'Lawyers Who Care CIC' Launch: fostering care-experienced talent in legal careers

Lawyers Who Care (LWC) is the UK's first organisation that facilitates long-term mentoring (2+ years, 1 hour per month) and paid work experience opportunities for care-experienced aspiring lawyers. LWC was founded by care-experienced Future Pupil Barrister at East Anglian Chambers, Lucy Barnes, and our Kate Aubrey-Johnson of Garden Court Chambers.

It is led by care-experienced aspiring lawyers and seeks to bridge the gaps in opportunities the care-experienced community often experience, as well as dissolve the stigma. We believe in what care-experienced aspiring lawyers bring to the table in the legal profession, and the launch event will be a celebration of care-experienced talent.

Speakers

Kate Aubrey-Johnson, Barrister at Garden Court Chambers
Kate is a youth justice expert, author and leading mediator. As a children’s rights specialist, criminal and public lawyer she regularly advises on issues affecting children in the criminal justice system and has an extensive mediation practice. She works to ensure lawyers have the specialist skills and expertise to represent children. Kate is co-author of the leading textbook Youth Justice Law and Practice (LAG, 2019) and recently co-authored Dare to Care, a legal guide assisting legal professionals to better support care-experienced young people. Kate was Highly Commended in Every Child Protected Against Trafficking (ECPAT) UK's 'Children's Champion Awards' for her commitment to supporting child victims of trafficking. She is regularly called upon to give lectures and deliver training. She is the convenor of the Garden Court Children's Rights Team.

Lucy Barnes, Care-Experienced Future Pupil Barrister at East Anglian Chambers
Lucy is a Future Pupil Barrister at East Anglian Chambers (commencing October 2024), a Middle Temple Scholar and a TEDx and Keynote Speaker. She is care-experienced, having been placed into foster care at 13 and fell off the 'Care Cliff' at 16. Lucy is a passionate advocate for care-experienced young people, including recently appearing on BBC Radio 4 Women's Hour and speaking at the 2024 NAVSH Conference. She founded Lawyers Who Care with Kate Aubrey-Johnson and is the Director. Lucy was recently recognised for her advocacy work for social mobility and was selected as one of the 100 faces of the Universities UK #100faces campaign, celebrating individuals who were the first in their families to go to university. For more on Lucy, visit her LinkedIn, website and Twitter/X.

Gemma Creamer, Care-Experienced Bar Student at the Inns of Court College of Advocacy
Gemma Creamer is a care-experienced Bar Student currently studying with the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA) to later qualify as a family barrister. After moving up to London from her hometown of Brighton back in 2020, Gemma completed her LLB at The University of Greenwich and was awarded the John Bowater Memorial Award for her outstanding voluntary contributions to Law outside of education, including her commitment to improving the prospects of Children in Care coming into the legal profession. Gemma’s passion for supporting young people in care has extended to wanting to ensure every young person knows how to ’turn any adversity into an advantage’ and now as the Chief Operations Officer [COO] she is leading the direction of Lawyers Who Care alongside Lucy Barnes to help Foster Care Experienced talent in legal careers. For more on Gemma, visit her LinkedIn.

Luke Rogers BEM, Founder and CEO of The Care Leaders
As a lived experience leader, Luke has a passion for and expertise in creating projects that benefit the lives of care experienced people, ensuring their experience is at the heart of all projects and training facilitated by The Care Leaders. Luke has won recognition for his work that includes ‘Entrepreneur of Excellence’ in 2015 from the National Diversity Awards, the ’Young Social Entrepreneur Award’ in 2014 from UnLtd and ‘Children’s Achievement Award’ in 2013 from Children and Young People Now. Luke’s commitment to improving outcomes for young people and families was recognised through the award of the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours List and in 2020 he was invited to be a Fellow at the Saïd Business School, Skoll Centre for Social Enterprise at the University of Oxford.  

Judith Denton, Founder of The Transformed You and Founder of The Black Care Experience
Judith AM Denton is Care Experienced. Brought up in Foster Care from the age of 9, she describes her journey through and out of the Care System as consisting of exclusions from School and College, run ins with the Law and a period of poor Mental Health. However, with the support and guidance from mentors, Judith is now pursuing her passion and purpose as a Social Entrepreneur. She is the Founder and CEO of The Transformed You with the mission to help transform the lives and raise the aspirations of Children and Young People In Care and Care Leavers. Judith is also the Founder of The Black Care Experience, with the vision to see that every Black Child and Young Person remains connected to their Culture, Identity and Heritage as they journey through the Children’s Social Care System and she self-published her autobiography, ‘Foster Care and Me’. Continually sharing her experience and insight to inform, inspire and bring hope to those who are in Care or work in Children’s Social Care Sector, Judith firmly believes that with the right support to those in Care, Change Is Possible!

Ric Flo, Rap Artist and Founder at Mantra Music CIC
Ric Flo is a Rap Artist and Founder at Mantra Music CIC, the world’s first record label exclusively for care-experienced artists. Off the back of recording his first rap project about his experience in foster care, he has witnessed how music can be a powerful tool to connect to young people who are underrepresented in music and media. He has since delivered rap songwriting workshops across the UK within the care sector and schools. Building his music career as an Artist and Creative Director in rap collective Jungle Brown, who signed to Mr Bongo Records in 2018, he has been blessed to perform at prestigious festivals like Glastonbury, Boomtown and Lovebox to name a few.  He has also supported U.S Rap acts such as De La Soul, The Pharcyde and Big Daddy Kane. Recently, his music was featured in Guy Ritchie’s series, The Gentlemen. In 2023, he was awarded the Inspiration in Music Award from the Music Producers Guild for his work at Mantra Music.

Dress Code

Please note that there will be a mixture of lawyers as well as care-experienced individuals so please dress as you feel most comfortable.

This event is now fully booked.