Name: Ashton Chantrielle Chambers: 8 New Square Location: London University: University of Bristol Degree: Chemistry and law
exclaims. “There’s a lot of uncertainty around what it’s going to bring and how it’s going to affect the law – especially IP law, which involves a lot of European rights. There have been a lot of questions from clients,” she continues, “but there are no answers at the moment. And when it’s your job to give an answer and you don’t have one, it’s quite difficult!” “Media and IP are such broad subjects,” Ashton explains. “They cover a lot of things, even things you wouldn’t expect – like breaches of confidence. That’s part of the reason why Brexit is making everything so uncertain, it covers so many different rights.” Expert advice Ashton’s main piece of advice for budding barristers is to do your research. “You should research not only your chambers,” she urges, “but also the area of law you’re going into. Every chambers will want someone who wants to be there and who makes an effort in getting to know what they do.” In addition, she advises those going for pupillage to ensure that their application is up to scratch. “It’s the first thing we get,” she explains, “so care needs to be taken when preparing it.” Although certain aspects of becoming a barrister may seem daunting, Ashton felt fully prepared throughout the process. “What’s good about the Bar is that you’re actually quite well informed, so I knew a lot before I applied. It’s a well-documented industry.” And the best thing? “You can always ask!”
quite a different job – you can end up working on one specific area of science for a very long time. I wanted to dip in and out of different types of subject matter and not be stuck on one.” If you’reworkingonabig trial, there’sa lot of paperwork that goes into that –a lot of documents, statements, pleadingsand arguments–soyoudoendup in the officeprobablymore thanyoudo in court than if, for example, youdid criminal law “The most important difference between IP and media and other areas of law is that they’re quite paperwork-based,” Ashton explains. “If you’re working on a big trial, there’s a lot of paperwork that goes into that – a lot of documents, statements, pleadings and arguments – so you do end up in the office probably more than you do in court than if, for example, you did criminal law.” However, IP and media are unique in that the different courts enable junior barristers to be on their feet right from the outset, which for Ashton creates a nice balance: “You get to do both sides of the job quite nicely.” In terms of succeeding in her field of law, Ashton stresses that you must have a serious interest in media and IP, as well as the ability to tackle technical cases. More broadly, Ashton advises that anyone considering becoming a barrister should have a thick skin. “It’s not for the faint hearted,” she warns. “You need to know that it can be a bumpy ride.” Looming uncertainty When asked about the key issues facing the profession over the next five years, Ashton laughs. “The obvious answer is Brexit,” she
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