Prior to coming to the Bar, I was a consultant paediatric neurosurgeon. I have always been interested in what influences people’s career choices; an event occurred that undoubtedly influenced my own. Shortly before my penultimate year of medical school, my brother died of a subarachnoid haemorrhage. It set me off on a path of intrigue and curiosity that opened doors to the fascinating world of the human brain. It also started the chapter in my life that inspired my interest in the legal profession.

I’m not sure what a typical neurosurgeon looks like, even having been one for many years. However, many others seem to be very knowledgeable on this, as I apparently ‘don’t look like one’. On a regular basis I was assumed by patients to be any other role imaginable, but usually a staff nurse, receptionist, secretary etc – any role other than their operating surgeon. Interestingly, I have not encountered this phenomenon as a barrister.

I became increasingly intrigued by the legal aspects of my career as it progressed. Improving patient outcomes meant a lot to me and drove my enthusiasm for the governance side of the role, which initially involved weekly preparation of morbidity and mortality presentations and later involved a departmental governance lead role. My interest in the complexities of the system and the patient process contributed to my change to a legal career. Although some surgeons may not openly admit their fear of litigation, it definitely lingers at the back of a surgeon’s mind. I believe it should. In fact, I would be suspicious of any surgeon who doesn’t fear litigation to at least some degree. It is fascinating having insight into that system and viewing it from a different angle.

The structure of training for barristers and surgeons is very different. I had a very general period of ‘basic surgical training’ for a few years before embarking on six years of specialist registrar training. A specialist fellowship year also had to be completed before commencing a consultant paediatric neurosurgeon post. It still didn’t feel long enough some days. By the time I had completed training I had well over a thousand operations in my logbook and witnessed a lot of different styles of surgery from different surgeons. With this background, it felt strange completing only one year of pupillage before tenancy commenced. I started pupillage shortly before the second national lockdown, in October 2020, resulting in a predominantly remote pupillage. In theory it shouldn’t have worked, given the level of knowledge osmosis gained from close working at the other side of a pupil supervisor’s desk, but it did, and this was because my chambers went to extraordinary lengths to try to recreate the in-person experience. I witnessed a chambers wide, collegiate effort and the supportive atmosphere in chambers was palpable. The pupil/pupil supervisor relationship is a very special type of relationship that can have a long-lasting influence on your future practice and I felt very fortunate starting out with enthusiastic supervisors prepared to share their wisdom.

I am often asked how I feel about starting at the bottom of a career ladder. The reality is that it is exciting and refreshing. I have always enjoyed the challenges that learning new skills bring and approaching that ladder with more mature eyes has meant that my entire perspective on how I progress has already been influenced by factors that didn’t feature in my previous career. Reflection has given me the ability to identify what works and doesn’t work for me. Moreover, there was no time to enjoy the view as I climbed my previous career ladder – pausing, looking around and enjoying that view is something we should all be doing on a regular basis.

Job satisfaction is so important. Investing professionally in patients and now clients has provided me with abundant job satisfaction. It is rewarding and humbling to be able to assist people at difficult times in their lives. Often what people benefit most from is our time and focus. I used to find night shifts particularly enjoyable for this reason. Operating alone in the early hours of the night on severely head injured patients often allowed me to focus solely on that individual patient without distraction. I also had the ability to sit down with their family after the operation and give them all the time they needed and deserved. Time as a resource is precious to me now, and as time management is something that I have more control over (with no pager repeatedly bleeping at me), the ability to sit quietly, distraction free is something I appreciate significantly.

Trust is an important starting point in any professional relationship. Neurosurgical patients often face life-changing experiences. Parents of patients were confronted with traumatic events, yet I was always struck by the fact that these same scared patients and parents had an amazing sense of trust and appreciation. Paediatric neurosurgery, by its very nature, required a different mindset and a more holistic approach compared to adult neurosurgery, and the requirement to risk assess at every stage and plan for a long-term strategy has definitely proved helpful in my legal practice.

Try to keep a place in your memory for the outcomes that disappoint you. All surgeons and lawyers will encounter poor outcomes, unexpected outcomes or outcomes that simply leave bitter disappointment. My experience has enabled me to keep these disappointments in proportion. Poor neurosurgery outcomes can be particularly devastating and permanently life-changing for patients and their families. The reality of the negative impact that you can have on patients and clients is a weighty burden and a difficult one to bear at times. Surgeons know that the next operation after a complication is incredibly hard, but ‘getting back on the saddle’ is an essential part of being a professional. It is also essential, however, to take time to reflect quietly on what has happened, spend some time analysing events and importantly return every so often to the memory of that patient or client. I hold that same approach as I embark on my legal practice.

I am often asked if there are any aspects of my previous career I miss. Paediatric neurosurgery brought a very special group of patients into my world and the sheer abundance of resilience in children brought a lot of joy that I look back on with happy memories. They were either in bed and unwell, or in the playroom and desperate to get home. Adults feeling sorry for themselves should take note. I certainly miss the weekly clinics and the joyous energy that the patients exuded. My lasting memory of my previous career is having an immense feeling of privilege at being given the opportunity to pursue what I enjoyed. Thanks to encouraging colleagues in chambers and the wider legal community I now have that same feeling as I embark on this new career – thankfully without the nocturnal operating and incessant pager bleeping.