I was introduced to the law when I was 10 years old, when I gave evidence in court about a road traffic accident in which I was hit by a car. I think something about the trial of evidence appealed to the argumentative child that I was. I returned to law after my degree in PPE, having grown into an equally argumentative adult.

I was exposed to a diverse range of legal work at the start of my career, but chose to specialise in employment and discrimination law, becoming a partner in a firm that worked principally for charity and third sector clients.

Employment law disputes are stressful and demand sensitivity, insight and, on occasion, stubborn intransigence. The combination of technical complexity and human psychology is compelling and challenging. One of my jobs as the employment team’s know how lawyer is to help my colleagues wrestle with these challenges on a daily basis.

In recent years I have also become an employment judge, which has involved new skills and perspectives and an opportunity to do really interesting work resolving sometimes long standing and intractable disputes.

Outside of work I am a trustee of a London mental health charity and enjoy seeing the legal world from a client’s perspective. I also like the practical challenges of decision making in a complex funding environment and the insights the role has given me into current mental health policy in the UK.