(History, m.1992)

Caroline’s journey to Corpus was spearheaded by a persistent history teacher who, despite Caroline’s self-consciousness about not being Cambridge material, was unwilling to accept Caroline’s reasons for not applying.

“I had a lot going on at the time. My brother and I were being evicted from our council flat in South London, so understandably I was in survival mode rather than aspiring to enter a world I had no experience of. I don’t think this was the average journey to Cambridge back in the early nineties.”

Despite her difficult personal circumstances, Caroline’s application was successful and she was invited to attend an interview. “At this point I was living on my own with my brother and things were pretty tricky. We didn’t even have an alarm clock, but I trusted myself that I would wake up in time to get to my interview, but I was wrong! When I woke up late I was so mortified, I called the College, pretending to be my mum and begged them to see me later. I was amazed that they did that. The tutors actually stayed late to see me. My initiative was rewarded when my offer came in. The whole experience gave me a really positive first impression of the College."

Caroline admits that despite her love for history, she ultimately wanted to seek job opportunities that were secure, well paid and offered the opportunity for career progression. Once she discovered she could convert to law through a conversion course after her degree, there was no doubt in her mind that history was the right degree.

On her choice of college, Caroline remarks: “I remember selecting Corpus because it was more of an open college, with a track record of taking people from less traditional backgrounds. The staff were amazing, the Porters were brilliant, I befriended them very quickly, which was a really good thing to do early on as Porters are very important people to have on your side!”

Caroline spent her three years living in Bene’t Street, making lifelong friends in the first couple of weeks, one of which went on to be her bridesmaid.

“Everything was other worldly to me. At least now people have references like Harry Potter, so they have seen these amazing halls, with great traditions and long dining tables, whereas I hadn’t! I would have really benefitted from something like the Bridging Course, because everything was foreign to me. There was always a sense of being on the outside looking in, although I was never expressly made to feel that way within Corpus. I really loved the College, and the more I learned about the other colleges, I felt confident that I was in the best college. It really cemented my affection for Corpus as I got to know the University more.

“Professor John Hatcher was my Director of Studies, he was brilliant. I still remember his two massive dogs! He was kind and incredibly supportive. Without any prompting from me, he suggested I would be eligible to receive a financial grant. It was a great relief to discover my application was successful.”

Having made it to Cambridge in spite of challenging circumstances at home, Caroline was determined to make the most of the experience and she had her sights firmly set on a prosperous future.

“I was never floundering around wondering what I was going to do with my life, I was very clear about what my top needs were when it came to what I did next. Law fit really well, in terms of career progression and financial reward and, being a product of the eighties and being exposed to the racial injustices of that era (the stop and search culture being one example), becoming a lawyer, having knowledge of the law, was very clearly the most empowering career choice.”

Caroline’s hard work and determination paid off. She went on to gain her Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the College of Law in London, followed by a successful eight-year career as an international finance lawyer at leading global law firms, Allen & Overy and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.

Caroline enjoyed the challenge, stability and status that being a lawyer provided. After having her second son (Caroline now has four!), she became somewhat disillusioned with her world of work. “I was the most senior female, the only black female and the only one with children. It was just so old school, a white male environment. After all that hard work, leaving was a very big deal. But I felt a really strong conviction that I could do more”

It was at this point Caroline stumbled upon a book about life coaching, realising “this is what I have been doing, this is how I have got myself to this point. This is what I have to do!”

Caroline then retrained and got her Coach certification, by getting up at 5am to study while also caring for her young family.

“Setting up a business, building something, especially when people don't know what coaching is, was definitely challenging for those first couple of years. But less as a result of the work itself, and more the identity shift, having built one identity as a lawyer, and then doing something completely different.”

Caroline’s coaching business initially focused on helping professional women wanting to start a family and continue to progress in their careers, driven by her own experiences of starting a family in the corporate world. Gender diversity in senior roles was the initial area she focused on, which led to her writing her first book, Baby Proof Your Career: The Secret to Balancing Work and Family So You Can Enjoy It All.

From here, Caroline narrowed her focus to lawyers, as a product of the growing demand for her services in this field. She says her clients valued her firsthand experience, having worked at leading law firms and they had faith in her as a Cambridge graduate.

In 2015, Caroline embarked upon a speaking career alongside her coaching, and by 2020 she had narrowed her focus even further to black lawyers. “I decided I wanted to work with people of colour. I became uber focused, which has been amazing for me to go really big with that. I want to help and see more black people stay in the profession and rise to the top. That’s where you can have influence, that’s where the money is, and big decisions are made. Every black lawyer that stays and progresses, changes the perceptions of black people, they are changing and influencing their communities. They are role models for their family, changing what is possible for younger, less advantaged black kids.

“From a young age I was the only black person in the room, having attended an all-white primary and secondary school, even at Cambridge I saw very few other black students. Law school was more diverse, but not hugely, and when I became a corporate lawyer, it was the same.

 “The experiences today are different, I meet many lawyers who are experiencing being the only one in their early twenties rather than from a young age, which can be very difficult.

“Now I use what I learned and how I navigated this experience from a young age to support others.”

Caroline’s career has gone from strength to strength and in 2021 she published her second book Be The First: People of Colour, Imposter Syndrome and the Struggle to Succeed in a White World.

She continues to build on her success and harness her own experiences and those of her clients, delivering keynote speeches and hosting the Caroline Flanagan Podcast for high achievers, and the Legal Imposters Podcast for lawyers of colour.

To connect with Caroline follow her on:
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