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Grace Rose Gwynne is an inspiring and motivational young lawyer, called to the Bar aged just 21, making her one of the youngest barristers in the UK.
Addressing the sexism and ageism challenges she faces on a daily basis at the Bar, a video Grace made went viral on Instagram and she was then propelled into the public eye.
Grace now regularly appears on primetime TV and radio. She has also featured on a range of podcasts and in 2021 gave a notable TedTalk called Fighting for a Place in the Old Boys’ Club.
Grace Rose Gwynne is advocating for more female representation at the Bar following the prejudices she has experienced as a young female junior barrister working in a male-dominated profession.
Despite becoming a barrister at such a young age, it wasn’t an easy journey for Grace – working in one of the most competitive and male-dominated professions in the world, Grace has faced massive challenges and competition to reach where she is today.
Having made headlines with her achievements, Grace makes regular appearances on TV shows, such as Good Morning Britain and has contributed to columns for national newspapers. She recently delivered an impactful TED Talk titled Fighting For A Place In The Old Boys Club, a topic which she is very passionate about.
Drawing on her experiences that enabled her to fulfil her childhood dream, Grace Rose Gwynne talks about the drive, resilience, ambition and motivation required to go for and achieve goals.
Prior to embarking on a career in Law, Grace had a previous career in Performing Arts, having spent twelve years touring around the United Kingdom in productions such as ‘Scrooge’ and ‘Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’. Grace has also appeared in Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
Her interest in law started when she was 16. She was watching a television programme featuring barristers and she couldn’t believe that this job existed – these people were actually being paid to argue for a living. She googled: ‘How to become a barrister,’ and read a few articles before setting her heart on the profession of law.
Grace was the first person in her family to go to University and was not – unlike many others in her profession, Oxbridge educated. She had to battle for a place in one of the most competitive professions in the world.
She completed her Bachelor of Law at The University of Manchester and earned her BPTC at BPP Birmingham. During her studies, she gained legal experience at several places, including Doughty Street Chambers, St Philips Chambers, St Ives Chambers and Kings Chambers, among others.
Joining Anderson Trial Lawyers as an Intern, Grace completed a second internship at Tomeo Sills. In 2017, she worked in Viewer Services for ITV Studios before landing the role of Paralegal with Gateley Plc. Grace then became a Pupil at KBG Chambers, joining No5 Barristers’ Chambers after qualifying as a Barrister in 2020.
Her hard work, motivation and resilience paid off, with Grace now working for one of the leading Chambers in the country.
Since qualifying, Grace has encountered first hand gender and age bias that exists, experiencing it on a daily basis.
She is often assumed to be the client, the court usher or the work experience kid – the first thought never being that she is the barrister. She has also had male barristers comment on her breasts, clothes and her make-up, insinuating that she couldn’t possibly be the barrister due to her appearance.
Highly outspoken on the sexist and ageist prejudices she encountered as a junior female barrister, Grace is authoring a book to reflect on her journey and life at the Bar as a young, female barrister. Presenting the book as a guide for aspiring female barristers, Grace is on a mission to increase female representation in the law profession.
Grace recently featured on the Talk Twenties Podcast, a podcast sharing information to help young people navigate their lives. Grace is a prominent voice challenging the common prejudices in the law profession and makes regular contributions on prime time TV and radio.