Life at the Bar is hardest at the start. If I could go back in time and reassure myself in my very junior days, this would be the key lesson. When starting out at the Bar, every case is something new, predicting a judge’s reactions can be really tough, and it can feel like you will never get to fight the most challenging and interesting cases. But every delayed train on the way back from Reading County Court and every time an opponent in a fast-track trial handed me a witness statement I had never seen before, for my own witness, was a character-building moment. I will never forget a deputy district judge interrupting my cross-examination, to tell me I was not permitted to ask leading questions in cross-examination, nor the look of abject horror on my opponent’s face when he tried unsuccessfully to persuade the judge he had got confused on this point. I can honestly say those difficult days fighting low value trials all over the country taught me 80% of everything I know.

Be grateful for all those who paved the way and pass on the support. Every time a silk takes you under their wing, every time a solicitor gives you a first chance on something new, should be remembered, and the goodwill passed on to those who come along later. I am very aware that I have received great help from some really gifted lawyers, whose advice helped me through some of the biggest challenges and who believed in me when I did not believe in myself. The best way to repay that debt is to try to be as helpful as I can to those coming through the ranks below me, be they pupils, junior juniors or newly minted solicitors starting out on their own career journeys.

Accept that a barrister is never finished learning. In my earlier years I envisioned a point where I would feel totally polished and complete in my growth as a barrister, able to breeze through every day in court without a moment of worry or hesitation as to which direction to take an argument in. But as I have matured into the job, I have come to accept that the process of growing at the Bar is never over. There is always more to know, a better way to unpick a witness’ evidence, a more powerful way to construct a written argument. Part of being at the Bar is always striving to do better and to learn a little from every case.

Be strategic about the type of work you seek to grow. It is easy in the early years to be carried by the current, filling the diary with anything and everything. And to some extent it is a good strategy just to see where you land after a few years, because a type of work you never planned to do may prove surprisingly enjoyable. But if there are untapped fields that you are keen to get stuck into, make it happen before you become typecast. I have managed to steer my course through targeted marketing, pro bono work to build the right CV and (respectfully and subtly) reaching out to silks who may be able to provide a way in. A leader is often pleased, in my experience, to get a polite request to perform the oral advocacy on a discrete issue, rather than having to bear the entire advocacy burden on their own.

Litigation is like chess, you need to be thinking multiple steps ahead. One strategy I try to pass on to all my pupils is to approach every step of a case with a gameplan for the moves your opponents may make in response, not just as a first step, but down the line and at trial. Will this application lead to the other side amending to improve part of their pleaded case? Will relying on this witness backfire? Will an argument prove to be a double-edged sword? And every case should be approached as though it will go to trial from the outset, even if it is in a field where settlement is much more common.

Develop a thick skin and keep a sense of humour. The pressure of life at the Bar can be brutal, and perhaps the most valuable skill I have learnt is to let difficult moments go, something I will freely admit is a work in progress. Recognising that an unpleasant opponent’s attacks are just part of their advocacy style rather than personal, accepting that litigation does not always result in the fairest outcome no matter how hard you work, and learning to laugh at the lighter moments have all been a great help to me. The Bar is getting better at being a supportive place to work, but litigation is inherently stressful. Being able to see the funny side of life is a powerful antidote and learning not to dwell on the negatives is an essential skill.

Worry about the things that do matter. Managing client and solicitor expectations and being calm and clear headed even when the unexpected happens are incredibly valuable in building trust with those you wish to keep working with you, and more widely in building a reputation. Solicitors want to work with people they like and can rely on, especially when the going gets really tough, and I see some barristers lose sight of that. I have found that, when a solicitor has made a mistake, something that can be deeply embarrassing to them, having the patience and empathy to help them navigate through putting it right in a supportive way, pays great dividends.

And don’t worry about the things that don’t. In the early years I felt excruciatingly aware of my North Eastern accent and how different it sounded to everyone else at the London Bar. But as time has gone on, I have come to realise that no one is judging me in the way I am judging myself, and a little bit of difference can be a positive. The Bar is a diverse place, and increasingly so.

Finally, I have learnt that no glass of water in court is too far away to be impossible to knock over. And any tough day at the Bar can be improved by a cheese and onion slice.