Maureen Spencer, Barrister (19-year career break)
I was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire and when I was 7, my family moved to Barbados. At 19, I moved to Washington DC and worked at The Embassy of Barbados. It was a great varied role, and I loved working in admin and PR there. During this time, I also started studying International Relations at Georgetown University. In total I was in DC for 5.5 years.
Back in the UK, I enrolled at the London Guildhall University to complete my degree and then went on to do a Master’s degree (LLM) at UCL, before going on to Bar school. I completed my barrister training (pupillage) in chambers, gaining a variety of experience in criminal law, advocacy, commercial law, clinical negligence and employment law. At the end of my pupillage, I spent an additional 6 months working in the Free Representation Unit providing pro bono advice for people with employment issues.
Immediately afterwards, I returned to the US to be closer to my mother and was there for 18 months. I found a position with a law firm through an international exchange programme with the American Bar Association, gained valuable experience in commercial litigation and European law, and passed my New York bar exams. When my exchange visa ran out, I returned to the UK.
Unfortunately, the UK job market did not appear to value my US legal experience and I kept coming up against various barriers. At the time, the flexibility I still needed to go back and forth to Barbados to visit my mum was not offered by any employer, far less barristers’ chambers. It was easier to work as a locum assigned to various investment banks, although I was overqualified for the roles.
This continued until 2003, when due to a perfect storm of different situations coming together, I left the job market and took my career break. By this point, I was suffering from ill health myself as well as still caring for my mother and other family members.
In the end, my career break lasted 19 years. During this time, as well as focussing on my own health and my family responsibilities, I decided to upskill and plug the gaps in my CV. I completed a raft of free courses through online providers such as edX, Coursera and Future Learn. I joined Career Returners, attended their webinars and embraced the fact that I was a ‘Returner’ rather than a ‘failed barrister’.
Happily, I had maintained my legal skills by taking on several long-term pro bono projects, such as becoming a healthcare advocate for others, and a community advocate for my local leisure centre.
When I was ready, I went back to UCL (where I’d done my LLM) for legal upskilling, gaining the valuable CPD (continuing professional development) I needed to return. I also found a sponsor for the practising certificate I needed to return to law through one of the courses I attended.
In March 2022, I finally returned to the Bar. The time was right: my health had been improving and I’d taken time to upskill and get my legal CPD on track. I cannot put into words how much of an achievement it was to get that Practising Certificate! I always wanted to come back to law and never intended to be out for so long. The legal world had changed so much: it was now much easier for people to return. You could source your own work and were no longer dependent on what Chambers could offer.
Initially, I gave commercial legal and litigation advice through Advocate, the pro bono arm of the Bar. After around 6 months, I joined Clerksroom Chambers, now The Barrister Group, one of the first fully remote Chambers. I rebuilt my confidence by attending junior level hearings. Now my caseload covers employment, civil and commercial disputes.
I absolutely love being back in Chambers and I’m constantly in awe of the people around me: the number of women, ethnic minorities and variety of what people are doing. I love the fact that you can work from home, attend meetings online and even attend court hearings remotely. It’s a wonderful feeling to finally be able to do the work I’m trained to do, to do it in the environment of my choosing, and to have the flexibility I need to undertake my caring responsibilities while continuing to look after my health.
My advice for others thinking about returning to work:
- understand your rights and what you’re entitled to as a parent, carer or someone recovering from ill health
- if you’re in a profession, look on your profession’s website to see what upskilling you need, and what support and training they may provide
- be proactive about upskilling to help you build the foundations you need to return
