Neil Hart

Name: Neil Hart
Employer: Essex Court Chambers
University: University of Oxford
Subject: French and linguistics
Graduated: 1994

Working life

I took a scenic route to the Bar. I read French and linguistics at university but had no idea at all what to do after graduation. I ended up working in the City for a boutique firm of head-hunters in the investment banking sector. I found that after 18 months in the job, I wasn't being challenged enough and left to take a study break in Shanghai. I applied for the CPE before leaving as the lifestyle and work ethic of the Bar appealed to me. I completed five mini-pupillages to get a feel for the areas of law I might like to specialise in. Working in a collective of self-employed barristers has definite advantages: there are never any committee or management issues, no office politics, and no ‘David Brent' meetings or training days. I usually have two or three cases on the boil at any one time, and many more on the back-burner. Being in court can lead to late nights and weekends at work as new facts and points of law often crop up as a hearing progresses.

In an exciting week I might...

...be handed a complex set of papers on Monday and have to make an application to the commercial court on Wednesday. Then it's off to court for a showdown with the judge and/or the other side.

Peaks and troughs

The peaks are the satisfaction you get from shaping a case and watching it win. I have been fortunate in getting the opportunity to travel with work but this is not always the case. The odd working weekend is the downside.

Work experience and tips

Legal: I undertook a number of mini-pupillages and worked as a summer intern at a law office in Shanghai.

Non-legal: I worked for 18 months with a City firm and spent time studying in China.

Tips: for the commercial Bar, try to get the highest grade you possibly can on whatever courses you take.