The Today programme wakes me up at 06.30am. I like to know what is going on and it is an incentive to get me up and moving. I continue to listen to Radio Four as I drive to my work as a solicitor at Clarke Willmott. I’m based in Somerset, but I am often out and about visiting clients or attending court outside the area, so I use the car a lot.
Once at work, the first thing I do is to have a cup of tea in my favourite mug and catch up with colleagues before checking overnight voicemails and emails (client queries, legal updates and news updates).
Mornings are usually spent seeing clients or drafting documents. As a solicitor specialising in matters related to older clients, I am usually working with people to make their lives (or their relatives’ lives) better. I might see people in the office or go to meet them at home or in residential care.
Lunch is usually a salad or sandwich at my desk. If something has caught my attention in the news or social media I might take the opportunity to update Twitter and our blog on important matters that affect our clients. Often, it won’t be our clients who see this, but their younger relatives or friends, so it is a great way to get the message out there.
One of my first pieces of work as a trainee was to draft an application to the court of protection to make a will for someone who had lost capacity. Without making a will, their estate would not have gone to their nearest and dearest. This was the first time I realised how important it was that their wishes should be understood and that I could help put them into effect. My enthusiasm grew later when I successfully challenged an NHS decision not to award funding for nursing care. The NHS agreed that they should have paid the fees.
I am very aware of the perception the public has of solicitors – that we are expensive and out of touch with the real world. However, the law is a really complicated area and I so often see people behaving in a way that is not legal and can cause real harm. Working with elderly and vulnerable clients, I often come across people who are frustrated at the layers of bureaucracy involved when they are trying to look after their loved ones. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (which is the key piece of legislation in my field) is a hefty piece of legislation in itself – but its supplementary code of practice runs to over 300 pages. I am able to help people understand their rights and obligations and make things as smooth as possible for them. The care of older people and vulnerable adults is a really emotional subject and we face just as many challenges as those working with children. I like to think that I can make a difference to people. With diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia increasingly affecting loved ones, I am keen to raise awareness of the assistance that lawyers can provide. These are complex issues and I am glad that I can help people when they don’t know where else to turn.
In the afternoon I try to get on with drafting the papers that have been generated from my meetings, telephone calls and emails. As a lawyer, there is always paperwork! The last thing I do before leaving work is to tidy my desk and wash my mug.
I live by the sea and outside work I enjoy nothing more than watching the sun go down – usually with another cup of tea! Weekends are usually spent catching up with friends and some much needed time on the sofa watching the latest box set.
Before I go to sleep, I try to organise the following day – knowing full well that I will be required to do something entirely different as soon as the phone rings. The last thing on my mind before I drift off is work, but a guilty pleasure is a couple of chapters from a trashy novel – something far removed from the complexities of the day job.
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