My D&I story

A path askew but true: Anna Casey-Woodward's story

The influence of my LGBTQ+ identity on my career is different now than it was when I began my journey in Cornwall.

The culture back then in law firms was as untamed as the Cornish beaches, but far less scenic.

I joined the University of Exeter in 2009. Work experience opportunities were scarce and I was terrified how the lack of exposure to the day-to-day in a legal career would impact me.

The dominant discourse, even now, is that work experience is the only way to be successful, and that if you do not get a training contract, your legal career will be scuppered.

Nothing could have been further from the truth, and I wish I had known this then.

I did finally start work experience but not until some years later amidst my LPC at OXILP (a joint body from the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes).

I became a criminal defence paralegal in legal aid and it was there, unfortunately, that I was made redundant.

Although brief, as most good things are, working in this area ignited my passion in law.

I took about a year away from the profession after my redundancy.

I took the time to reflect and gave a lot of cognition to myself, my values and my future. I considered what was important to me and how I could work towards it.

Then came my gradual epiphany: I did indeed want to be a solicitor.

With my passion reignited, I started applying to local law firms, spending hours poring over and perfecting my applications.

I was willing to do anything – answering the phones, making coffee, tidying desks. It didn't matter.

In March 2014, I joined a high street firm as a typist.

Before Christmas the same year, the firm offered me a training contract, which I accepted. Merry Christmas to me.

My journey from them until now has been a jumble of experiences. Some parts of it have been wonderfully unexpected and some woefully so. 

There have been many times throughout my career where I have experienced homophobia and transphobia.

Times I have taken back my authenticity at work to avoid the exclusion and discrimination. Others when my mental health has suffered deeply.

I'm grateful to be in a firm now with more support for the LGBTQ+ community, but I feel saddened that an unaccepting and unsupportive culture is still prevalent, even in the most progressive parts of the country.

I see how much of a difference being authentic has had on my work.

I wish all of my fellow LGBTQ+ colleagues could feel the same.

To anyone struggling to find their way: what you learn from working out your place in the legal world will make you a better candidate for the job you want.

Paths are not meant to be straightforward and there's nothing wrong with stumbling – that's when you learn.