Cricketing dreams to legal triumphs: A lawyer’s quest to tackle property sector inequality

Growing up, Karl Brown was inspired by Caribbean cricketing superstars Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards. Like his heroes, Brown is also gifted with charisma and indomitable resolve.

He told us that, as a law graduate, he sent out over 100 training contract applications before he finally got a placement. But no hardship could deter him.

Brown was born in Bristol to parents from the Windrush generation. His father was a plasterer while his mother worked as a nurse in the NHS. Brown has always been “really inspired by the great work ethic my parents had. They instilled in me that even if you’re born in certain sections of society, you should always aim high and work hard”.

He graduated with a law degree from the University of Herefordshire and then completed the Legal Practice Course at UWE Bristol. He ultimately got a training contract, and his start in the legal profession, with Porter Dodson Solicitors in Taunton. He joined Clarke Willmott in Bristol as an assistant solicitor in 2005. He is now a partner in the firm’s commercial property team.

In 2019 Brown created the Bristol Property Inclusion Charter (BPIC), the first of its kind in the UK – photo: Karl Brown

In 2014, Brown became the first Black president of Bristol Junior Chamber (BJC). On his involvement with the BJC Brown said: “One of the themes started ahead of my presidency was social mobility…I was fortunate to organise a lecture with Baroness Gillian Shephard, who was the deputy chair of the government’s Social Mobility Commission. She came over to Bristol to give a talk to business leaders about social mobility.

“Then, shortly after my presidency, I was fortunate to become a social mobility ambassador from the Law Society of England and Wales.”

As the son of immigrants, social mobility has always been of keen importance to Brown. He now acts as a judge for the Bristol Young Heroes Awards, an annual event organised by the South Bristol-based social enterprise, Community of Purpose.

However, a few years ago, he decided that it was time to make transformative change in his own sector – the property sector.

In 2019 Brown created the Bristol Property Inclusion Charter (BPIC). The first of its kind in the UK, companies who sign up to it commit to making the sector more diverse and inclusive. While only a handful of companies initially signed up, it now boasts scores of signatories.

Over 100 organisations are part of the Bristol Property Inclusion Charter – photo: Karl Brown

Brown said: “We started with 16 founder companies and organisations…today I’m very pleased to say we’ve got over 100 companies and organisations and they come from a wide cross section of Bristol’s property industry.

“What I’ve tried to do to make sure it’s not just an initiative which organisations sign up to and then forget about it. So, one of the objectives of the Charter is that organisations give an annual update on how they’re working to meet its goals.”

Brown was one of the judges of this year’s Bristol Young Heroes Awards, an annual event organised by Community of Purpose – photo: Milan Perera

Brown is also keen to help young people get clued up on the property industry. He explained: “Last year we (BPIC) launched a property careers film online, which was circulated not just to schools in Bristol, but also schools across the country.

“We’ve also launched something called a Bristol Property Foundation Class, which essentially gave students a mock exercise of having an empty unit in The Galleries with a certain budget. The only requirement was that if they wanted to redevelop the unit, they had to use sustainable materials and 20 per cent (of the budget) had to be for community benefit.”

In everything he does it is clear that, for Brown, community is key. He concluded by quoting an “old African proverb”: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Main photo: Karl Brown

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