Bethane Harland
1. When you were at Brighton & Hove High School, and what is your fondest memory of school?
I joined BHHS in 2009 (Year 9) and left in 2014 (end of Year 12).
I have so many great memories: from the slapstick house plays and Sixth Form entertainment productions, to the brilliant friendships I made along the way. Also, our tiny A Level art class which meant we were allowed to transform the basement of the art block into our own art studio!
I was also overjoyed to be awarded the GDST’s Johnston Memorial Scholarship after a gruelling application and interview process. The award was established to honour Lady Johnston, an esteemed parliamentary counsel, so I was honoured to be named winner in 2014.
2. Who was your favourite teacher and why?
I was blessed to have had fantastic teachers, and role models, during my time at the school. However, I must afford special praise to my English teachers, Mr Edmunds and Mrs Ashdown, and art teachers, Ms Croydon and Ms Guthrie, for being genuinely fantastic educators, and lovely people.
3. What were the benefits of being in an all-girls school?
For me, minimal distractions and an environment that was literally conducive to ‘learning without limits’. Alike my peers, I was actively encouraged to pursue a career in what is historically considered a male-dominated field, without question. My confidence grew and flourished, and I was prepared to succeed as I stepped into higher education.
4. What did you want to be when you ‘grew-up’?
Cliché I know, but I knew that I wanted to be a lawyer from a young age. I have always been interested in how legal systems contribute to functioning societies, and my skills (inter alia, I have always been a bit of a debater) matched the job role well!
5. What do you do now, and what are the most rewarding and challenging parts of your job?
I qualified as a solicitor in September 2023 and I currently work in local government, specialising in Adult Social Care and Education Law. I am an in-house solicitor, so my role involves advising and representing my client, Brighton & Hove City Council, across a variety of matters and in different Courts and Tribunals. I am actively encouraged to conduct my own advocacy, which is a skill I hope to finesse going forward.
The job can involve long hours, and complex, emotionally-draining cases. However, I find my work really interesting, and I am driven by the knowledge that I have a direct impact on the city:
from protecting the interests of vulnerable people, to involvement in policy work which helps to ensure that Brighton and Hove is a fair, safe, and equal place to live.
6. What are you most proud of so far?
I still have so much to learn and achieve. However, most recently I am proud of my success winning a disability discrimination case in the First-Tier SEND Tribunal, my work as lead lawyer on a complex, high profile Inquest matter, and my involvement in Brighton & Hove City Council’s Judicial Review of the Home Office’s Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children regime.
In general, I am also proud of myself for persevering in a competitive field with no prior legal contacts. Over the years I have worked hard to create and seize opportunities, including Court work experience, mini-pupillages, judge marshalling, and volunteer and paid employment positions across a range of law firms, in-house legal teams, charities, and public organisations.
Oh, and I also published my final year dissertation on a topic I am passionate about! It’s titled ‘Great Misprision, and No Murder’: Reforming the Offence of Child Destruction’ if anyone is intrigued…
7. What was the best piece of advice you were given whilst at Brighton?
In an Assembly before exams, we were told about the 80:20 approach: approximately 80% of your success is down to you, and only 20% relates to external factors, like luck. If you focus on the 80% you can control by doing everything in your power to work hard towards your goals and overcome hurdles, you are almost guaranteed to be successful.
8. What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?
Sometimes good enough is enough! I have always been a perfectionist, which means I strive to produce high quality work, but at the expense of prioritising myself.
9. What book, film or piece of music would you recommend to your younger self and to your fellow alumnae?
I would recommend Michael Sandel’s ‘Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?’. I find jurisprudence and legal philosophy deeply fascinating.
But the book is an interesting read for non-lawyers too – posing moral dilemmas, like would you kill one person to save the life of five others? If so, would it be the right thing to do? Sandel forces you to question your moral compass and consider the core principles of utilitarianism. How can we seek the greatest good for the greatest number, and how is that morally compatible?
10. How would you like to be remembered?
Hard-working, determined, and a little bit different – not a follower. Being the same as everyone else is boring!