An RSA Fellow since 2025, Bridget Hayes is a law graduate.
Channelling her interest in technology and innovation, Bridget became an RSA Fellow to support her work. In founding Her Legal Network, Bridget aims to connect the worlds of academia and work for aspiring female lawyers.
Bridget first discovered the RSA by walking past RSA House and was encouraged by a family friend to attend an RSA meet-up in London.
Surrounded by entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts, she realised the Fellowship could expand her horizons beyond law and became a Fellow shortly afterwards. On joining the Responsible AI Network, Bridget saw an opportunity to foster peer support, initiate conversations and apply the RSA’s ethos of positive social impact within her community.
Shortly after becoming a Fellow, Bridget co‑founded Her Legal Network. This community supports and mentors new female barristers and solicitors as they enter the post‑graduate landscape.
In May 2025, they hosted an online panel event in partnership with the RSA. The event focused on how AI is changing the future of law. It explored both its potential and the ethical concerns, and was attended by 60 participants, both Fellows and non-Fellows.
With the support of the RSA team, Bridget curated the event. It featured four speakers who discussed real‑world AI applications within law, with contributions from attendees. This partnership demonstrated how the RSA Fellowship can help amplify new projects and provide a wider platform for dialogue.
Your opportunities or potential is not limited by what you studied, or your experience. RSA Fellowship can help you understand more about what you want for yourself. It's definitely something that that young people – young professionals should consider, especially if you have a business-orientated mind. There are just so many people with that same mindset at the RSA.
Since becoming a Fellow and launching Her Legal Network, Bridget has had the opportunity to connect with people working beyond her legal network, particularly in the technology and creative sectors.
On a personal level, RSA events have boosted her confidence and caused her to think about her future career aspirations, encouraging her to consider less conventional paths. Following this success, she plans to host more workshops with the RSA in 2025.
Discover what the global RSA Fellowship community can offer you.
Bridget Hayes co-founded Her Legal Network with Emma Mainz to support women law graduates navigating the gap between university and securing a training contract. Recognising the lack of resources for this “in-between” phase, the network offers a non-exclusive, welcoming space for women to connect, share resources, and support each other, free from lengthy applications or annual fees.
World’s brightest minds
We host events across the globe that shape the future, finding new ways to illuminate, inform and inspire.
Visit RSA House in Central London as a Fellow and you can enjoy co-working areas and meeting spaces or simply grab a drink in the Coffee House and browse our library.
From local solutions to global ideas, at these events Fellows can learn and collaborate with our unique global network of changemakers.
This Fellowship network welcomes diverse voices, reduces inequalities, embraces critical thinking, collaborates across disciplines in the field of AI.
The RSA Fellowship is a unique global network of changemakers enabling people, places and the planet to flourish. We invite you to be part of this change.
