An aspiring solicitor who spent 13 years in the care system is celebrating a significant career milestone after attaining a law degree.
Harpreet Powar shared her achievement, and journey, in a powerful LinkedIn post following her graduation ceremony at the University of Birmingham last week. The post has received positive reactions from nearly 5,000 people.
The 21-year-old said in her post that since she was a young child in care, she was often advised to be ‘realistic’ about her career ambitions. ‘Sadly, this is no surprise for a child in care as their potential is often dismissed on the basis of their upbringing.’
However, law became a vocation from an early age as Powar advocated for her best interests.
‘I also saw that the skills developed in the care system were the hallmarks of a successful legal professional. We developed resilience when we overcame our adverse experiences. We developed an ability to network with people of all backgrounds when we moved to a new family home and we inherited an ability to adapt to sporadic events. With these essential qualities embedded in us, why are our abilities to excel doubted?
‘It is important for clients to feel represented by their lawyers. As many care leavers face unfortunate outcomes, representation by care leavers is vital. How can we be a voice for care-experienced clients and share their stories in court if we do not understand, or give visibility to, care experience? Instead of telling young people to be “realistic" about a career in law, we must nurture their needs and support their career ambitions.’
After seven school transfers, six foster placements and 13 years in the care system, Powar was ‘deeply grateful’ to attain her law degree.
‘This is an important milestone in my personal and professional journey and is representative of my cumulative efforts to overcome my adversities. I am proud to join the 6% of care leavers who pursue further education and to follow my passion and purpose to break stereotypes and seek justice for children in care.’
Powar told the Gazette that her LinkedIn post was the first time she had spoken about her background on a public forum. Prior to her post, she did some research into statistics and the impact of representation on care leavers, and came across a Bar Council blog, Raising the Bar: Care-experienced people belong here, by barrister Lucy Barnes, co-founder of Lawyers Who Care, the UK's first legal mentoring organisation for care-experienced aspiring lawyers.
‘I went through school not telling anyone I was in care,’ Powar said. ‘This is the first time. I’m trying to embrace the fact I have graduated and that it has not been the easiest journey.’
From a young age, Powar said she had lots of dreams about what she wanted to do, but they were all unrelated to the law. ‘I was trying to escape being a child in care and the care system. When I got older, I realised being in care was not something I could escape. I spent 13 years in the system. I felt it was embedded in me.’
After lots of self-reflection, Powar realised she wanted to do a job where she could make a positive difference. She wanted to work with children in care, but didn’t necessarily want to be a social worker. ‘I wanted to work with children from a different perspective and still have that hands-on approach and interaction with clients.’
While browsing university courses, she saw law. ‘I knew then. It stood out to me.’
Now that she has graduated, what next for Powar? She told the Gazette she is working full time as a legal secretary in the family law department at Smith Dawson Solicitors. She hopes to do the Solicitors Qualifying Examination/Legal Practice Course.
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