“I feel very strongly that the circumstances of a person’s birth and upbringing should not limit their opportunities in life“
Siobhan Riley is a highly regarded legal professional, acting for trust companies, family offices and high net-worth individuals. She is consistently recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. She is a partner at the law firm Carey Olsen. She joined the Board of Jersey Cares in May 2021. Here she explains why:
“I feel very strongly that the circumstances of a person’s birth and upbringing should not limit their opportunities in life. Everyone deserves a chance to fulfil their full potential, irrespective of who their parents are, where they grew up or which school they went to. With love and opportunity, I feel a young person can achieve anything, particularly in a community like Jersey.
My parents were seasonal workers who met in Jersey one summer in the late 1960s. My dad was one of 8 children, born in post-war Merseyside who left school at 15 to learn a trade as a plasterer. My mum was from the south-east of England and left school without any qualifications. Deciding to stay in Jersey and have their family here was not easy financially. Money was short but there was no limit on love and encouragement. With their support and hard work and determination on my part, I qualified as a lawyer in 1998 and was made a partner of Carey Olsen in 2009.
Every child should know love, belonging and opportunity: that is what Jersey Cares stands for. It helps children and young people in care or on the periphery of care have a voice in how they are treated and what important decisions are made which shape their lives. Jersey Cares also influences, and where necessary challenges, government policy which affects the treatment of vulnerable young people. I feel my own experience in life is testimony to the idea that anything is possible and I hope through my work for Jersey Cares I can help others, no matter what their background may be, to believe in and achieve their full potential too.”
