. I believe we have put together a great programme that will stimulate, challenge and inform delegates.
“Of course, it is a shame we won’t be able to meet socially but, over the past six months, we have become expert at delivering engaging events via Zoom. I can’t wait for the time when I can talk to all our members again face-to-face but, on the other hand, delivering our conference online means it is potentially open to many more delegates who, for reasons of geography, might struggle to attend a traditional city centre event in person.
“I’m really looking forward to it and will be interested to hear delegates’ feedback. I would also like to thank Wesleyan for their continued support.”
Tickets for this, and other events, are available via Eventbrite. More information and a link to the ticketing platform are also available on the Women in the Law UK website.
Women in the Law UK was founded in Manchester by Sally Penni MBE to provide support to women at all stages of their legal careers and to address the gap in female representation in leadership roles within the profession. It has more than 700 members, several thousand followers on LinkedIn, and operates nationwide.
