Because I felt ashamed and embarrassed of my own unavailability, when Baldip Singh MCIArb CJ suggested meeting over the weekend, I was only to happy to although the ‘quick coffee’ turned into an afternoon tea at Hilton London Syon Park.
But it was a timely meeting, coming on the back of being invited to, and celebrating, with an elated client because of the result that we obtained following a five day trial; one that was by far and away one of the most complex matters I’ve worked on.
I don’t often talk about the work that I do personally (when I dip in and out of being a fee-earner) but being a family solicitor before being a law firm owner is one of my biggest joys.
The lifecycle of a client-family solicitor relationship is one that spans years. In my experience, I see clients at their absolute lowest during an initial consultation and throughout the months and years of their proceedings, I see them grow into a version that they may have been before their tumultuous relationship nearly broke them. The matter Baldip worked on will shortly be reported and I will share the link when I have it.
I’ve written before about the solicitor/barrister relationship and I reiterate, mainly to juniors, that it is single handedly one of the most important relationships you will ever need to foster as a solicitor. After working with counsel for a while, you know how they want cases prepped and can bounce ideas off each other on a whim.
For now, we go back to the next pressing matter and try to emulate what we have done throughout but it has definitely been one of the most stressful periods of my career.
It is also worth mentioning that this was very much a team effort and I couldn’t be happier for Lee-Ann Engelbreg who has walked the path alongside me on this matter and then Charlene Erasmus who stepped in later on.
[While the vanity metrics on this one are strong, it’s the only picture I have and if you squint after zooming in, Baldip is definitely in it.]
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