Alumni Spotlight - Lee John Charles, CBE | University of West London

Lee John Charles is wearing a navy blue suit and checkered blue, purple and white shirt. He has short facial hair and is bald.

Alumni Spotlight - Lee John Charles, CBE

21 February 2023

The alumni of UWL, and all its predecessor institutions, can be found at every level in all sorts of places. Take, for instance, Lee John Charles, CBE who studied at UWL and went on to a celebrated career in the UK Government’s legal department.

His journey began when he came to UWL back when it was Ealing College of Higher Education after having developed an interest in the law while studying at Uxbridge College.

I did a BTEC National in Business Law, and I was just really interested in the cases. I had an enthusiastic teacher and it led me to university. I already knew about Ealing College because some of my friends were already studying there. What I remember is it was a very diverse make up of students, and there were some excellent lecturers.”

Law students holding a mock trial in UWL's mock court room

After doing his law degree, Lee went to the criminal bar for five years, doing mostly defence but some prosecution work. However, he wanted to gain experience in civil litigation, which can be difficult to obtain at the bar.

Lee embarked on a thirty-year career in the Government Legal Department, the largest in-house legal department of the UK Government and indeed in the country.

The intention was always to go back to the bar, but I just kept getting wrapped up in interesting cases, and then I stayed. One of the wonderful things about working in government is you do get a higher degree of autonomy, and you get involved in a greater number of cases.”

Focusing on public law, Lee has represented the government in several high-profile cases, including leading the team responding to litigation against HMG during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Heathrow Third Runway litigation, and the UK Supreme Court case of Thompson and Venables. At GLD, Lee was highly respected for his expertise in immigration law, and acted as a consultant for solicitors, case handlers and provided leadership for multiple teams.

There’s lots of challenges to working in law at that level. You’re working for the government so there’s a lot to consider. It’s not a ‘win-at-all-costs mentality, it’s about getting the right result. Sometimes, that might even mean losing a case to clarify the law. Then you’ve got to persuade ministers to take your advice, and it can be quite difficult.”

At the same time, Lee dedicated himself to acting as a role model and champion for fellow BAME colleagues. As a mentor, he enjoys helping younger lawyers progress through their careers and gain confidence as they transition from administrative to legal roles. During recent internal conversations at GLD regarding race, Lee offered his own experiences as an example to enrich conversations about inclusivity. This led to his appointment to GLD’s Board, where he contributes to the values, ethos, and direction of the Department.

I like to help everyone. I’ve always been engaged in coaching and helping my staff. Obviously, I have a particular interest in helping ethnic minority staff because they have been disadvantaged, but I’ve always been keen to provide whatever help I could.”

Lee’s interest in improving the experience of colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds expands beyond his own employer, and he works hard to provide access opportunities to students from less advantaged backgrounds. He has been heavily involved in GLD’s university outreach programme, visited campuses to deliver motivational courses, and represented GLD at careers fairs and law fairs.

There’s been many obstacles for me to establish a career, especially at the bar. Within GLD, there have been some rocky moments, but I’ve managed to overcome them and get where I want. Now I want to help others get there too. So, when they see someone like me, who went to a comprehensive and comes from an ethnic minority background, they might think it’s possible for them too."

Always looking to be helpful, throughout the Covid-19 pandemic Lee utilised his training as a mental health first aider to support colleagues that found the lockdowns particularly challenging. He has been called upon as a mediator to settle numerous internal civil service disputes.

Now, Lee has left the GLD and works as a consultant at TLT Solicitors, focusing on public inquiries for clients working in the public sector. Lee’s story is just one example of the great career opportunities that open up to you once you become a UWL Alumni.