Story: Reuben Vincent
Janice Young, owner of Youngs Criminal Defence Services on Spital Hill has recently been up for two awards in recognition of her legal and community services.
Janice, who first set up her business single-handedly in London in January 1994, received a Community Impact Award at the Burngreave Business Awards in February and was also shortlisted for the High Sheriff’s Awards.
I went to visit Janice in her offices on Ellesmere Green to talk to her about her career to date and also about these awards. She greeted me with a wide smile and warm hello. First, she told me of how she came to work in Burngreave.
“After living in London for years, I began to yearn to work somewhere where I felt part of a community, which is something that I felt was lacking in London. By moving up to Sheffield, and more recently Burngreave, I hoped to obtain this, and I certainly did. Sheffield has a great community feeling.”
I spoke to Janice about her early years and her reasons for wanting to become a solicitor.
“As a child, I suffered a lot of bullying and abuse at school. I always wanted someone to stand up and help me. As I grew older, I decided it was something I would like to do for other people, so I decided to study law, to try to make a difference.”
I also found out more about exactly what services Janice provides and the history of some of her work.
“We deal in a number of cases ranging from murder, rape to shoplifting. We have had some quite high-profile cases as well. We still do cases in London and even have a case pending at The Old Bailey. We have also had some of our cases reported in the papers.”
Apart from her obviously busy, fulltime schedule as a solicitor, Janice is a married mother of two, and says that she makes sure to spend time with her family. She is also engaged in numerous other projects in and around Burngreave, such as being a committee member of Black Palm, a mentoring scheme for black ethnic minority men, and being vice-chair of the Burngreave Business Forum. She admits that time management can often be quite difficult.
“Being a solicitor and a full-time mum and wife can be very demanding!
Everything is a priority, each thing is as important as the others. I just have to try and juggle all the different activities and get a good balance.”
From the way she spoke to me about her career with passion and enthusiasm, Janice really does feel she is happy; she is doing what she really wants to do. There was, however, one thing in particular that she said really made her job worthwhile.
“It really is thrilling to see young clients turning their lives around and doing well. It is a fantastic feeling. I also get many thank you letters from clients, and this is nice. It’s a great feeling, knowing you’ve really helped someone.”
I went on to ask Janice about her awards and how she felt about them.
“I didn’t believe it at first. Just to be nominated for the High Sheriff Award, let alone be shortlisted! The ceremony for the Burngreave Business Awards was also amazing. It was really great to see so many people who have achieved so much in the area. It felt like I was floating on a cloud, and I’d quite like to stay up there a little longer!”
Finally, I asked Janice if she had any advice for aspiring solicitors.
“Think about the area of law you want to go into. Also, contact firms in your area to see if there’s a chance of getting some work experience with them. You have to be sure you want to do it; it’s a vocation not a career. Go for it once you have decided that it’s what you want.”
Youngs Criminal Defence Services is located on Ellesmere Green and they can be contacted on 249 5444.