International Women’s Day provides an opportunity not simply to celebrate achievement, but to reflect honestly on how progress is made and sustained within professions that have not always been structured with women in mind. This year’s theme, “Give to Gain”, resonates with my own experience. Much of what I value most in my professional life has come not from individual advancement alone, but from contributing time to the Bar itself.

I did not come to the Bar by a conventional route. I was not educated at an elite school, nor did I grow up with any familiarity with the profession. No one in my family was a lawyer; there was no inherited understanding of how one navigated the Bar, or how one succeeded within it. Like many first-generation entrants, I learned the system by observation, inference, and persistence rather than instruction.

That absence of institutional knowledge shaped my early experience. It demanded resilience, adaptability, and an unusual degree of self-reliance. Over time, however, I came to understand that professional authority at the Bar is not derived from background, but from competence, preparation, and credibility- qualities developed incrementally through experience and judgment.

Route to the Bar

I read Philosophy as an undergraduate. It was not a strategic choice, but it proved a formative one. Philosophy demands clarity of thought, precision of language, and intellectual discipline- skills that translate directly to advocacy. It also fosters a habit of questioning assumptions, including one’s own. Those skills now sit at the core of my advocacy.

At that stage, the Bar felt distant and opaque. I had no clear sense of how to access it, and little practical understanding of what the route involved. The decision to pursue it later required a leap of faith. Returning to education meant giving up financial security, relocating, and accepting a degree of personal uncertainty. Like many aspiring barristers, I worked alongside my studies, balancing academic demands with employment and pro bono commitments. There was little margin for error, but the process instilled discipline, resilience, and perspective.

Criminal practice appealed to me because it is fundamentally concerned with fairness. Legal argument does not exist in the abstract. Every case involves a human narrative, often complex, frequently uncomfortable, and rarely straightforward. Advocacy at the criminal Bar requires the ability to identify what truly matters, to present it clearly, and to do so under sustained pressure. That combination of intellectual rigour and human consequence remains the most demanding and rewarding aspect of the work.

Early practice 

Pupillage was exacting. Expectations are high; confidence is often assumed rather than cultivated; and financial security is frequently absent. Securing tenancy brought stability, but also an acute awareness of responsibility- to clients, to the court, and to the profession. Those early years instilled a lasting respect for preparation, judgment, and composure.

My practice has focused on cases of the utmost seriousness and complexity, including homicide, non-accidental injuries to infants, organised criminality, and counter-terrorism. I am instructed to prosecute and defend, as sole counsel and as a led junior, in matters demanding precision. Much of this work involves highly technical medical, forensic, and scientific evidence, alongside vulnerable witnesses and defendants.

Advocacy in such cases carries authority. That authority is conferred by the court, but it is sustained only through integrity, preparation, and consistency. Over time, I have learned that professional confidence is not a function of background, but of competence and credibility, developed incrementally.

Giving back

As my practice developed, so did my involvement beyond my own cases. I began mentoring aspiring barristers, particularly those from backgrounds under-represented at the Bar. I supported scholarship applications, offered practical guidance, and spoke candidly about the realities of practice at events. Every mentee I have worked with has gone on to secure pupillage and tenancy- a outcome of which I am proud.

I also became increasingly involved in formal professional service. I have served on the Executive Committee of the Criminal Bar Association and currently act as its Secretary. In that role, I contribute to national discussions on criminal justice policy, professional culture, and wellbeing, and represent the interests of practitioners across the country. I have spoken publicly on issues such as judicial bullying, maternity provision, and working conditions- matters that directly affect retention and confidence, particularly for women at the criminal Bar.

A significant part of that work has been the re-establishment of the Criminal Bar Association’s Hardship Fund. First developed during the pandemic and now progressing toward charitable status, the fund provides urgent financial support to practitioners facing unexpected crises, from illness to bereavement. During its early operation, we raised over £100,000 and convened panels within hours to ensure assistance reached those in greatest need. Many recipients were junior practitioners from under-represented backgrounds who might otherwise have been forced to leave the profession. The fund now operates as a vital safety net, supporting retention and sustainability within the criminal Bar.

What I have gained

Giving back has sharpened my professional judgment and strengthened my sense of belonging. It has replaced uncertainty with perspective, and imposter syndrome with quiet assurance. Contributing to the profession has made me a better advocate- more reflective, more grounded, and more conscious of the standards we owe to each other.

It has reinforced the importance of stewardship- of recognising that the Bar is shaped by those who practise within it, by the standards they maintain, and by the support they extend to others. Investing in the profession’s resilience, diversity, and integrity makes this demanding work sustainable- not just for those practising now, but for those who will follow.

Conclusion

The gains I have made by “giving back” are tangible: confidence grounded in experience, authority tempered by responsibility, and a professional life defined by more than individual success.

International Women’s Day invites reflection on how professions evolve. Progress is rarely secured by individual achievement alone. It is secured when those within the system are willing to invest in its future.