Sydney McAllister

Host Organisation: Maternity Action 2022

Briefly explain your most recent educational background and any work (paid or voluntary) you were doing before you began your Fellowship?

I graduated from my Law degree at the University of Bristol in 2020 and my LPC at BPP University in 2022.
I began my career as a Trainee Support Worker for domestic abuse charity Next Link, supporting women with housing, legal, and welfare issues.
Following this, I secured a family paralegal position at Watkins Solicitors. I then worked at Harrison Clark Rickerbys as a litigation paralegal, securing a Training Contract.
However, in June 2022, I returned to the Violence Against Women and Girls sector. Most recently, I worked as the Policy and Practice Officer for Women’s Aid Federation of England.

Why did you want to apply for a Justice First Fellowship?

I applied to the Fellowship because of the unique opportunity to work within both law and policy.
Having previously worked in the charity sector and having established a not-for-profit organisation in 2022, I have developed a strong interest in policy work. Therefore, the prospect of gaining further policy skills, whilst also training to be a solicitor, greatly appealed to me.
Moreover, I loved the idea of completing my legal training in the specialist area of social welfare law due to my passion for activism, particularly relating to women’s rights. Working for Maternity Action enables me to achieve this goal.

Complete the following sentence: ‘Outside of my legal interests, I enjoy…’

Outside of my legal interests, I enjoy keeping fit by running, going to the gym, and kickboxing with Elite Ladies Kickboxing.
I am also a feminist activist, founding the feminist legal platform FemLegal in 2020, whereby students and young professionals could write and submit articles about feminism, law, and policy. Since then, I have co-founded a small protest-lobby not-for-profit organisation called This Ends Now which aims to expose the patriarchy and end sexual violence. Managing this organisation keeps me very busy, as it involves working on campaigns, liaising with stakeholders, and managing the company’s fundraising, among other things!