For our Alumna of the Month interview, we spoke to Hannah Wilkens, Senior Lawyer for the Government Legal Department.
Can you briefly describe your current role and what you do day-to-day?
I am a Senior Lawyer for the Government Legal Department (“GLD”).
GLD is the government’s principal legal advisers. Its core purpose is to help the government to govern well, within the rule of law. Government lawyers provide legal advice to key government departments (including the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, etc) on the development, design and implementation of government policies and decisions, drafting secondary legislation and working with Parliamentary Counsel on primary legislation, and representing the government in court. I specialise in public inquiries and have worked on a number of them, including the Manchester Arena Bombing Inquiry, the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry, the Covid-19 Inquiry and most recently as Deputy Solicitor to the Manston Inquiry. I have also worked with the Ministry of Justice, dealing with claims against the Prison Service and attending inquests into deaths in custody. I have advised the Cabinet Office with to policy implementation and cross-Government coordination.
My days are varied and interesting: I might be preparing for and/or attending an inquiry hearing, or preparing legal advice for the Chair to the Inquiry, or having a meeting with Counsel to the Inquiry regarding a complex legal issue and how to approach it. As part of the Senior Management Team (together with the Chair, Counsel, the Solicitor and the Secretary to the Inquiry) I contribute to strategic issues such as planning, budgeting, resourcing and procurement. I draft questions for witnesses and review their witness statements, and review potentially relevant contemporaneous evidence. I also line manage and support the other lawyers within the Inquiry Legal Team, checking and approving their work, answering questions and ensuring they have the opportunities to develop their careers, too.
What was your path after leaving Bromley High School, and how did you get to where you are now?
After leaving Bromley High School I obtained a BA degree in History from Sussex University, during which time I did some work experience with a legal centre, some private law firms and with some barristers. I knew that I wanted a legal career but I wanted to have some other experiences first and I’m really glad I did. I worked for a music company which was great fun, and saved up for my dream round the world trip. I went on that (solo) trip for a year, living and working in Sydney, Australia, and exploring New Zealand, Canada and Southeast Asia, only now that I’m a parent can I fully understand what a worry that must have been for my own parents but they seemed to take it in their stride! On my return, I worked in media and advertising, before deciding to take the plunge and return to studying the Graduate Diploma in Law, which is the post-graduate law conversion course, followed by the Legal Practice Course which was required to become a solicitor.
I successfully obtained a training contract at a mid-sized West End firm, where over two years, I did four “seats” in Commercial Property, Private Client, Employment and Commercial Litigation. I qualified into the Employment team and worked for three years as an Employment solicitor before deciding that the public sector, away from the commercial pressures of bringing in clients and billing, would provide a more rewarding and interesting career. I applied for a role with GLD and have been employed there for over 12 years.
Few areas of legal practice offer the variety and intellectual challenge of work at GLD. In private practice, solicitors and barristers work for a range of clients. GLD lawyers work for just one client, the government of the day which requires advice and support on a huge range of domestic and European affairs. The government calls upon its lawyers to advise on any number of issues, complex, novel, politically sensitive and often in the public eye. It is very common for me to read the news and see coverage of a matter that I or some of my colleagues are working on. GLD lawyers work not only with other lawyers but also as part of a wider team including policy makers and professionals from other specialist areas. They are involved in making the law as well as in interpreting it. Moving to work at GLD was one of the best decisions I have ever made in terms of my career. My job is varied, challenging, rewarding and a unique privilege.
What skills or experiences from Bromley High School have helped you the most in your career?
Bromley High School provided so much more than an academic education. I gained confidence and self belief from the supportive environment, including all of the extra curricular activities I enjoyed, and the knowledge that, by working hard, I could pursue the career that I wanted. Importantly, I made lifelong friends whilst there and we have continued to grow together and support each other in all areas of life, including our respective careers, which is absolutely invaluable.
What was one challenge you faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?
Like many working parents, I found the return to work after maternity leave very challenging. I had to adapt to the pressures of working part-time and not always having access to the opportunities that my full time colleagues had. I struggled with the shift in my identity and my priorities and felt the tension between natural ambition and the desire to be a competent and present parent. I overcame this by speaking with other parents, and joining GLD’s Parents Network, which helped me realise that these struggles were not unique. I learned to be at peace with this period of my life and to manage the juggle of home and my career as best as I can.
What advice would you give to current Sixth Formers who are thinking about their future?
Think carefully about what motivates you, what is important to you and what you want from your life. Try and resist the pressure under which you may be to follow certain career paths if you know that those paths are not for you and remember to factor in the importance of happiness.
Research the careers in which you are interested, try and undertake some work experience and/or use your network to try and speak with someone who is established in that area so that you can find out as much as you can and assess whether that might be the career choice for you.
Is there anything you wish you’d known about work or university when you were at school?
I wish I’d known that “success” comes in lots of different shapes and sizes and that there is no one definition of the right path. Success looks different for all of us. There is plenty of scope for exploring and changing your mind as we grow and adapt and change. Most importantly, everyone, regardless of their “success”, achievements, wealth, seniority or appearance is still learning and navigating challenges and this is all part of the human experience. I’m not really one for Instagram- worthy inspirational quotes but “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”