Lucy Kate Barnes
Nominee Profile
Location: Norwich
Lucy is a barrister and the Co Founder of Lawyers Who Care, the world’s only charity dedicated to supporting care experienced aspiring lawyers.
Lucy grew up to council estate poverty and entered foster care at 13 after experiencing domestic abuse, neglect and family dysfunction. At 16, she was kicked out of foster care and fell off the ‘Care Cliff’, where all support for her stopped. Lucy, like many children in foster care, was told to ‘be realistic’ about a career in law.
Despite extreme adversity and lack of opportunity, not knowing a single lawyer or mentor to guide her, Lucy persevered with her legal career and became a practising barrister. She became the first in her family to achieve a GCSE and go to university. Lucy uses her journey and platform to open doors for others and challenge perceptions.
Lucy was the first lawyer to speak publicly about growing up in foster care, challenging stigma that she experienced personally and breaking the silence around care experience. Since launching Lawyers Who Care in 2024, Lucy has already supported over 77 care experienced young people believe in futures they were told were out of reach.
Lucy is now a leading national voice and key inclusion stakeholder championing care experienced talent, trauma informed practice and social mobility across law, education and government. Her work has been recognised through major national platforms, including BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, The Times, the Bar Council, and being named Champion of the Year at the 2025 Women and Diversity in Law Awards.
Above all, Lucy is proving to young people in care that their past does not define their future and that they have unique gifts and talents to offer all professions. Lucy started a movement towards inclusion in the legal profession. She speaks in schools regularly and has frequently been told young people now aspire for legal careers because she dared to go first and provide representation for them. #CareLeaversCan #AndWill #AndAre
Lucy grew up to council estate poverty and entered foster care at 13 after experiencing domestic abuse, neglect and family dysfunction. At 16, she was kicked out of foster care and fell off the ‘Care Cliff’, where all support for her stopped. Lucy, like many children in foster care, was told to ‘be realistic’ about a career in law.
Despite extreme adversity and lack of opportunity, not knowing a single lawyer or mentor to guide her, Lucy persevered with her legal career and became a practising barrister. She became the first in her family to achieve a GCSE and go to university. Lucy uses her journey and platform to open doors for others and challenge perceptions.
Lucy was the first lawyer to speak publicly about growing up in foster care, challenging stigma that she experienced personally and breaking the silence around care experience. Since launching Lawyers Who Care in 2024, Lucy has already supported over 77 care experienced young people believe in futures they were told were out of reach.
Lucy is now a leading national voice and key inclusion stakeholder championing care experienced talent, trauma informed practice and social mobility across law, education and government. Her work has been recognised through major national platforms, including BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, The Times, the Bar Council, and being named Champion of the Year at the 2025 Women and Diversity in Law Awards.
Above all, Lucy is proving to young people in care that their past does not define their future and that they have unique gifts and talents to offer all professions. Lucy started a movement towards inclusion in the legal profession. She speaks in schools regularly and has frequently been told young people now aspire for legal careers because she dared to go first and provide representation for them. #CareLeaversCan #AndWill #AndAre