Education provider BARBRI appoints expert advisory board
updated on 10 January 2023
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BARBRI has appointed six key industry experts to its new advisory board in support of “ambitious plans”. These include developing the diversity and inclusion scheme, BARBRI Bridges, and helping to meet the needs of the legal sector as it continues to embrace the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).
The new members of the board come from various backgrounds from legal education to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and various City law firms.
Board members include:
- Claire McGourlay, professor of legal education at The University of Manchester;
- Justin North, founder of Pickering Pearce;
- Matthew Layton, former global managing partner at Clifford Chance;
- Lisa Hart Shepherd, managing director of Lamp House Strategy;
- Julie Brannan former director of education and training at the SRA; and
- Seema Gill, a newly qualified solicitor at Howell-Jones LLP.
BARBRI has noted that each appointee will “bring their unique perspective to add diversity of thought within the organisation, particularly in the continued development of BARBRI Bridges”.
BARBRI Bridges is the diversity and inclusion scheme launched by the education provider in 2021. The scheme has pledged more than £125,000 so far in support of nearly 200 aspiring solicitors. From 2023 onwards, BARBRI intends to dedicate £250,000 annually to the initiative.
Alongside the ongoing development of the scheme, the board’s quarterly meetups will tackle key topics from student engagement around the SQE, continuous skills development, learning accessibility and more.
Lucie Allen, managing director for BARBRI, explained: “We’re pleased to announce the appointment of our advisory board this winter. It has been some time in the making, and every individual has been selected based on their experience and unique perspective of the legal industry – from the initial formation of the SQE to legal technology, and the student SQE experience.”
While Justin North, a newly appointed board member, said: “I’m proud to be joining BARBRI’s advisory board to support the team’s mission to improve diversity across the profession – for those from all backgrounds.”
