Breast Cancer
Business Owner
“‘ I thought about enrolling in medicine but felt I was too old at 41 to begin that long path . I knew nothing about law but it did interest me , so while working fulltime as a medical practice manager , I dived in and gave it my very best .”
Breast Cancer
In June 2014 , two years after coming to the Bar , I was diagnosed with breast cancer . It was a shock , as no one ever thinks that something like that is going to happen to them . I had to take time off work to have multiple surgeries and extensive treatment . I underwent a mastectomy , then 18 weeks of chemotherapy , five weeks of radiation and then an 11-hour bilateral breast reconstruction surgery .
I was out of Elizabeth Street Chambers for 11 months . It was a tough time , physically ! Some people in law advised me not to tell anyone I had breast cancer , as it would affect my legal practice negatively . I thought , law has to be more human and accepting of human frailties , so I continue to be honest and open .
I returned to chambers in May 2015 with the prospect of having to start again , and get my small business – that of being a Barrister – underway once more !
Last year , in 2016 , I had my first full year back at Elizabeth Street chambers , post cancer treatments and surgeries . I have to credit the Directors of Elizabeth Street chambers ( and members ) with having exemplary humanity : they were very supportive of me during my time away from chambers and on my return , and for that I will always be very grateful !
Business Owner
My early naivety at how the legal world works meant that as a new-comer to chambers in my mid-40s , with no oldschool network and connections built over years of practicing law , I received few briefs from lawyers needing the services of a barrister . In law I am ‘ new ’ – as if my previous 30 years of work and life experience had little significance .
Originally , I tried to make contacts and connections by cold-calling legal firms . I soon realised that I had to find another avenue ; my best strategy was to attract lawyers . There are very strict guidelines in this field , and advertising is not an option , so I began studying and applying the best strategies of content creation and client attraction .
I am now very clear about my professional brand , and work consciously to build that in a way that is congruent with who I am and where I want to be . I now have a smart website as my online
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