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Valerie Sterling, Head of the Family Team at New Park Court Chambers, offers reflections from a distinguished 40-year career in law
I was the first generation of my family to attend university, and read law at the University of Manchester. While doing Bar Finals in London, I married my husband, who is a hospital doctor. His work took us north, and I began my legal career as a barrister at Leeds City Council, drafting and reviewing commercial contracts, with some Chancery aspects. All experiences in your life can be beneficial to your practice, and the knowledge I gained at the council is still useful in my matrimonial finance cases.
One day, I was asked to help out with some childcare cases, and I loved it. I advised social services and represented the local authority in care cases, including attending case conferences and adoption panels, which led me to pursue a career in family law.
After balancing my career while raising my four children, I left the council after 16 years to set up in private practice and have been at New Park Court since 1999. Serendipity played an important role in my early career, but I have been fortunate to be able to mould my practice to fit the family/work-life balance I have always been determined to maintain.
Like most barristers, I start early and often work late, but it’s my own fault, as I like to be kept busy. Most of my cases are around Newcastle, Leeds and Middlesborough but I also accept cases across the Northwest, the Midlands or even London if they are the right fit.
In my role as Head of Family, I always try to be available to my team. We have a WhatsApp group where we offer help and guidance to each other on matters both personal and professional. I have had the benefit of brilliant support from my clerks, colleagues and fantastic mentors over the years, and I try to offer the same to anyone who wants it.
There are many – resilience, empathy, determination, patience and kindness to name a few. You also need to be thoroughly prepared – your client needs to know you really understand their case inside and out, and that they are your priority. This can be achieved by listening as much as speaking.
I do a mix of children and finance work, representing clients from diverse backgrounds, but there is often a sense of vulnerability common to all of them, whether they are high-net-worth individuals or those in public or private law children cases. They are all going through an unfamiliar process, with significant issues at stake, and it’s my job to present the facts of their case in the best possible way.
It is a wonderful place to work. The camaraderie in the North Eastern Circuit is second to none and spans the judiciary, solicitors and my peers at the Bar. We get excellent quality work and the infrastructure is in place to help with commuting, by car or public transport, so you can spend more time in court or with clients rather than in traffic.
You can’t ignore AI; as a research tool, it can definitely help, and it will reshape the legal sector, but I don’t think it will ever replace the human touch required in our industry, because our job requires us not only to understand the law but also people.
I was the first generation of my family to attend university, and read law at the University of Manchester. While doing Bar Finals in London, I married my husband, who is a hospital doctor. His work took us north, and I began my legal career as a barrister at Leeds City Council, drafting and reviewing commercial contracts, with some Chancery aspects. All experiences in your life can be beneficial to your practice, and the knowledge I gained at the council is still useful in my matrimonial finance cases.
One day, I was asked to help out with some childcare cases, and I loved it. I advised social services and represented the local authority in care cases, including attending case conferences and adoption panels, which led me to pursue a career in family law.
After balancing my career while raising my four children, I left the council after 16 years to set up in private practice and have been at New Park Court since 1999. Serendipity played an important role in my early career, but I have been fortunate to be able to mould my practice to fit the family/work-life balance I have always been determined to maintain.
Like most barristers, I start early and often work late, but it’s my own fault, as I like to be kept busy. Most of my cases are around Newcastle, Leeds and Middlesborough but I also accept cases across the Northwest, the Midlands or even London if they are the right fit.
In my role as Head of Family, I always try to be available to my team. We have a WhatsApp group where we offer help and guidance to each other on matters both personal and professional. I have had the benefit of brilliant support from my clerks, colleagues and fantastic mentors over the years, and I try to offer the same to anyone who wants it.
There are many – resilience, empathy, determination, patience and kindness to name a few. You also need to be thoroughly prepared – your client needs to know you really understand their case inside and out, and that they are your priority. This can be achieved by listening as much as speaking.
I do a mix of children and finance work, representing clients from diverse backgrounds, but there is often a sense of vulnerability common to all of them, whether they are high-net-worth individuals or those in public or private law children cases. They are all going through an unfamiliar process, with significant issues at stake, and it’s my job to present the facts of their case in the best possible way.
It is a wonderful place to work. The camaraderie in the North Eastern Circuit is second to none and spans the judiciary, solicitors and my peers at the Bar. We get excellent quality work and the infrastructure is in place to help with commuting, by car or public transport, so you can spend more time in court or with clients rather than in traffic.
You can’t ignore AI; as a research tool, it can definitely help, and it will reshape the legal sector, but I don’t think it will ever replace the human touch required in our industry, because our job requires us not only to understand the law but also people.
Valerie Sterling, Head of the Family Team at New Park Court Chambers, offers reflections from a distinguished 40-year career in law
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