Stickers, Police Horses, Inspiring Commissioner and a Spectacularly Broken Umbrella

 

A Lot Happening for a Monday…

First of all, how is it possible that a year ago I was mooting?

One minute I was standing there, heart thumping, notes clutched like a life raft, and now it is the turn of the Year Ones. There they are, in their sharp suits, pacing the corridors, ready to plead their case in front of our tutors.

And no, I don’t look at them with envy.

Alright, maybe a tiny bit.

Mostly, I look at them thinking, I wish I could do it again. Or at least attend quietly from the shadows. Mooting was such an exciting time.

Although, if I am being completely honest, it also felt stressful, terrifying, and slightly unhinged. With minutes to spare, our team finally ready, adrenaline doing cartwheels.

I was ready though. I had pleaded my real case in front of a real panel only months earlier, so fear was not the issue. Being graded on a performance, that was what made me anxious.

But I had my Uni girls beside me, and with them there, I felt invincible.

We were prepared. And when it was time to step forward, we did well.

Seven minutes.

Seven minutes standing and explaining how, although we were technically in the wrong, we could still win. Seven minutes to be clear, succinct, intelligent, and fair. Seven minutes to give a voice to weeks of rehearsal.

And then, just like that, it was over.

The exhilaration peaked, followed by calm. A deep breath. That rare, grounding peace that only comes after doing something big, brave, and slightly terrifying.

Mooting taught me a lot.

For one, I learned that I can share the workload, a hard lesson when you have spent a lifetime believing that carrying the world is essential for survival. I also learned what it feels like to work in a team that genuinely cares, where success belongs to everyone. That, for me, was new. Past teams had not always been so generous.

Now, a year on, still with my same Uni girls, we found ourselves hosting a guest lecture.

A different kind of excitement this time.

We were not being judged. We were the organisers, not of one, but three legal professionals.

And what an opportunity that was.

Three roles, wildly different, surprisingly similar. While juggling preparation, nerves, and the pressure of asking the right questions, I could not help but reflect on how much we have achieved already, and how much more still lies ahead.

I thought I had made my choice. I thought I wanted to be a barrister.

But listening to Lewys this morning, that certainty wobbled.

Then Victoria and Justine made an exceptionally compelling case for working within local authority, something I have done for years and had, if I am honest, grown disenchanted with.

And now, I feel more unsure than ever.

Guest lectures are meant to enlighten us, to offer clarity, direction, and neat signposts towards the right path.

But what if there is more than one path?

What if every role offers something genuinely fascinating?

What if you want to do it all?

Maybe it is not the roles themselves that inspire me, but the people. Their passion. Their generosity in speaking openly to us, the new recruits, about a profession that still excites them.

I still have time to decide my legal path. What I am really looking for is not just a role, but passion.

And if all else fails, I could always become a show host. After all, I was the one interviewing our guests, notebook in hand, channelling my inner BBC journalist.

Not quite Question Time, but somewhere between a student lecture theatre and Emily Maitlis, and honestly, I held my own.