Lucinda Harris

Name: Lucinda Harris
Chambers: Devereux Chambers
Position: tenant
University: Cambridge
Subject: law
Graduated: 2003

Becoming a common law barrister

A mixed civil and common law chambers was ideal for me as I was not certain which area I wanted to specialise in and wanted to be exposed to a variety of fields. Before I started pupillage I went to Harvard to do the LLM, giving me the opportunity to do pro bono work, assist on a big class action against Wal- Mart and take the New York Bar Exam.

Overview of work at the common law bar

Working life at the common law bar

I practise in employment, personal injury and commercial law. I am already developing areas of particular expertise as I think that you have to be a specialist in order to appeal to solicitors as well as providing the expertise in advocacy. My clients include large corporations, individuals, sole traders, the government, unions and the police. In court there is a high level of client contact and I am constantly learning about different people and the way they work. Almost all of the cases I work on are my own, although I have been led on a few. My work patterns vary widely: I may be in court every day on the same case for two weeks, or in court on a different case every day. Some weeks I won’t be in court at all and will do paperwork instead. The hours can be long: I regularly have to work at weekends or late into the night. It is hard work, but certainly not relentless.

Best and worst aspects of my legal career

My lifestyle is unpredictable: it is like standing on a starting line and not knowing whether you’re about to run a 100 metre sprint or the 1,500 metres. However, it is academically challenging and I very much enjoy written and oral advocacy. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d definitely still carry on.