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If I reflect on why I wanted to become a lawyer, I think it is because it suits me.
I have a deep-rooted sense of justice and I like to help people in need. That was why I thought of training to be an ambulance or trauma nurse. But after a long period of weighing up the options and discussing them with family and friends, I chose law after all, studying it first at an applied university and later at an academic university.
Over time I discovered, for example during internships, that some areas of law interest me more than others. I find environmental and planning law practice particularly enjoyable. It is so tangible: trees, buildings, the layout of an urban area and so on. That helps me connect with the issue. When I start on a case, I also find it important to get a complete picture – the background, the context, someone’s feelings about it. The better my understanding of what is at play and what led up to this, the better I can work out how I can help someone.
With legislation too, I often go back to the origins of an act, sometimes as far back as the mid-twentieth century. What was the original idea behind the act, how has it developed since then and what is the situation now? That last point is important: what are the views of society at large on this topic? If those have changed, that may mean new options for a client.
That’s what I look for. I get a lot of satisfaction from investigating a case thoroughly and finding the supporting evidence I need to win the case. That gives the client hope, often after they have reached a point where they don’t see any possible solution. Conversely, if I estimate a case is never going to have a positive outcome, I’m upfront about that.