Common law
The common law Bar remains an attractive option for those who believe that variety is the spice of life. Typically, common law chambers are multi- disciplinary and are divided into practice groups so that members can develop and maintain specialisations. Areas of practice can include actions against the police, employment disputes, discrimination law, landlord and tenant, personal injury, professional negligence, family law and criminal law. Matthew Hill’s first full-time job was not exactly typical for someone straight out of university. Having graduated with a master’s in history from Oxford, he was offered a role on the 1998 Saville ‘Bloody Sunday’ Inquiry, which was set up to re-investigate the killing of unarmed protesters by soldiers in Northern Ireland on 30 January 1972. “For the seven years of the inquiry, I worked directly with the four barristers who were asking questions on behalf of Lord Saville and his colleagues,” he explains. “It was an amazing experience right from the first day, on which a Nobel peace prize winner gave evidence. I hadn’t had any legal training and was there on my historian’s ticket, analysing evidence and trying to draw together the vast amount of material adduced for the tribunal. It was similar to what the barristers were doing, but without any advocacy or technical law. I found that I really wanted to be involved with that side of things and it was this experience that convinced me to go to the Bar.” Pupillage decoded As his work on the Saville Inquiry drew to a close, Matthew enrolled on the GDL, followed by the BVC (now BPTC). He soon landed a pupillage at 1 Crown Office Row. “A friend of mine has described pupillage as like wearing a pair of trousers that are two sizes too small – you’re always slightly uncomfortable and self- conscious,” he says. “Nonetheless, pupillage is a great opportunity to experience high-
quality work under the guidance of senior pupil supervisors. If anything, it’s a bit of a jolt when your pupillage ends and you find yourself starting from the bottom as a tenant and your caseload becomes notably less exciting.” It wasn’t just the engrossing work that Matthew found so valuable. “1 Crown Office Row also has a very friendly and supportive atmosphere in which questions are encouraged at all times,” he explains. “I would advise all prospective pupils to make the most of your chance to ask questions of more experienced barristers, most of whom take their training responsibilities very seriously. That’s how they learned and, in general, they want to pass it on to the next generation. Pupillage works well and is even enjoyable when both sides buy into that relationship.” After finishing pupillage, Matthew stayed at 1 Crown Office Row as a tenant and has since built up a broad common and public law practice. “It’s a pretty mixed bag,” he says. “One of my main areas is public inquiries – I have worked on both the Al-Sweady Inquiry and the Hillsborough inquests. I am also a member of the Attorney General’s C Panel, which leads to public law work in fields including immigration, human rights and more general matters that can encompass almost anything. My first brief concerned a civil servant who had tripped over a carpet, which is about as far away from a ground-breaking Supreme Court case on constitutional principles as you can get.” “Other elements of my practice are often medical in nature. I work on clinical negligence cases and professional disciplinary proceedings involving doctors and dentists. The medical sphere is also really varied, as litigation can touch on thorny legal and ethical issues such as confidentiality, consent and human rights. The ‘right to die’ litigation is probably the most well-known example of a case like this, but there are less public ethical
For more chambers that work in this practice area, please use the “Pupillage index” starting on p519.
480
THE LAWCAREERS.NET HANDBOOK
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online