This week I am very excited to welcome Sharmila Mehta, UK immigration lawyer and Partner at Keystone Law, into the studio to discuss how ‘Partner’ can mean different things at different law firms. A self-proclaimed ‘lawyer through and through’, Sharmila helped me obtain my British passport several decades ago and has worked in multiple large UK law firms throughout her career.

In this episode, Sharmila outlines her fascinating journey into law having moved to the UK from Kenya at the age of 5, growing a curious and fearless attitude towards how the world and the UK in particular works, and working at several different UK firms before becoming a Partner at Keystone law today.

This journey introduces a variety of other interesting points on law and life in the UK, including:

·        Living in the UK as a dual citizen and the challenges of moving to the UK at a young age;

·        Growing up as young woman in school in the UK in the 1960s and 1970s and being taught to be assertive, inquisitive and speak up.

·        Taking calculated risks during a career as a lawyer and a mother;

·        What partner means these days vs what it used to mean and whether making partner is becoming a  business of running a law firm and not necessarily being a lawyer’?

·        Realising that as a lawyer you’re not just part of the wider brand of the firms you work for, you have your own brand that you build throughout your career.

And stay tuned to hear about the driving force behind Sharmila’s work as an immigration lawyer – how to make the UK better, through the energy, innovation and desire to succeed that migrants have always and continue to bring to this country.