Exploring Careers in Law: Insights from Old Haileyburians

Our recent Connect Careers Webinar: Cracking the Legal Code – your guide to a successful law career, brought together Old Haileyburians who shared their diverse journeys into law, highlighting multiple routes, key challenges and lessons learned.

Pathways into Law

Folakunmi Pinheiro (Batten, 2014) is completing a PhD in competition law at Cambridge. His career has included private practice, regulatory work in Nigeria and academia. “Law clicked for me because it connected a lot of my interests in politics, psychology and even biology and showed how theory impacts the real world.”

Harry Hughes (Thomason, 2016) studied law at Leeds, completed a master’s in commercial practice and trained at Baker McKenzie, where he qualified as an Associate in the firm’s Private Equity and M&A team. After qualifying as a solicitor, he moved in-house at Haleon, a global healthcare company. “Training contracts are competitive, but invaluable for discovering where you fit best.”

Jeanne Lerasle (Allenby, 2017) started studying Theology and Religion at Oxford before converting to law through the GDL. Now at Herbert Smith Freehills, she has worked in finance, corporate and arbitration and is currently based in Paris. “Studying something different first wasn’t a disadvantage, I really don’t regret it. It gave me perspective and transferable skills.”

Would They Choose the Same Path?

The panel agreed there’s no single “right” route.

• Fola: Still weighing academia vs. practice, he gained clarity from joining the Haileybury Leaders Mentoring Programme and values his range of experiences.
• Harry: Would choose the same path, but emphasised the importance of networking and taking advantage of firm events.
• Jeanne: Encouraged following your interests and noted that firms welcome diverse backgrounds.

Key Takeaways

• Fola: Explore different areas – law connects disciplines.
• Harry: Any work experience builds relevant skills – use opportunities to network and develop your CV.
• Jeanne: Pay attention to detail and be an independent thinker.

Mentorship Matters

All three panellists credited the Haileybury Mentoring Programmes with providing guidance, confidence and perspective as they navigated important career decisions. Applications are now open for this year’s Haileybury Leaders programme. Visit Haileybury Connect to learn more about the three mentoring programmes available.

Final thought: A career in law is rarely linear. With curiosity, resilience and the right support, there are many ways to thrive in the profession.

Watch the full recording on haileyburyconnect.com and sign up to our next Connect Careers Webinar: Investing in Your Dreams – a guide to finance careers on Tuesday 11 November, 7.30pm