Meet the mother-daughter duo leading Derby's legal community

Tina Attenborough: I never anticipated that Laura and I would end up serving presidential terms at the same time. After more than 30 years as a member of the Derby and District Law Society, I joined the executive committee in 2022 as deputy vice president. At that point our junior lawyers division had fizzled out and it was a priority for us to fix this. The committee reached out to the local junior lawyers to recruit a team to resurrect it.

Laura was in her final year at law school, at the University of Derby, and had just started a paralegal role with Geldard’s LLP when I suggested it might be a good opportunity for her to get involved with relaunching the junior lawyers division.

So, together with a small group of other young lawyers they started to meet on Teams and discuss a way forward. She’d always enjoyed planning events and had just organised her own wedding, so I knew it would be a doddle for her.

Laura Matthews: I was one of nine people involved in relaunching the Derby Junior Lawyers around February 2022. Initially we didn’t assign any roles, it was a team effort to get the society up and running again. Our first event in April 2022 attracted over 40 junior lawyers from local firms in and around Derby.

Off the back of that success, the committee was established, and I was appointed deputy vice president. Whilst the junior division was part of the Derby and District Law Society and we collaborate with events from time to time, the Derby Junior Lawyers now runs itself independently.

I’m now president of the Derby Junior Lawyers, and there will be about five months when our presidencies run concurrently. Over the past three years we’ve overlapped in our deputy-vice president and vice president positions. We're very fortunate that we have come into similar circles at the same time.

Tina: It is wonderful that Laura and I get the opportunity to collaborate with our respective law societies and events during our presidential roles.

One of the main Derby and Distract Law Society events is the annual awards ceremony held in March, which is a celebration for both societies. It highlights and rewards those firms, solicitors and paralegals who have contributed above and beyond to their sector, as well as acknowledging lawyers who are equally making waves for themselves in the profession for a variety of reasons.

Whilst the event is always a fabulous night, having a role in the planning of such a well-attended event is quite daunting. Being able to have a hand in organising the event with my daughter, certainly takes some of the pressure off me.

We're very lucky to get this opportunity to work together. Since Laura became a lawyer, we’ve come to understand each other so much better. I don’t think you can understand what it’s like working in law unless you’re part of the profession yourself.

Laura: I have greatly appreciated being able to confide in my mum, not just in respect of our respective law societies but also – and perhaps more importantly – during the whole of my six-year journey to becoming a solicitor.

Knowing that she truly understands the pressures in the legal profession, and has shared similar experiences to me, has been such a big support. It is something that I will always be extremely grateful for.

Tina: I decided I wanted to become a lawyer when I was about eight years old. I was away from school, recovering from mumps and got to watch the drama Crown Court which was about a barrister at the Old Bailey. Although I never became a barrister, that show got me interested in law and justice. I’ve always had a passion to fight injustice of any kind, so the idea of working in law sat well with me.

I always knew Laura would become a lawyer. When she was in her early teens she’d make very compelling arguments. I’d say to her: “10 out of 10 for your argument, but you're still not doing it!”

Laura: Actually, I never thought I’d follow mum into law because I never considered myself to be very ‘academic’. Growing up, inside and outside of school, I was always into drama and art and assumed I’d go down a more creative route.

When I finished college, I was ready to take a break from education – I was always of the opinion that I wouldn’t go to university unless I was sure it was necessary for the career I wanted. So, in December 2015, I went off to do my first of two ski seasons, working in a bar in in Courchevel, in the French Alps.

I then went on the search for a ‘real job’ and tried a variety of different roles including estate agency and recruitment, but nothing was fulfilling me in the way I was looking and hoping for.

Growing up, I’d always admired how much people would value my mum’s opinion and advice based on her expertise and knowledge. Whilst considering my next career move, I came to the realisation that I also wanted to become a professional who could offer support in my own area of specialism.

I was seeking a career I could dig my teeth into, where I could learn and be able to put that knowledge into daily practice. It made sense to try law.

Tina: As Laura’s mum, I need to interject here – even though she was a reluctant lawyer, she smashed it at university. She graduated with a first-class honours degree and completed her master’s whilst working full time – not that she’d ever tell anyone.

Laura: There are a lot of people who would never have expected me to be first-class material. But once I decided I was going to study law, I had tunnel vision on getting top grades.

Tina: I watched Laura go through university and her training contract – it was nothing like what I had experienced. So much had changed.

Laura: When mum was at university, simple things like referencing cases in essays involved her trawling through books at the law library. Now, everything is digital, and we can access legal resources in seconds.

Tina: Everything was much slower. When I was a junior solicitor you wouldn’t expect a reply to a letter in less than two weeks. It was a process to send letters as they were dictated, typed by secretaries and then carbon copies were filed as records.

Email didn't come in until the late 1990s and I didn’t have a desktop computer until 1998. There was no working from home, you had to be in the office because the law books and client files were all there.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of networking. There wasn’t a society for junior lawyers when I was starting out. I’d go to general networking events in Derby and meet people from all professions. I’m still in touch with so many of those contacts now. I’m so thankful I attended those events because the relationships I built have been beneficial throughout my career.

Laura: My confidence has come on leaps and bounds since getting involved with the Derby Junior Lawyers. I used to find putting myself out there quite daunting but with practice it’s become more natural. I can now turn up at events on my own and if I don’t know anyone, I’ve got the confidence to approach people.

I would like to see more junior lawyers enjoy the same positive experience and benefit from attending networking events, with people who are not necessarily colleagues or may not even work in the same profession.

It really is beneficial to get to know those from other industries and professions that you wouldn’t otherwise get to meet. It is also great to get to know your counterparts in other law firms too.

The aim with our all our events is to try and offer something that can be beneficial to everyone. As well as networking, the Derby Junior Lawyers do lots of fundraising for charities, offer business development opportunities and invite experts to give careers and wellbeing advice.

We’ve got about 70 members in the Derby Junior Lawyers at the moment, and I’d like to grow that figure to 100 during my term.

I get so much out of being part of this community of young lawyers, it is very rewarding - I’ve made connections and friendships that I hope will see me through my career.