Introducing our Return to Law Programme
This International Women’s Day, we are proud to launch a new programme, Return to Law – Giving Opportunity, Gaining Talent. This returnship programme supports women who have left the legal industry and want to return but are unsure where to begin.
Why we’re launching the Return to Law Programme
For many years, the legal profession has lost talented women, not because they lacked ability or ambition, but because the structure of the profession made it difficult to stay.
Our Managing Partner, Anna Wilson, has played a fundamental role in driving gender equity within the firm. Having experienced first-hand the barriers that often prevent women from progressing in law, she has transformed those challenges into a clear vision for inclusion. Under Anna’s guidance, Barcan and Kirby has become a standout example in the legal sector of how women can thrive, progress, and balance career ambitions with family life.
This returnship programme is designed to support qualified lawyers who stepped away from law and are now considering a return on terms that reflect both their professional capability and their personal lives.
Why do women leave the legal profession?
SRA data shows women make up 62% of Solicitors; however, women in senior positions remain significantly underrepresented in law, with just 32% as full-equity Partners.
A 2022 survey made up of 22 lawyers, conducted by The University of Birmingham, revealed the most common reasons for women departing from the profession include:
- Not having an adequate work/life balance after having children
- Their employers are unable to support flexible working
- Excessive workloads
- Caring responsibilities
- A lack of support
At Barcan and Kirby, we are proud to do things differently. We’re committed to promoting a healthy work/life balance and ensuring our staff are supported through mentoring and tailored development programmes.
What’s covered in Barcan and Kirby’s Return to Work Programme?
Our five-day in-person programme will run from 10am – 2.30pm, from 15th June to 19th June at our Bishopston office on Gloucester Road, Bristol.
Through a series of complementary workshops, participants will learn about the practical, cultural and emotional elements of working in today’s legal industry to support their return to law. These sessions include:
- What working as a lawyer looks like in 2026
- How work-life flexibility can be a game-changer
- The human reality of law – why now’s the time to tackle that imposter syndrome
- Being commercially aware and ‘getting out there’
Throughout the week, participants will hear real-life experiences and advice from our own experts, including:
- Managing Partner, Anna Wilson
- Compliance Partner, Gemma Geoghegan
- Personal Injury and Employment Partner, Samantha Castle
- Our HR team
- Head of Marketing and Business Development, Lucy Harttrup
This unique and tailored returnship programme aims to empower women as they navigate their return to law, equipping them with the tools, knowledge and confidence they need to work in the legal industry today.
Click here for full details about our Return to Law Programme.
Who can apply for the Return to Law Programme?
We welcome applications from women who have left their roles as qualified lawyers for whatever reason. It could be that they left law to have children and struggled to find a flexible working pattern afterwards, or perhaps they stepped away to focus on caring for a relative or to enable their partner to grow their own career.
Whatever the reason for leaving the legal industry, we would love to hear from you.
Applicants must be willing to travel to our Gloucester Road office on the week of the programme (15th June) and commit to the hours of 10am to 2.30pm.
How to apply
Applications for our Return to Law Programme have now closed. Please follow us on social media to hear about our latest vacancies and programmes.
For anything else, call us on 0117 325 2929 or fill out our online enquiry form.