Meet your nominees for Junior National Lead

The following candidates have been successful in moving forward for election in the position of Junior National Lead

You will receive an email inviting you to register your vote electronically if you are eligible to vote 

You can read a statement from the nominees below. 

Jordan Hulse Junior National Lead Nominee

As Junior National Lead, I will be committed to engaging with junior lawyers working in local governments across the UK. I believe that sharing experiences across the broad cross-section of junior lawyers in local government is crucial to understanding the issues affecting our profession. Together, we can create a welcoming and inclusive environment that supports our growth and helps us overcome the challenges we face unique to junior lawyers.

To that end, I plan to push for more in-person events across the UK (outside of London), allowing those who are unable to attend events in the capital to get involved and meet colleagues from other local authorities.

Prior to becoming a newly qualified lawyer in January 2023, I worked for 9 years in the retail and hospitality sectors. This experience has honed my leadership skills, ability to keep calm under pressure and taught me how to work with individuals from all different walks of life. I understand the importance of adapting my communication style to meet the needs of my audience and believe this will be beneficial when representing my fellow junior lawyers at roundtables, working groups, and with LLG stakeholders.

I’m not afraid to use my voice to bring about positive change for our community, including advocating for better training and development opportunities and addressing mental health concerns affecting junior lawyers. I am committed to being a leader who is responsive to the needs of our community and believe I will bring a fresh perspective to this role.

I currently work for nplaw and have been actively involved in the organisation of our annual virtual work experience program, where I have assisted in the recruitment and supervision of students and facilitated discussions. I am passionate about raising awareness of a career as a local government lawyer amongst university students and believe I can contribute fresh ideas to the LLG work experience week.

I am committed to addressing the issues affecting junior lawyers across the country. At nplaw, we have an in-house Junior Lawyers' Group where we discuss a range of topics. I have chaired discussions on WFH and supervision, imposter syndrome, procrastination, dealing with stress, bullying, financial problems, health issues, and more. It's essential these topics are freely discussed, and I want to create an environment where junior lawyers feel comfortable to raise any issues so action can be taken to address them.

Finally, I want to assure you that my virtual door is always open, and I welcome feedback, advice, and general thoughts from anyone. I am proud to be a local government lawyer. I believe that through being open to new ideas and listening to your needs, I can truly represent you. Should you wish to discuss or raise anything, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at Jordan.hulse@norfolk.gov.uk or 01603 222 791.

Rachel Ireland- Junior National Lead Nominee

I am standing for the role of LLG Junior National Lead as I am passionate about developing the junior lawyer membership of LLG as working as a trainee, apprentice, paralegal, legal officer, or recently qualified lawyer (and everything in between), within local government you can sometimes feel quite secluded. Ultimately, local authorities have decided to invest in us as the future generation of local government lawyers; as such, our voices, interests, and thoughts should be clearly heard. Equally, it is vital that junior lawyers feel integrated within LLG and valued by their own local authorities. As junior members, we have an opportunity to learn from more senior lawyers by sharing experiences through our membership and be part of a vast network of expertise that can only benefit our careers.

I have found the LLG webinars and training materials really resourceful. If elected, I would like to develop the current training programme and listen carefully to what other junior members feel would personally benefit them, particularly at the earlier stages of their careers. As junior lawyers, we may sometimes lack confidence or have ‘imposter syndrome’. In this role, I hope to assist with learning opportunities to build our self-assurance and develop our legal skills to put junior members in good stead for our prospective careers. Similarly, if possible, I would like to organise some face-to-face events as I believe for junior lawyers to network in person is really valuable. As junior lawyers, we are constantly learning, and I hope to contribute to creating a safe and open space (no pun intended) to build our legal skills and share experiences.

For most of my professional life, I have juggled studying full-time while working part-time, or at present, the other way around. Therefore I am eager to represent the interests of those junior lawyers who have not followed a conventional path in law. Also, I am very passionate about social mobility and promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion within LLG. If elected, I would take real responsibility in representing the interests of all junior lawyers across our differing authorities, far and wide. We all know how challenging a legal career can be, and I believe it is important that all junior lawyers feel supported and equipped. Ultimately, I hope this role is an opportunity for me to meet like-minded people at the earlier stages of their legal careers and grow the network for a shared benefit.

The nominee with the most votes will be confirmed at the LLG AGM on 29^th March 2023. You can register for the AGM by going here

Should you have any questions please contact membership@llg.org.uk 

The Deadline for voting is 10.00am on 6^th March 2023.