- Informal drinks
SoVIL members met for informal drinks on at Cahoots bar, 13 Kingly Court, Carnaby, London W1B 5PW.
News and Events
- Brunch and AGM
After brunch at Paradise Green, Bishopsgate, London at , our AGM took place at at Freshfields, 100 Bishopsgate, London, EC2P 2SR.
- Dinner following London Sight Village exhibition
The London sight village technology exhibition took place on . SoVIL members and guests met for dinner on the evening after the exhibition at the nearby Kensington Quarter restaurant (193 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6SH).
- Online panel event for student members
On , we held an online event aimed at students applying for training contracts or pupillage. Adal Ibrar (Chair of SoVIL) was joined by a panel of speakers: Michael Kotrly of 1 Essex Court, Jess Brown of Inner Temple and Jakob Sexton from Freshfields. Topics covered included the application process for training contracts and pupillage, scholarships and facilities available for visually impaired students through the Inns of Court, disclosing a visual impairment and requesting reasonable adjustments. Our thanks go to the panel of speakers for participating.
- Online workshop on interviews and networking tips
On , Jennifer MacKay of Jump Training and Development ran an online workshop for SoVIL members focusing on tips for interviews and networking events. Topics covered included:
- Projecting confidence: being engaged and connecting with others (eye contact, voice, body language)
- Answering questions: structuring your answer, providing examples/evidence, buying time
- What to do if you don't understand the question, forgot what the question was, or feel like you haven't given a good enough answer
- Show the value you add: what do you bring to the table
- Little things that can make a big difference: making small talk, asking them questions.
Thank you to Jennifer for running this workshop for us.
- AGM and lunch
Our AGM took place at at Freshfields, 100 Bishopsgate, London, EC2P 2SR. The meeting was followed by lunch.
- AGM, lunch and afternoon talk
Our AGM took place in hybrid format on at Dentons, 1 Fleet Place, London, EC4M 7RA. The meeting was followed by lunch and an afternoon talk by Kelvin Duncan from Blazie Engineering, David Viner and Mat Johnson on making the best of LinkedIn and using Twitter as a visually impaired lawyer.
- Building resilience workshop
Jennifer McKay of Jump Training led a workshop on building resilience for SoVIL members. The workshop took place online on .
- AGM
Our AGM took place online at . We started the evening with a guest speaker, Peter Fish, the Interim Treasury Solicitor and Permanent Secretary of the Government Legal Department. We followed this with our AGM and a discussion of potential activities for this year.
- Kew Gardens sensory tour
We met for a sensory tour at Kew Gardens on .
- London lunch
Our London lunch took place on at the Ivy Market Grill, 1 Henrietta Street, London, WC2E 8PS.
- Building resilience workshop
Jennifer McKay of Jump Training led a workshop on building resilience for SoVIL members. The workshop took place by telephone on .
- AGM and lunch
Our AGM took place at at Freshfields, 65 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1HT. The meeting was followed by lunch at and a workshop at . The workshop was led by Jeremy Browne and included tips for confidence building in advocacy, meetings, public speaking and other scenarios.
- London dinner
Our London dinner took place at at the Oyster Shed.
- Presentation skills training, London
Jennifer McKay of Jump Training led a workshop on presentation skills and public speaking for SoVIL members on . It was suitable for people with any level of public-speaking experience - from law students and young professionals attending interviews to senior members of the profession. We are grateful to CMS for hosting the event.
- Guided tour of the Temple Church, AGM and lunch
Our AGM took place at at Freshfields, 65 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1HT. The meeting was preceded by a guided tour of Temple Church on Fleet Street with Reverend Robin Griffiths-Jones, the "Valliant Master of the Temple", at and lunch at .
- Guided tour of the British Museum, AGM and lunch
Our lunch and AGM took place at at RNIB's Judd Street office, London. The meeting was preceded by guided tours of the Egyptology Gallery at the British Museum at and , lasting approximately . The meeting was followed by drinks at the Skinner's Arms on Judd Street.
- Speed interviewing event (joint event between SoVIL and Blind in Business)
This event gave visually impaired students, graduates and practitioners seeking a new job the opportunity to practice interview skills with graduate recruiters from leading law firms. There was also some time at the end of the event to network with the recruiters and fellow candidates. The event was from to at the offices of Freshfields, 65 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1HT.
- AGM and lunch
Our AGM took place at at RNIB's Judd Street office, London. The meeting was followed by lunch and and afternoon talk by Riyaz Hazi about the challenges of studying law and finding employment as a visually impaired student.
- Autumn dinner
Our Autumn dinner took place at at the Prince of Wales Feathers, Warren Street, London.
- AGM and lunch
Our AGM took place at at RNIB's Judd Street office, London. The meeting was followed by lunch and a discussion about potential training workshops for members.
- Dinner
Our Autumn dinner took place at at the Prince of Wales Feathers, Warren Street, London.
- AGM and lunch
Our AGM took place at at RNIB's Judd Street office, London. The meeting was followed by lunch and a talk by Lord Colin Lowe.
- Tour of the House of Lords
SoVIL members and their guests enjoyed a guided tour of the House of Lords late afternoon on .
- AGM and lunch
Our AGM took place on at RNIB's Judd Street office, London. The main topics of discussion were social events for the coming year and progress on updating SoVIL's website. The meeting was followed by lunch and a discussion on methods of accessing texts and other information available to the legal profession.
- Afternoon tea at the House of Lords
On , 21 SoVIL members and their guests joined Lord Low of Dalston for a traditional afternoon tea in the Atlee Room in the House of Lords. This provided a good opportunity for members to meet and network whilst enjoying an excellent tea in a historical building. Lord Low welcomed SoVIL members and gave a short introduction to the history of the House of Lords. Thanks go to Lord Low for hosting this event.
- Autumn lunch
On , a group of SoVIL members and their guests met at the offices of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for a 3 course meal of salmon and winter vegetable salad, loin of venison and chocolate mousse. Thanks to Freshfields for hosting this lunch at their offices and to their staff, who were extremely hospitable.
- AGM and lunch
Our AGM took place on at RNIB's Judd Street office, London. The meeting was followed by lunch and a talk by John Lafferty, former SoVIL member, on his work as a circuit judge.