This year’s International Women’s Day Campaign ‘Give To Gain’ encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration. Give To Gain emphasises the power of reciprocity and support.
With this in mind we wanted to showcase some of our inspirational women in this context by hearing in their own words, the amazing things that they give and what they say they get in return.
Jessica Yates, Family Solicitor
Jessica has been giving her time to Combat Stress 2026
I’ve always believed in helping where I can, and the more I’ve learned about the challenges people face, the more motivated I’ve become to get involved. I tend to help raise funds for a different charity each year. Recently, I volunteered to take part in a fundraising hike for Combat Stress on 26 March 2026.
Their work supporting veterans with complex mental health needs, including PTSD, anxiety and depression, really resonated with me. Knowing that my time and effort can help people access vital support is a big part of what inspires me to give back.
Combat Stress is important to me personally as my eldest daughter’s father was in the military for over 10 years and he did tours of Afghanistan and Iraq. Her uncle was also an engineer in the forces, based in Germany for a number of years. Whilst it was a difficult time for us, I cannot imagine how hard it was for him and his platoon.
Learning more about Combat Stress and the challenges many veterans quietly face made me want to do something practical to help. Taking part in their fundraising hike felt like a positive and achievable way to play a small part in ensuring they can continue offering life‑changing support.
I’ve gained by feeling more connected, grounded and aware of the world beyond my own day‑to‑day. Training for the hike has pushed me physically and mentally, while also reminding me why I’m doing it – to support people who have given so much already. It’s influenced me to be more mindful, more grateful and more determined to keep contributing where I can. It has even motivated me to join the gym!
Leanne Milner, Family Care Legal Assistant
Leanne Milner gives her time to supporting domestic abuse survivors.
I am deeply proud to stand with domestic abuse survivors this International Women’s Day. My lived experience and my work in family law are inseparable parts of who I am. They fuel my determination to raise awareness, to speak openly and to encourage the conversations that so many people are still afraid to have. International Women’s Day is about action, and this is mine.
I hold close the moments when information becomes empowerment, when someone realises, they are not alone, that support does exist, and that their voice matters. Those moments change lives. Being able to help create them means everything to me.
Long before domestic abuse was openly discussed, I lived it first as a child, then again as a young adult. There was no support. No safe space. For six years, I stayed in a violent relationship, never once calling the police. Not because I didn’t want help, but because it felt pointless.
That silence shaped me, but it also motivates me. I want others to feel what I didn’t: seen, heard, believed. If speaking up today makes it easier for someone else tomorrow, that is worth everything.
For a long time, I hesitated to bring my experiences into the workplace. But when so many of the cases we work on involve domestic abuse, I realised how important lived understanding can be. I survived something that almost destroyed me.
It still affects my confidence, my thoughts and my day-to-day life. But I also have Ison Harrison, a place that became my support network when I had to walk away from friends and family for personal reasons. I am deeply grateful that the firm believes in me, trusts my instincts and gives me the space to use my past for something meaningful.
What I’ve gained through all of this is perspective. Turning trauma into something that helps others has been one of the most empowering parts of my life. My past doesn’t define me, but it has given me empathy, resilience and a fierce determination to make a difference. I am exactly where I’m meant to be.
Marjan Akbar, Graduate Solicitor Apprentice
Marjan gives her time to volunteer at the Charity CATCH
Growing up in Harehills shaped a lot of who I am. I remember how unsafe the area felt at times and how we were not allowed to play outside unless it was in our tiny garden. Back then, we did not have a place like CATCH, somewhere safe, positive and full of opportunity.
After finishing my GCSEs, I suddenly had spare time and my mum mentioned that CATCH was looking for volunteers. She had taken my younger brother there for a youth session and said I might enjoy it. I joined in August 2019, thinking it would just be something to try out, and I have never left.
The skills I bring such as compassion, patience, understanding, and positivity come naturally because I genuinely care. To make a real difference in the community, you have to see life through the eyes of the people in it, their fears, their realities and their way of dealing with challenges. Only then can you help in a positive, meaningful and effective way.
CATCH has a motto: “What starts here changes the world” and I truly believe that. What I value most is being able to support young people as they grow, helping them develop skills they can use in the future and encouraging them to believe in themselves.
Whether I am helping them build their CV, guiding them towards positive decisions, or running workshops that raise awareness and protect them from exploitation or antisocial behaviour, every part of it feels meaningful. I am genuinely proud to invest my time and energy into all of it.
Through CATCH I have gained a second family, and that includes all the animals. There’s too many to list. Over the years, I have grown from being an activity worker to becoming a team leader. I have learnt so much at a young age and handled situations that ranged from everyday challenges to serious incidents.
As President of the CATCH Union I have travelled nationally and internationally, and even had the chance to meet and speak with Prince William. It has been incredibly rewarding, both personally and professionally.
Liz Stephen, Partner, Wills and Probate
Liz gives her time to volunteering at Eccleshill Men’s Group.
It is a support group for elderly men who have been through or are going through a tough time – it can be for any reason but often it is the loss of a spouse. I draft wills and Lasting Power of Attorneys and provide legal advice and support for them.
I give talks and also see them on a 1:1 basis. There are a lot of lonely people out there and it is fulfilling to be able to assist. It is run by Jenny Bland, one of our Director’s mum Pauline, who does an incredible job.
Several years ago I met a guy called Andrew Laptew who was also a volunteer at the group. Sadly he has since died. He was a retired Detective with West Yorkshire Police and the only person who came out of the Yorkshire Ripper investigation with any credibility.
He was a fascinating bloke who rumbled Sutcliffe when everyone else was distracted by “Wearside Jack”. He was told by his Commanding Officer that if he didn’t shut up about Sutcliffe he would be put back on Road Traffic. He used to cook Sunday lunch for a couple of the Ripper’s victims who survived the attacks.
I asked him if Sutcliffe was born bad or made bad. He said he was made bad.
What I gain from the charity is being able to get to know some amazing characters and hear about and assist them with their lives. Being able to help them in some way gives me a great sense of fulfilment.
Kauser Farid, Family Care Solicitor
Kauser gives her time to help domestic abuse victims.
A lot of the community work I do is about helping victims of domestic abuse understand that there is Legal Aid available to fund their legal costs at no charge for them, to assist them in solving their family problems from their perpetrators.
I do pro-bono clinics for women and men’s charities for victims who have suffered domestic abuse. The victims are usually still scared of breaking the cycle of abuse and control that they have suffered from their perpetrators, who are usually their ex-partners. It is more complex for the victims who have children together.
I like breaking down the complicated legal process into explanations that actually make sense to the victims. I enjoy helping people feel that they do have options available to them and that the legal system can support them through this process with the assistance of Legal Aid, as high legal costs usually deter victims from seeking legal advice.
At times the victims are not quite ready to start the legal process, but at least understand the Court process a lot better due to the advice that they have received from me. Even having that opportunity to offload their problems to a professional makes them feel that they are believed and acknowledges that they have suffered abuse and are a victim.
As a branch we are donating monthly to a cancer charity that supports children undergoing treatment for cancer and provides them with a toy duck whilst they are undergoing treatment. This donation makes me reflect on how many families are affected by cancer as their young children are going through this.
Assisting them with a small donation creates a strong sense that we are contributing to something important that can change a young child’s life, even if it brings just a smile to their face when they receive their toy duck, it is worthwhile.
What I gain, certainly through my work with domestic abuse charities, is that I am able to make people feel that they are believed. Many victims value the importance of being believed, that is usually the first step for them to be able to move on from their situations.
Thank you to all the inspirational women who shared their stories with us, this International Women’s Day.
