Come and join me in the caring Tees Valley

Aug 21 2007 by Helen Logan, Evening Gazette

WELCOME to our comment column, in which leading figures from the region present a thought-provoking view on an issue affecting their company or organisation or the wider community. Today Harvey Murray, a barrister at Fountain Chambers, Middlesbrough, tells why he, a New Zealander, loves to live and work in the Tees Valley.

BEING a barrister is in no way the preserve of the upper class. I was born and raised in New Zealand within a normal working class family and never dreamt, until much later, of a career at the Bar.

I wanted to be a fighter pilot or alternatively a fireman.

When I did eventually decide to become a barrister I chose to study in Newcastle.

The attentiveness, friendliness and openness that I experienced at that early stage typifies the attitude prevalent in this region.

I decided at an early stage, having spent some time in London, that I wanted to practise in the North-east.

It is undeniable that there is an attitude in some quarters of my profession that the only place to practise at the Bar is London.

Naturally it is often those living and practising in London who are the quickest to slight the provinces.

Even on the night I was called to the Bar at Middle Temple Inns of Court when I told a senior barrister that I had pupillage (trainee placement) at Fountain Chambers in Middlesbrough, I was met with “Why would you want to work anywhere else but London?”

But there are many reasons why young barristers would choose, and are choosing, to work in Middlesbrough.

From the initial interview process, I was given the impression that Fountain Chambers actually cared about my professional development, that individual growth was intrinsic in the investment that the Chambers made in me.

And this must be right.

The legal profession has undergone tremendous change of late and only those sets of barristers who adapt, who provide a modern, contemporary service and who are willing to make that extra effort in areas of client care, will survive.

And when one considers the cost of living and the quality of life available in this region combined with the opportunity to develop good working relationships with solicitors and the local judiciary, the advantages of a professional career in the North-east certainly outweigh those of life in the Capital.

Because this area is not densely saturated with barristers, there also exists a unique opportunity for career progression that is not found in London.

But with a greater case load comes greater responsibility and this is where life at the Bar in the North-east really excels.

There is real camaraderie found at the local Bar and young Barristers are supported by all, not only members of Chambers.

You will not find giant egos stalking the corridors of Teesside Combined Court, but rather real people who genuinely care about the service they provide.

This is the key to a career at the Bar in the provinces and the reason why local advocates are no longer the poor cousins of London counsel.

I have come a long way since growing up in New Zealand but I would not choose any other place to live and work.