Writing a book has long been on Lorraine Lewis’s bucket list: the barrister, who has also founded a charity, says she’s often asked how she achieved it all. “If just one person reads it and it makes a difference then it would be worth it,” she says. “I want to help other people to realise they can give things a go.”
During lockdown, the busy lawyer worked hard to write a first draft of her memoir, as well as save money to get it published.
The book will tell the story of Lewis’s life and career. It’ll start from the very beginning; Lewis knew she wanted to become a barrister from the age of 10, she says, when she would watch television shows such as LA Law with her parents. From then on, she says: “I knew I wanted to help people to get justice.”
But not everyone thought these dreams were realistic and Lewis wants her book to show others who come from similar backgrounds that they can achieve their goals too.
Lewis grew up on a council estate with a father who polished car parts and a mother who stayed at home to look after the children. The majority of lawyers in England, Scotland and Wales have university educated parents and just 3% of lawyers are Black, research has shown. This led one teacher to tell Lewis she wouldn’t be able to become a lawyer.
Lewis persevered, however, and went on to study an LLB in law and criminal justice at De Montfort University, in Leicester, followed by a barrister training course at the University of Bristol. After qualifying at the age of 21, she got a job as a magistrates’ court legal adviser in Northampton. “It just felt right,” she says. “For me it’s all about helping people.”
The second half of the book will outline how Lewis set up a charity. She now runs the Lewis Foundation in her spare time after finishing her legal work. She founded the award-winning charity with her husband, Lee, in 2016, after Lee’s mum was hospitalised with cancer. She says the experience opened her eyes to what it was like for people going through cancer treatment. “There’s so much boredom, loneliness and pain.”
Lewis started out fundraising to buy televisions for patients like her mother-in-law who were stuck in hospital with nothing to do. “They help take people’s minds off what they’re going through,” she says. Then she and her husband created the Lewis Foundation, which hand delivers gifts and support packs to cancer patients. These experiences will all go into Lewis’s book.
Lockdown provided the space for her to write, as well as the opportunity to save money. Before Covid-19, she says: “My life was so crazy. I was going to work and when I wasn’t at work I was doing charity work. Then the pandemic happened and for the first time in my whole life I was forced to slow down and stop.”
Not having to spend two or three hours commuting every day freed up time. “I thought, while I have that time, I’ll use it to do something positive.” The pandemic also gave Lewis a new perspective. “This period has made me realise that you can’t wait for the right moment,” she says. “Life is short and you don’t know what will come around the corner, so if there’s something you want to do then you must go and do it.”
Lewis spent at least 30 minutes a day writing during lockdown and the task helped to give her a sense of purpose while being stuck in the house.
While Lewis was working from home, she put £60 a week straight into a savings account, which she says felt satisfying. “I’m using the money to make my dream become a reality. It’s been nice to see it build up and to know the money is going towards something specific – some purpose.”
Many of us have had the chance to start saving in the past year due to the slowdown in the pace of everyday life, says Jill Waters, NS&I’s retail director. “It does not matter whether you are saving £10 a month or £100 a month, it will soon add up to turn your dreams into reality.”
However, publishing a book can be a relatively expensive dream; Lewis aims to save about £4,000 to cover all the costs, which include hiring someone to edit the copy, someone to design a book cover, and a proofreader. “I didn’t realise all the costs involved in publishing a book,” she says.
Lewis aims to publish in September, when she hopes she’ll be able to throw a big party as a book-launch event. “I want to launch it with friends and family there, so we can celebrate life together,” she says.
Overall, looking back, Lewis says she’s proud of how far she has come. “I was able to keep going even at times when it felt impossible,” she says. What message does she want others to take away from her story? “For me, it’s all about saying to people that if you’ve got a dream, go and do it irrespective of what anybody may say,” she says. “Don’t let anything stop you or hold you back.”
Having something joyful to save towards can make putting money aside easier. Start saving for a sunny day with the help of NS&I. Visit nsandi.com for more information
