Young Lawyers’ Organisation Keen To Develop Links Across Professions

The Sheffield and District Junior Lawyers’ Division (JLD) has elected its new committee with Ciaran Dearden, a trainee solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, taking the role of president.

Ciaran, a second year trainee in the family team at Irwin Mitchell’s Sheffield office,  headed off competition from a candidate put forward by DLA Piper and will now supervise the JLD’s committee for the next year following a well-attended election evening earlier this month.

The Sheffield and District branch of the JLD, a junior branch of the Law Society, represents over 400 law students, paralegals and junior lawyers in the South Yorkshire region, offering networking and professional development opportunities. 

Its membership has grown remarkably in the four years since its inception and it continues to attract new recruits as the organisation broadens its base to include young professionals across the finance, property and accountancy sectors. It is the first time in the organisation’s history that a candidate from Irwin Mitchell has been elected as president.

Ciaran, age 25 from Sheffield, said: “The JLD is an invaluable tool both for people already in the legal profession and those seeking jobs in what is a notoriously difficult job market.  I am really proud to be the region’s new president and I’m looking forward to keeping the momentum of the previous committee going and to continuing the JLD’s development as a beneficial support mechanism for junior lawyers.

“We welcome young professionals from all sectors across the region to our events and would urge anyone interested in developing links with the JLD, or seeing how it can benefit them, to contact a member of this year’s committee or visit our website.”