Interview: Glynis Wright – the legal boss challenging stereotypes

Glynis Wright runs an eponymous family law firm in Leicester. She is currently sponsoring the rehearsals of Curve’s  production of Pink Sari Revolution – a play about female empowerment. We spoke to her about her background, her all-female team and why she got involved with the production.

What is your background?

I had a first career as a public servant in local government specialising in economic development work within my local community. At the age of 42 I decided to change my career path and retrained as a lawyer. I graduated from De Montfort University with a Distinction and was awarded Student of the Year for my academic attainments.

I then started work as a trainee solicitor with a local firm and within two years of qualifying was made a partner in the law firm. Three years on, I broke away to set up my own niche law firm specialising purely in divorce and family law matters. The legal practice Glynis Wright & Co, based in Leicester, has been running for six years and has grown to 18 staff with eight lawyers all specialising in family law.

Tell us about your business? Has building an all-female team been a conscious decision? If so, why?

The Glynis Wright & Co team are all female. That has definitely not been a conscious decision. It is simply the case that very few male lawyers decide to specialise in family law work and it is therefore hard to recruit a male lawyer to join the practice. Similarly, the other staff in the firm are secretaries and legal cashiers – all jobs that are predominantly undertaken by women. The practice is very multi-ethnic and we have a firm policy of trying to achieve diversity in our recruitment of staff, therefore the hunt for good male employees will continue.

Why did you decide to sponsor the Pink Sari Revolution workshops?

I decided to sponsor Pink Sari Revolution because I believe that all human beings should have a chance to enjoy their life to the full irrespective of gender or race issues. Anything that limits the potential of another human to fulfil their potential as a result of oppression or bias should be challenged.

Also, I believe that one individual can make a difference against the odds and Sampat Pal who is the real life leader of Pink Sari Revolution’s Gulabi Gang is testament to that. Although the play is set in India and deals with quite extreme examples of female oppression, there are parallels here in the UK and other countries around the world.

In my work as a family lawyer, incidents of domestic violence between men and women are not uncommon. I deal with marital breakup on a daily basis and there is no doubt that relationship breakups commonly escalate the likely incident of violence or abuse between a couple. That of course includes men who are the victims of domestic violence and emotional abuse. It is not an exclusively female issue. What is clear is that it is wrong and an abuse of power.

Why do you think it is important for local businesses to get involved in projects like this?

This play challenges abuse and calls for heightened awareness and change. Another reason why I decided to sponsor the play is because it encompasses a broader remit of education and awareness raising in the community.

The sponsorship I have committed is funding outreach programmes with other sponsor partners where work will be undertaken in the community regarding the issues that the play raises. I am committing some of my lawyers time to participating in this outreach programme to give information about how to tackle domestic violence from a legal perspective.

I was also really keen to get involved in the discussion groups after the play which members of the audience can participate in and which will look into the detail of the issues raised by the play.

I am a believer that all businesses have a responsibility to give back to the communities that support them. By working with Curve theatre in sponsoring this production and the outreach programme linked to it, I feel my business is making a meaningful and important contribution to the community.