Legal Hero Pauline Campbell talks doubts, determination and diversity

At the age of 15 I wanted to be a lawyer, but my teacher said I wasn’t A-level material. I believed that teacher and spent over 19 years doing admin for the council. For 14 of those years, I was a housing benefits officer, which was a good job and paid well, but I knew in my spirit that it wasn't for me.

When I decided to retrain in my 30s, everyone told me to settle for what I already had. As an older black woman, people didn’t think I’d make it.

I couldn't do an evening course because it would take too long to qualify. Instead, I hit the ground running and did my law degree full time whilst working 25 hours a week. I chose the university closest to my work to be time efficient. I was gutted to get a 2:1. I wanted a first, but you can't have everything.

Getting my training contract was the scariest part. I was 39 and I didn’t know if anyone would take me on. Growing up, my dad would always say, “think with your head not your heart”. So that’s what I did. I decided I might get a million “no’s”, but all I needed was one “yes”. I got the “yes” I needed at Kent Magistrates’ Court.

People didn't believe I was capable because I was an older black woman with a cockney accent. As a trainee, if I ever double-checked an answer in court, it was assumed I didn’t know what I was doing. I’d get calls and people would ask to speak to somebody else. Even when I qualified, I had to justify myself. All lawyers have to prove themselves, but it's harder if you're black because you have to break down so many preconceived ideas.

To prove my credibility, I became a Lawyers in Local Government accredited trainer in prosecutions. There were times when white males were mistaken as the course leaders, and I had to point out that I was the trainer. I didn’t see those moments as problems; instead, I built on them and grew.

It was a long journey to become a lawyer – that's left me with a lot to cram into a short space of time. I wake up at five every morning – even weekends. When my husband gets up, I'm already at my computer. Beyond my day job, I chair the council’s Race Equality Network, where I launched the Safe Space Clinic and advocate on issues including the ethnicity pay gap. I'm writing my second book, Lefty Lawyer, which will be published in spring 2025. I do a lot of work for the Justice4Windrush campaign as well as their pro bono lawyer.

People seem to think lawyers make loads of money, but for me, the most powerful fulfilment is when I don't earn a penny. I’m most proud of being a pro bono legal adviser for Justice4Windrush. I’ve helped over 100 victims. I remember helping a lady with her forms and she started to cry because she finally had someone to help her. That moment made me realise I was actually doing something constructive.

Justice4Windrush is close to launching a justice clinic with Clifford Chance that will give Windrush victims free support. I’ll be training their solicitors, so they understand the people they’ll be working with. Once we launch, we're going to do a TV and radio campaign to encourage those affected to come forward. Clifford Chance has been phenomenal supporting this project.

It’s important for black solicitors to write for legal publications if there are issues they want to talk about. I know people say they don't have time, but they need to make time because their voices are important. I truly believe that lawyers become more amenable to change as they become aware.

Only 1% of judges in Britain are black and there are only 90 black partners in law firms. Working in an industry where we see little diversity in the higher echelons tells us something needs to be done. There are initiatives to break down barriers, but a change in mindset is what’s really needed – without that nothing will change.

Law is elitist: I see it as my job to try and change that. You have to be brave and stick it out. There were times I didn’t think I’d make it. After I qualified, a recruiter from a City firm said, “I think you should try another agency”. That upset me because I thought, “you’re losing out on a lot of talent here – not just mine – because you're not looking at people’s potential”.

I’d love to see more transparency in recruitment and disciplinary processes. There’s a higher number of people of colour being disciplined which is just not on. I want there to be conversations from a place of understanding, rather than confrontation.

I’ve been a solicitor for 20 years and I'm so glad I've been able to make a difference. To be recognised as a Legal Hero is amazing. To me, heroes are people like my mum and dad and the Windrush generation who came here to give their families an opportunity.

My advice to anyone in their 30s, 40s, 50s or even 60s is that it’s never too late to live your dream. The life experience you bring to the table makes you an amazing asset. You can make a difference in other people's lives as well as your own. The first step when changing careers is the toughest, because you're most vulnerable and you're still in two minds. You’ve got to be strong to get rid of the “doubting Thomas's” who want you to stay safe and don't want you to take a risk.

To any young person thinking “I'll never make it”, hear my story and please don’t make the same mistake I did. I've actually written to my 15-year-old self and said, “I'm sorry that I didn’t trust you enough to believe in you”. Maybe if I'd gone to university at 19, I wouldn't have made it. Perhaps I needed to have the spirit in me to get to the end of the journey.