The Hot 100 career quiz: “I was the Lord Chief Justice’s ball girl”

What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee?

Two memories in particular come to mind.  The first involved me sending a document to the wrong party during the introductory weeks of my first seat – having realised almost immediately, I was convinced my career was over but I quickly owned up to my supervisor and we were thankfully able to put things right!

The other was my four months as a Judicial Assistant at the Court of Appeal.  I was privileged to sit with Lord Justice Paul Kennedy and work alongside him on Civil, Criminal and Administrative appeals – often seeing the impact of my work on high profile cases. One particular ‘pinch me’ memory involved a Judges vs Judicial Assistants tennis match – featuring Lord Woolf who was Lord Chief Justice at the time and me – as the ball girl, given my tennis skills were so substandard!

What is the thing in your professional career that has terrified you or taken you out of your comfort zone the most?

Probably the step change in my career when I decided to relocate to Northern Ireland to set up our Belfast office.  I loved the decade I spent training and practising as an international arbitration lawyer in London and had an exciting trajectory ahead of me.  So to step away from my successful career and into something entirely new for the legal industry and for me personally was more than a little terrifying!  I had also just returned from my first maternity leave so it was a pretty full on time, to say the least.

 What is the wisest thing anyone ever said to you (and who said it)?

Just after I qualified, our group head, Larry Shore, ‘encouraged’ me to do my first oral application before an arbitral tribunal. A couple of days before the hearing, Larry told me that I would be up against the Head of International Arbitration from a US firm but that he would be there beside me if I needed him to jump in!

I was riddled with self-doubt but Larry told me that he believed in me – and following an intense period of preparation on my part (with little eating or sleeping), I nailed it on the day.  Looking back, it was exactly the confidence boost I needed as a NQ and it stood me in good stead for many other ‘difficult firsts’ in my career.

 What advice would you give to someone who wants to get to where you are/do the job you do?

Three things.

1. Don’t try to ‘overplan’ your career in a linear fashion – be prepared to pivot as you develop your professional skills and don’t be afraid to take risks.

2. Work out what your strengths are / what you enjoy doing professionally and take as much responsibility as possible for shaping your role

3.  Don’t undersell yourself and have the confidence to push yourself towards new roles and unchartered territory – even when you don’t feel 100 per cent sure or ready.

What’s your best friend from law school doing now?

Working for the European Commission in Paris having had a very clear vision that she wanted to be a competition lawyer!