University: University of the West of England
Degree: Law
Year of call: 2019
Position: Barrister
Pronouns: She/her

What attracted you to a career in law?

I grew up wanting to know the rights and wrongs of different activities and loved diving into the detail of what had happened to better understand certain issues. Much to my family’s annoyance, I also regularly played devil’s advocate, taking the opposite stance to them even if it didn’t reflect my view. All things considered, I felt that a career in law suited my personality but also sounded like a fulfilling career that would enable me to help others.

How did you decide which chambers to apply to?

Throughout my law degree and the Bar course, I felt I was very clear about the areas of law I wanted to practise in. Therefore, areas of practice and the quality of work in those areas was important to me as a first consideration. However, when looking deeper than that, I also found it important to consider diversity within chambers and the atmosphere created by members.

What was the most difficult part of the recruitment process/application for you?

While I was making applications, the pupillage recruitment process felt like luck, which I found difficult to grapple with. There are so many incredibly talented people all trying to secure pupillage at the same time, all with great academic achievements and most with an impressive array of work experience. Therefore, it can be very difficult to stand out, especially when trying to manage the time pressures that application season can add. I remember being told that if you can get to a second-round interview, you’ll get pupillage – it’s just a matter of time and finding the right chambers for you. 

Please outline your area of expertise. What might you do in a typical day?

My practice areas are personal injury, clinical negligence, inquests and Court of Protection, and I predominantly have a claimant practice. 

What the typical day looks like has changed as I’ve gained experience. In the early days, I spent a lot of time in court, doing small claims trials and application hearings. Now I’m increasingly spending time out of court.

Out of court jobs include paperwork tasks, such as drafting advice, particulars of claim and schedules of loss. I also attend conferences, with clients and experts, and procedural hearings. In personal injury, and particularly with clinical negligence, it’s relatively rare that we get to trial. Therefore, we also have meetings with the other parties to negotiate settlement.

In my inquest practice, however, we do go to court, sometimes for hearings that last over a week. In the lead up to this, there’s usually a number of directions hearings and lots of consideration is given to what documents you have, but also what you might be missing.

As a self-employed barrister, day to day, we also have admin that we need to get through, such as submitting how long we’ve spent on certain pieces of work.

What has been the highlight of your time at the Bar so far?

It’s difficult to pinpoint one highlight, however, I think it’d be feeling like I’ve been able to be part of a process of prompting change that’s wider than the law. In inquests, part of the coroner’s role is to consider whether there’s an ongoing risk of deaths occurring and, if so, writing a report highlighting the concern. During my inquest practice, I’ve seen some significant changes. For example, during an inquest at the end of 2022, I submitted on behalf of the family that there should be changes made to the guidance paramedics receive when treating children with life-threatening asthma. I understand this change has now been rolled out across the country.

What advice do you have for budding barristers who are contemplating a career in law?

Firstly, if it’s something that you really want to do, go for it! It’s a career filled with new challenges and a healthy dose of self-doubt, but it’s incredibly rewarding.

If, like me, you come into the career thinking you know what areas of law you want to specialise in, that’s ok. However, be prepared for the fact that you might need to start with a more general practice and work with your clerks to shape your practice into what you want it to look like. What does this mean? This might involve doing talks or presentations for solicitors on a set area of law to get your name out there, writing articles on case law developments, or doing some less well remunerated or pro-bono work to get some experience.  

What is the work/life balance like at your chambers? How often do you have late nights/work at weekends?

I think this can really vary person to person. Being self-employed, we have some element of control over the amount of work we take on. I’ve found that at Old Square Chambers the clerks are very supportive of individual working habits and respect boundaries you put in place.

For example, I’m happy to work some late nights but I really want to avoid working weekends and, on the whole, this is very achievable. It’s all about working as a team with your clerks to find out what works best for you – and we have amazing clerks at Old Square! 

What is the wider culture like at chambers?

The culture in chambers is welcoming and full of support. I joined chambers as a third six pupil during covid-19 and, in the lockdowns, I went months without seeing another member of chambers. I also don’t live in London so I don’t go into chambers every day.

Despite this, from the outset I’ve found members of chambers of all levels of call to be incredibly supportive, from offering advice or being a sounding board on a case to congratulating me on the outcome of a case or just checking in to see how things are going. There’s almost always someone who’s happy to pick up the phone or for you to pop into their room, and they’ll help you as much as they can.

Where is your dream holiday destination?

At the moment, I’d say a safari!