Jessica Powers is awarded ‘Barrister of the year’ title at the Inspirational Women in Law Awards 2023

We are thrilled to announce the remarkable achievement of Jessica Powers, who not only secured her first nomination at the ‘Inspirational Women in Law’ Awards by Next 100 Years, but also clinched the esteemed title of ‘Barrister of the Year’. These revered awards, now in their 8th year, marked their latest edition on the evening of Wednesday 8 November, at Clifford Chance in London. It was an immense honour for us to be a part of this celebration, extending our support to Jessica and all the nominees who were recognised for their outstanding contributions in their respective fields of practice and as champions of the essential changes that empower women within the legal profession to flourish.
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Since joining New Square Chambers in 2018, Jessica has been at the forefront of driving significant changes, both within our set and at the broader commercial chancery Bar, with a primary focus on enhancing diversity and inclusion in recruitment and retention. She has been instrumental in leading various internal and external initiatives aimed at fostering diversity, equity and inclusion. These initiatives include our Social Mobility Mini-Pupillage programme and the Stephen Lawrence Day essay competition.
She stated:
“The First Hundred Years is a fantastic project which documents and celebrates the achievements of women in law. It is an honour and a privilege to have been recognised as a finalist and winner at the Inspirational Women in Law Awards 2023, and I will continue to endeavour to follow in the footsteps of the female trailblazers that have gone before me.”
Jessica’s dedicated efforts and focus on Chambers’ diversity and inclusion initiatives have contributed to multiple nominations across various prestigious awards. Earlier this year, Jessica was named a finalist in the ‘Rising Star in Diversity Change’ category at the Women, Influence & Power in Law (WIPL) UK Awards. She is also shortlisted for the upcoming Chambers UK Bar Awards in the ‘Diversity & Inclusion: Future Leader’ category, where New Square Chambers are also recognised as a finalist in the ‘Diversity & Inclusion: Outstanding Set’ category. Furthermore, we are also a ‘Standout in DE&I’ finalist at the upcoming British Legal Awards.
We extend our sincere congratulations to Jessica for this well-deserved honour. We are particularly delighted that Jessica’s achievement follows our recent win for ‘ESG Programme of the Year’ at the Legal Business Awards 2023.
Additionally, we want to extend our warmest congratulations to all the other deserving winners and nominees from the evening.