Name: Charley Turton Chambers: 12 King’s Bench Walk (12KBW) Location: London University: University of Oxford Degree: English
especially at the pandemic’s peak. It now raises novel questions about standards of care, which is something that any lawyer working in PI or clinical negligencemust get to grips with.” Listen to your client Looking back to when she was trying to secure a pupillage and the advice that she was given by practising barristers, Charley outlines several key skills that aspiring advocates must develop: “PI barristers would stress the importance of giving practical advice and I never fully grasped what they meant by that. However, now that I work in PI law, I understand that while academic discussion of the legal principles involved in the cases is obviously important, it does not in itself get your client very far. Your client wants to know their next steps.” On top of providing practical advice to clients, budding barristers must be able to retain information: “If you have reports from several different experts, it is important to remember what they say, how they interact and where contradictions or inconsistencies in the evidence are.” The skill is in being able to retain and later distil that information into a coherent and persuasive case theory.
satisfying to drill down into the nitty gritty details as I am really interested in the science behind it all.” Opportunities to make a difference Highlighting a particular pro bono case that she recently worked on for a claimant, Charley explains how important advocacy work is for certain clients: “I represented the family of the deceased at an inquest – it was a young man who had sadly committed suicide. I don’t think I have ever seen a starker example of the difference that advocacy canmake. It was pro bono , and if the Bar Prono Unit (now ‘Advocate’) didn’t exist, the family would have had nomouthpiece for their questions, noone to scrutinise the facts on their behalf – whether that was me or someone else – which is what they really needed tomake them feel that the inquest had been worthwhile.” The freedomassociated with being self- employed is a particular perk of Charley’s role as a PI barrister, but it also brings with it a certain unpredictability: “A lot of the time you do not knowwhere you are going to be or what your workload will be fromone day to the next. Before the pandemic, I attended courts across the country, three or four days per week. Matters can adjourn, vacate or settle at the last minute. These days, I find it slightly easier to managemy time becausemost of my hearings take place via telephone or video link due to covid-19.” Charley says the impact of the pandemic on the legal profession has been profound: “Coronavirus has been really difficult for lawyers and clients alike. It has created a back log of cases not being heard. Expanding on the long-term implications of covid-19 for PI and clinical negligence law, Charley says: “Medical professionals have taken (and are taking) a personal risk in being exposed to the virus and inmany cases without proper PPE. It seems that some were required to work outside of their specialisms to enable sufficient cover,
Charley encourages those interested in a career in PI law tomake sure their
communication and listening skills are up to scratch: “There’s such variety in what we do as PI barristers – I could be speaking to an expert neurosurgeon one day and be in court with a six-year-old client the next. Being able to talk to everybody is vital.” While PI lawmay not be “glamorous” in the early years, withminor road traffic accidents a junior barrister’s “bread and butter”, Charley says that those who stay the course are rewarded with huge variety: “If you are interested in people, science or medicine; if you are practical; and if you want plenty of experience in court on your feet as an advocate, then PI law really is a great choice.”
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