Being a president is generally not a role associated with youth. Just look across the pond, where the next US presidency election is likely to be contested by an 81-year-old incumbent and his 78-year-old predecessor.

Yet Birmingham Law Society is doing things differently, having sworn in the youngest president in its 205-year history.

Alice Kinder (pictured above), 31, will represent more than 9,000 legal professionals in Birmingham and the surrounding area for the next year. She embraced her elevation as a landmark moment.

‘I would like us to remember this moment as not just one in which there has been a change in leadership, but one in which there has been a change in the narrative of our profession,’ she said. ‘As a moment which shows that the legal world is no longer bound by established norms, but is evolving to be more inclusive, more representative and more reflective of the diverse society that it serves’.

Kinder is an associate with boutique firm Bexley Beaumont and specialises in employment law.

The themes during her year in office are community, developing connections within the wider city, and opportunity, ensuring more people have the chance to achieve their aspirations.

Next April, she will be running her first ever marathon to raise funds for the Social Mobility Foundation. She will also be diversifying the society’s networking opportunities to facilitate closer connections with the business community and events outside of the city centre.

Kinder added: ‘Whilst someone’s background should never determine what they go on to achieve, it can and it does. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not – and I want to do what I can to address that.’

Last week she was awarded the Greater Birmingham Legal Young Professional of the Year at the Chamber of Commerce GBYPY Awards, where the judges concluded that she ‘represents the modern face of the law’. She is also shortlisted as a Rising Star at the UK Social Mobility Awards, which are due to take place in London next week.

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