Case studies : Barrister: Sara McCarthy

Sara graduated from the University of the West of England, Bristol in 2007 with a BA in English Literature. A year later she undertook a Graduate Diploma in Law. In 2009, she took the Bar Vocational Course and is currently a working barrister.

I am a specialist family law practitioner and only deal with family law matters such as divorce, children issues (i.e. if a parent wants residence custody or contact, etc.) and public law issues (i.e. care proceedings concerning children). As I gain more experience the actual legal issues are likely to become more complex; there will be longer hearings and more complicated scenarios to deal with.

I am self-employed but work out of chambers (a proportion of my income is paid to chambers) - this gives me the best of both worlds in terms of the fact that I am my own boss but also have colleagues.

I do not have to be in the office if I am not in court so I can collect papers and return home to prepare if I want to. If I am in court, it can be all over the Midlands so no day is ever the same.

I applied for my role through OLPAS, which is a pupillage (training period for the Bar) recruitment website. It is very similar to UCAS. The statistics are quite low in terms of how many people actually get pupillage so prior to applying, I spent three years doing work experience and relevant paid experience. I did part-time secretarial and paralegal work in a solicitor’s office during my English degree and graduate diploma. I also applied and received two scholarships from Gray’s Inn, which covered the costs of my postgraduate training courses.

While my undergraduate degree in English seems irrelevant, it gave me research and analytical skills which are applicable to being a barrister. These skills allow me to be really specific in any written work I need to do as part of my current career.

I cover both legally aided work and privately paid work, which means I come into contact with so many different characters and people from every walk of life imaginable. I also like being in court; I find it exciting and challenging.

Dealing with client’s fraught emotions and issues can also be challenging. Some clients are tearful, some are angry. You never know what situation you will be in. It is a skill learning to manage people in those situations whilst also maintaining professionalism and dealing with other legal professionals, judges and court staff. Being objective is a vital part of my work, which is very hard to do when you have an upset client.

I would advise other students and graduates who would like to get into this career to do your research and find out what the real differences are between being a barrister or solicitor.

Spend time in both professions so you can make an informed decision. Don’t be put off by bad statistics and just ensure that you have done the relevant work experience, like mini pupillages, working in a solicitor’s office and marshalling - sitting with a judge.

Get involved with debating and mooting at university and or at school, and aim to get the grades you need and know what you are doing.

You need to have a plan and you need to stick to it and show a commitment to becoming a barrister. There is nothing wrong with doing a non-law degree and in fact, it shows you have something else about you. I am a mother of two young children and have some life experience, which definitely helps when dealing with clients.