PAUL YOVICH SC
Francis Burt Chambers
Others
the close relationships that solicitors and regular clients can often develop, mean that it can be
Academia
That doesn’t mean that it is easy to say no. Because we work for ourselves, and our overheads are lower than those of solicitors, it can be tempting to say yes to a brief even if it means you are working all weekend because you know that you will earn a direct reward for your work. As a barrister I work long hours pretty regularly, but these days there are very few lawyers who don’t, and it is some comfort, believe it or not, when you are sitting at However, I was very pleasantly surprised to your desk on a weekend when other people are find that the Bar is also a very collegial place. having their leisure time to say to yourself “I could Even when we are directly opposed to a fellow have said no to that brief”. barrister in a case, my experience has been that So, to sum up, the work of a barrister is varied, relations are cordial far more often than not, and interesting, and intellectually challenging. It can barristers regularly help each other with advice also be stressful and exhausting. It can be very on cases, and refer work they can’t do themselves lucrative, although there is no guarantee you to their colleagues at the Bar. will earn a cent, and you don’t get paid leave. If there is one characteristic that I would say is the But lawyers exist first and foremost to serve the most important one for a barrister as opposed to community by helping to uphold the rule of law. other lawyers, it is “independence”. The pressures And it is very rewarding to feel that you are doing that clients can sometimes put on solicitors, and that.
Government
During my time at the DPP, it was a very collegial workplace (and I am sure it still is). The work its lawyers do is often factually and legally complex, court work is demanding and stressful and criminal law can be highly emotionally charged. My experience was that we all tried to help and support each other in the difficult and demanding role of prosecutors, and I did not expect the same level of collegiality at the Bar.
Criminal
hard for solicitors to see things with the same detachment that is so important to what a barrister does. It can also be very hard for any lawyer to give clients bad news, or advice they don’t want to hear, but the fact that a barrister’s relationship with the ultimate client is at one remove from the solicitor-client relationship means that barristers can more easily give that “frank and fearless” advice. I did not appreciate the value of that In some ways, that career path is not uncommon. independence before I came to the Bar, but it has The SSO and DPP are well known to provide come home to me many times since. excellent training and opportunities to develop On a more personal level, I have enjoyed my 11 skills as an advocate, and advocacy is often years at the Bar a great deal. The work is varied, seen as the core work of a barrister. But my you are your own boss, so you are answerable path was also atypical in that I came to the Bar to no-one for how many hours you bill (apart, comparatively late in my career, and for many perhaps, from your bank manager), and if you years at the DPP, I never felt the desire to leave. are too busy, you can (and should) just say no.
Courts
I joined the Bar in 2011, after more than 21 years in the profession, all of them in the public service. I had started my career at the Crown Law Department (as the State Solicitor’s Office was then known), and moved to the DPP’s office in 1993, a little over a year after it was first set up as an entity independent of Crown Law. After 18 years at the DPP, I made the move to the Bar at Francis Burt Chambers.
Commercial
LIFE AS A BARRISTER
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