Lifting as you climb: why more senior women in law should help those who are junior

were from my firm or another and make them feel comfortable enough to ask for

help.

As I have become more experienced, I have found myself being the most senior

lawyer on cases, sometimes in circumstances where I realise the solicitor acting for

the other party is out of their depth. Rather than exploit this, I believe it is possible to

assist the other lawyer while still doing the best for my client. In my industry, this is

an unusual approach.

Not all lawyers have had the same opportunities as the many in our industry who are

privileged. I know that more than most as I started as a Legal Assistant in the 1990s

and had to work hard to get to where I am now. I was lucky that a couple of people

on my way up gave me a chance and believed in me. With their help and by having a

strong work ethic, I soon became a leading Child Support Law expert and by the

mid-2000s I was being invited to give advice to the House of Commons select

committee, advise MPs and write amendments to bills that ultimately became law.

Earlier this year, I was in a hearing on a complicated case against another lawyer

who I had never met. It was clear she was out of her depth. It was also evident to the

judge who became frustrated. The young lawyer got increasingly flustered and I felt it

unfair she had been put in that position, so I intervened and told the judge what I

thought she was trying to say. I steered the hearing away from the difficulties and

moved the judge onto more comfortable ground.

I appreciate another lawyer might have let it go, watched her flounder, scored the

points and gone home. I could have humiliated her in court, but I could not do that

with a clear conscience.

Out of the blue, later that day, I received a call from the solicitor concerned, who

wanted to thank me for what I had done. We spent half an hour on the phone

together and I felt happy that I had helped somebody. Whilst she was my opponent,

she was also a decent individual and lawyer. A few days later I also received a text

thanking me for my help saying that she hoped she would become a lawyer similar

to me one day.

I work in family law on cases that are often highly personal and emotional, so we

should try to resolve them without being adversarial. Helping others does not mean

you compromise your case. Yes, I am there to get the best outcome for my client but

if we can do that by working with the other side, that is my preference. This way of

working in the law benefits everyone. Lawyers work together, juniors learn and

clients get better outcomes and I would like to see more solicitors doing the same.

I believe in the motto “you do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

When I retire in the future, I would like to do so with the knowledge that I have

assisted in setting others off on the right career path, helping to make the system

better overall.