*/
Institute of Barristers’ Clerks and Young Barristers’ Committee
This session, jointly organised by the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks and the Young Barristers’ Committee, did just what it said on the tin. For anyone starting out in practice, it was gold dust.
For Katherine Duncan, a family practitioner of three years’ Call, a dose of self-reflection helps. Where are you now, how did you get there and where do you want to go? Go out with your clerk for a glass of wine from time to time informally to address these questions, honestly. Diversify your revenue streams: develop some private work alongside publicly funded and direct access work. It can improve cash flow.
Annabel Thomas, a litigation partner, urged everyone to keep their chambers’ profile up to date. Don’t be shy – come and tell us what you are doing, she implored. Be flexible about the way you work (embrace Skype). Provide detail about time narratives (not just ‘10 hours perusing papers’) and be realistic about your time estimates.
Katie Cromwell, a clerk, focused on public access work. Far from alienating solicitors this can actually help you to develop stronger relationships if you can spot referral opportunities in both directions. Beware of taking a 5.30 call on a Friday afternoon. Invariably it’s a vexatious litigant, she cautioned. For Tony Burgess, a deputy senior clerk, getting to know your clerk is vital. Not necessarily spending every weekend fishing together but investing time in getting to know each other. Establish how your clerk can best give you feedback. Have regular practice reviews, at least annually. Get to know the clerking team as a whole so they can cross-sell you.
What really turns a clerk off about a young barrister? Answers varied: Saying ‘yes’ to everything. Two months into your tenancy, saying what you believe your market value is. Always respond to an inquiry even if only to say you will get back. Don’t disappear into your room; check in with the clerking team.
It may all sound rather basic but there was a lot here that young practitioners can so easily neglect at their cost. Honesty, trust and good communication are at the heart of developing a practice at the Bar. Spending a day in the clerks’ room is a good place from which to start. ●
Mark Hatcher was Special Adviser to the Chair of the Bar until 2019. After working at the Law Commission and in the House of Lords, he became Head of Global Public Affairs at PwC. He is a Bencher of Middle Temple, as well as being a priest. He is Reader of the Temple.
This session, jointly organised by the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks and the Young Barristers’ Committee, did just what it said on the tin. For anyone starting out in practice, it was gold dust.
For Katherine Duncan, a family practitioner of three years’ Call, a dose of self-reflection helps. Where are you now, how did you get there and where do you want to go? Go out with your clerk for a glass of wine from time to time informally to address these questions, honestly. Diversify your revenue streams: develop some private work alongside publicly funded and direct access work. It can improve cash flow.
Annabel Thomas, a litigation partner, urged everyone to keep their chambers’ profile up to date. Don’t be shy – come and tell us what you are doing, she implored. Be flexible about the way you work (embrace Skype). Provide detail about time narratives (not just ‘10 hours perusing papers’) and be realistic about your time estimates.
Katie Cromwell, a clerk, focused on public access work. Far from alienating solicitors this can actually help you to develop stronger relationships if you can spot referral opportunities in both directions. Beware of taking a 5.30 call on a Friday afternoon. Invariably it’s a vexatious litigant, she cautioned. For Tony Burgess, a deputy senior clerk, getting to know your clerk is vital. Not necessarily spending every weekend fishing together but investing time in getting to know each other. Establish how your clerk can best give you feedback. Have regular practice reviews, at least annually. Get to know the clerking team as a whole so they can cross-sell you.
What really turns a clerk off about a young barrister? Answers varied: Saying ‘yes’ to everything. Two months into your tenancy, saying what you believe your market value is. Always respond to an inquiry even if only to say you will get back. Don’t disappear into your room; check in with the clerking team.
It may all sound rather basic but there was a lot here that young practitioners can so easily neglect at their cost. Honesty, trust and good communication are at the heart of developing a practice at the Bar. Spending a day in the clerks’ room is a good place from which to start. ●
Institute of Barristers’ Clerks and Young Barristers’ Committee
The Chair of the Bar reports back
Susie Griffin on the admin that keeps barristers from billable work
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how global events can influence the performance of pensions and ISAs, and why taking a long-term approach to investing is often the most effective strategy
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, discusses what family law professionals need to know about hallucinogens, from the main hallucinogenic drugs encountered in family proceedings, to their effects and the testing options available
Harmony Christian Ministries is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
By David Green
The golden age of advocacy? David Langwallner pays homage to the filmic if contentious barrister Sir Edward Carson and some of his contemporaries
Leah Arthur, a pupil, and her second seat supervisor, John Goss, share their perspectives on building a productive pupil-supervisor relationship
Henry Fingerhut outlines what the Bar Standards Board AI guidance means for early career barristers
The Ministry of Justice will match-fund up to 100 criminal pupillages, with grants available to criminal chambers across England and Wales. Similar to the COIC scheme, the grants will match-fund pupillages additional to those otherwise offered without government funding
Not yet, says Jacob Turner. Regulation, unlike the technology itself, is a domain the legal profession can still control
