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Early Careers Series - Between Silence and Power: Why I'm Choosing the Law
By Lamia Rabi
There's a moment I keep revisiting in my head. That's not because it was loud but because it was quiet. I must have been around 12 years old, in a classroom where I saw a girl being spoken over, spoken down to and simply overlooked. She was doing nothing in particular to deserve silencing, yet it was as if the space had not been built for her voice to be heard.
This was when I realised that: Power doesn't always yell. It sometimes stifles.
Since then, (although I was very young in that scenario) this has been a very repetitive and obvious scenario in various different rooms and settings.
I began to notice how some voices are amplified and others silenced.
Whether it be women, people of colour, or individuals from working class backgrounds, the inequality wasn't arbitrary; it was systematic - and I wanted to understand the system underlying it.
That's what led me to the law.
My Identity: A Catalyst, Not a Constraint
I am British, Tunisian, and Algerian. I do not have the luxury of a single lens. I’ve grown up translating not just words, but worlds by speaking with three cultures' nuances and the eloquence of experienced life. My identity is not an afterthought to ambition; it is the anchor for it.
I have learned to listen between languages, negotiate different values, and make room for complexity, growing up in a multicultural environment. These are the abilities the practice of law asks for, but however, far too often forgets.
I want to be part of a legal culture where identity is not submerged behind Latin phrases and robes in court, but explored as a source of knowledge and power.
Why Law? Because the System Needs Reimagining
The Law fascinates me because it lives in tension: between change and tradition, power and accountability, text and interpretation. Yet despite all of its complications, the law is fundamentally about humans. The Law decides who gets protected, who gets punished, and who gets heard.
I don't want to be a lawyer just to enforce the law as it stands today, I want to challenge it where it is inadequate, refine it where it is behind the times, and bring it closer to the people it is supposed to protect.
Justice is not static. It’s something we must continuously work towards, and I want to be part of that work no matter how difficult or lengthy of a process it is.
Becoming the Advocate I Needed
I've been privileged to acquire knowledge of the law from firsthand experience.
At Robinson Wilson Solicitors, I saw how the law cuts across day-to-day life, the pressure of deadlines, the weight of client trust and the personal cost of unfairness.
Later, at Addleshaw Goddard, I explored Tax Law and observed how even the most arcane corners of the practice of law are areas in which ethical decisions are exercised. I was fascinated by the manner in which Corporate form intersects with Public Interest and how Business, when tempered by integrity, can render society more just.
These experiences reinforced the fact that I don't just want to be in the room, I want to be the one asking: What impact will this choice have beyond the balance sheet?
Law in the Classroom and Beyond
I'm studying the International Baccalaureate, Higher Levels in Psychology, English, and Economics. These classes refine the twin mindsets I bring to law: one analytical, one human.
My Extended Essay examines the influence of Psychological Principles like Confirmation Bias and groupthink on jury decision-making. It's demonstrated to me that the courtroom is not immune to human fallibility and that true justice requires constant challenging of our assumptions, no matter how deeply ingrained.
By way of the Scholars Programme at the Brilliant Club, I learned Philosophy and Psychology alongside each other, further developing my understanding of ethical thought. My experiences have given me the ability to not merely learn the law, but to question it constructively.
Working With Purpose and Intention, Not Prestige
My ambition is to become a Corporate Barrister, not for status or materialistic reasons but for the stage, authority and platform to advocate for those who cannot. I want to work in high-stakes environments where decisions shape industries, ripple across borders, and impact lives. But I want to do so with a clear conscience, a strong ethical core, and an unwavering belief that the law can serve both power and principle. I may not be perfect and just a regular human, but I will always strive to be the best, evolve with all experiences and challenge my brain even when it thinks it's already found the answer, as life is full of perspectives and different answers just as the law is. Social standards change, people's ideologies and so do economic situations. Consequently, to me, the law is not just about precedent, it's about possibility. It's about taking each clause, each case, each cross-examination and bringing us a little bit closer to the society we ought to have.
A Message For Those Who Feel Unseen
To the woman who does not believe herself in this industry because of the way she speaks, where she is from, or the name she bears, I see you. You belong.
Not just on the periphery of the conversation, but in the heart of the choices. So don't shy away from entering the field of law because it is a field where your voice can shape justice, your fearlessness can battle injustice, and your passion can effect changes that cannot be reversed.
Don’t shrink yourself or attempt to change yourself to fit the mould. The mould was flawed to begin with.
We’re not here to be quiet participants in broken systems. We’re here to build better ones.
Lamia Rabi
Student-Westminster Academy
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamia-rabi-171956336/