“It's humbling to achieve that goal,” said Barbara. “To be given the opportunity to lead my profession alongside our Vice Chair Kirsty Brimelow KC and Treasurer Lucinda Orr. To lead the first all-female officer team is a proud moment and, as I said in my inaugural speech, it’s about time!”
It is also the first time in 37 years that a family law barrister will Chair the Bar, and this is also a crucial point for Barbara, whose passion for this area of the law is infectious.
“I would describe the family courts as the court of life itself. Our judges hear cases dealing with all aspects of human existence and attempt to bring order to chaotic lives, protect the vulnerable, and ensure that people can live with means. Our work spans from the beginning of life – modern family units created by assisted reproduction and surrogacy – to the end of life where the court is asked to intervene in medical treatment cases. In between life and death, we deal with disputes about land and property, the welfare of children, the protection of the vulnerable from violence or as a result of incapacity.”
Looking at things from this perspective is what enables Barbara to see things differently, and it shapes her passionate belief in a legal system that drives positive change for people. Like other areas of the legal system, though, the family justice system is facing many challenges that are increasing the pressure on everyone involved in cases – from judges and practitioners to administrative staff and especially their clients.
“As with all areas of justice there are structural challenges – court backlogs and delays, which are inimical to a child’s welfare,” said Barbara. “The cuts to legal aid funding mean that many families with challenges as a result of a breakdown in their relationships, have little or no access to legal advice, much less early legal advice, which means that people don’t know or understand their options.”
Barbara’s passion and understanding of the importance of early legal advice found its origins in a seminal moment whilst studying in Hull. During a period of work experience at the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) on the Bransholme estate, one of the largest social housing estates in Europe, Barbara’s eyes were opened to the damage done when a relatively simple issue is allowed to mushroom because of a lack of early intervention.
“I remember a single father coming in to ask for advice a week before he was due to be evicted. He was distressed and very agitated and didn’t know where he could turn. He accepted that the problems started when he failed to pay his rent because he lost his job. He accepted that the problems started when he failed to pay his rent health had deteriorated, his anxiety was through the roof, the debt had spiralled, and he faced homelessness. He told us that he had not known how to get help and when his GP suggested the CAB a few months before, he was too ashamed to come. I saw the reluctance to seek help.
“What I learned was the importance of early legal advice and its ability to prevent avoidable chaos.”
Her pride at being part of the University of Hull community and the ways that the University of Hull has shaped her is also evident.
“When I was choosing where to study, Hull had a really strong law department with very well-respected lecturers such as Martin Parry and Patrick Birkinshaw. Its alumni are equally impressive and there are some great names in there. Dame Eleanor King – Lady Justice King – in whose name a University courtroom was opened, to name just one.
“In terms of my career path, my time at Hull informed my interest in family law, which is where I specialised, and it absolutely informed my pro bono work. There’s never been a time in my career that I didn’t dedicate time to do pro bono work whether answering the phones and providing advice for Rights of Women or providing legal advice through Advocate, which is the Bar’s pro bono charity.”
It is clear to see why Barbara is able to bring a unique vision as Chair of the Bar Council, and why it is so important for her to have blazed this new trail. Her ambitions for the role include supporting the government in its mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) over the next ten years.
“We’ve overcome the first hurdle, I hope,” Barbara said, “which is to bring political and public attention to the fact that VAWG includes domestic abuse and as such the family court is engaged. To start with that broad definition and a focus on family law is to understand that many women and girls are harmed not by strangers but by men who profess to love them and often that abuse takes place within the family home.
“The challenge is changing the narrative so that every time people talk about VAWG, they think about the family justice system, as well as criminal justice. There is now greater recognition that the majority of VAWG involves someone in the home – the partner or parent – but that’s not yet translating into recognition of how important the family courts are.
“And the reason family courts are so important in this discussion is that its approach includes prevention and rehabilitation. Whether abuse has occurred is a necessary first step and if found, the court’s focus then shifts to trying to quantify risk of future harm and may do so with the assistance of risk assessments, and where appropriate, some treatment for all affected by the abuse.”
Finally, we asked Barbara to share her words of advice with current and future University of Hull students, looking to follow in her footsteps and make an impact in law:
“Look for opportunities and take full advantage of them. Research and plan – when you’re pursuing a goal, find out what it involves and what you need to do in plenty of time. Build your network, your tribe as they say. Surround yourself with people who can motivate, encourage, inspire and guide you. It is important that those people are those who you can go to and just be yourself with, people who understand you. And finally, treat wellbeing as a core skill which you incorporate into the fabric of your life and do so proactively – not just as a way to manage a crisis.”