What did you do before joining the Bar?
Prior to the Bar, I worked on human rights projects for international non-governmental organisations in the USA, Colombia and the UK. I did a Masters degree at the Jackson School of Global Affairs at Yale and later had a Fellowship within Yale Law School’s Center for International Human Rights.
Describe your experience of pupillage at Serjeants’ Inn
When I joined Serjeants Inn as a pupil, I didn’t know what to expect. There are lots of myths and horror stories circulating about life as a pupil barrister. Spoiler alert: most of these aren’t true! Whilst there are many idiosyncrasies to life at the Bar, at its core, pupillage is a year of training. Your pupil supervisors will have high expectations, but they will be realistic and they want you to do well.
I had three supervisors during pupillage: Alexander Dos Santos, Eloise Power and James Berry. I was exposed to range of different practice areas including: clinical negligence, police law, inquests and inquiries, court of protection, business and specialist crime, regulatory and public law.
During the first four months, I was in court most days with Alex Dos Santos. This was invaluable experience. I drafted opening notes, skeletons, and drafted cross-examination questions. I learned from Alex that good advocacy is not limited to the court room. Cases are often won and negotiated outside court. I learned how to deal with litigants in person, opponents, judges, and professional clients.
During this period I also did work for other (some very senior) members of Chambers. I drafted an Advice for Chris Johnston KC on whether a hospital would be negligent for failing to offer certain tests for pregnant women. For Sarah Clarke KC, I drafted a research note on Article 8(2)(b)(xxi) of the Rome Statute and what was required to prosecute the war crime of outrages upon personal dignity.
My second supervisor was Eloise Power who practices in clinical negligence, product liability and medical treatment. Eloise is in demand by claimant solicitors and defendant medical defence organisations and works on high-profile cases such as trans-vaginal mesh litigation. Eloise taught me the importance of striving for clarity. She is a brilliant tactician and gave detailed feedback on all my work. Through Eloise, I learned the foundations of clinical negligence and product liability law and how to manage a busy and varied workload.
During the last 4 months of pupillage, I was supervised by James Berry. I was further exposed to high profile cases such as Undercover Policing Inquiry, Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, Inquests into the deaths of the victims of the ‘Grindr killer’, police disciplinary cases and judicial reviews. I was also introduced to cases within the Investigatory Powers Tribunal which considers the use of covert investigative techniques and complaints about conduct by the UK Intelligence Community, such as MI5, SIS and GCHQ. I was in my “second 6” during this period but I was fortunate enough to continue to do written work for James. At Serjeants’ Inn, there is a strong focus on written advocacy. This means you continue to hone your drafting skills and learn from your supervisors throughout pupillage.
How did you find the transition from pupillage to tenancy?
Pupillage at Serjeants’ Inn will be a challenging year, but it is wonderful opportunity to learn from some of the best barristers at the Bar. As a tenant you can expect to hit the ground running. In my first week of tenancy, I represented a family in an Article 2 jury inquest. The transition to tenancy can be challenging but you will continue to have support from members of Chambers.
