Jones Myers inspires students to ‘think big’ when career planning

Jones Myers collaborative family law expert Norman Taylor has been giving students motivational and inspirational tips on pursuing their career dreams and goals.         

A qualified lawyer for over 45 years, Norman shared his wisdom with around 30 students at a virtual event. The talk was part of Leeds City College’s Virtual Work Experience week for Business students whose studies include law.  

The initiative is designed to encourage students to think about their future aspirations and inform them of options available. Feedback from the benefits of Norman’s talk was upbeat and extremely positive. 

Practising family law exclusively for over 25 years Norman, a pioneer of collaborative family law, shared career insights including his studies at Newcastle University.

He explained how dramatically the legal landscape has changed and how law students in those days trained and qualified as general practitioners as opposed to specialising in a particular area.

Said Norman: “I highlighted how Family Law has evolved along with major technological changes – good and bad – which will further evolve as students embark on their careers.”

Encouraging his audience ‘be the best that they can be’, Norman also shared a series of life tips. They included breaking down long term goals into mini-goals and building and developing their skills to become indispensible.  

Added Norman, who is also a lecturer in collaborative law and mentors students at Leeds Beckett University: “Jones Myers is a champion of helping to develop the next generation and it was a pleasure to pass on what I’ve learnt personally and professionally. 

“I encouraged students not to be deterred from their goals by others who may appear more knowledgeable – but to learn from them while maintaining their own unique style. Another key message was to keep smiling and enjoy their journey.”

Akeisha Brown, Business Engagement Officer at Leeds City College which is rated as outstanding by Ofsted, said: “We’re delighted with the fantastic response from students who say Norman has given them invaluable insights and tips.

“Our students are at a formative stage as they navigate a career path and Norman’s experience and openness has given them a lot to think about.”   

Emily Topham, Work Experience Coordinator who hosted the session, added: “Norman was a wonderful speaker to work with. His engagement with the students was really good, at first they didn’t have too many questions, but he threw some back at them to get them thinking about their career paths and the types of law they may go into.

“Overall the session with Norman was extremely insightful and really enjoyable for staff and students.” 

For queries on any aspect of family law, call us at Leeds on 0113 246 0055, at Harrogate on 01423 276104, or at York office on 01904 202550. Visit jm2023.jonesmyers.co.uk, email info@jonesmyers.co.uk or tweet us @helpwithdivorce