Barrister of the month: Georgina Wolfe

Name: Georgina Wolfe

Role: Barrister and Co-Editor of The Beat

Specialist in (areas of law): Police law, Public Law, Public Inquiries, Inquests, National Security

Based mainly: London  

Called to the Bar in: 2006

Joining 5 Essex Chambers

I owe my career at 5 Essex to Rob Harland. Rob and I were at law school together and he returned from a mini-pupillage at 5 Essex Court and told me ‘I have found your chambers, this is where you belong’. He was right. I immediately applied for a mini and after a week, did not want to leave. I set out to learn as much about police law as possible to impress at interview and my efforts paid off. I started pupillage in 2007 – co-pupil to Jonathan Dixey, such good fortune! – and have not looked back.

Why did you decide to become a barrister?

I wanted a career that would be intellectually challenging, had an element of public speaking and where I could do something worthwhile. The Bar offers all of this, as well as the opportunity to learn and develop right up until retirement. As barristers, we are invited to see into people’s lives at critical moments, to become experts in subjects ranging from car engines to espionage, and we often have the chance to develop and improve systems and organisations.

The coda to this is something I did not say in pupillage interviews: in my late teens, I met a silk at a Christmas party. He was interesting, clever and funny and wore a Nehru jacket with fairy lights around his neck. He seemed unspeakably glamorous. I was sold.

What are your career highlights?

Where to begin? Working at a litigation firm in Canada as part of the Harold G. Fox Middle Temple Scholarship gave me an incredible dry run for pupillage (and taught me to ice skate). Then, being asked by my pupil supervisor, Jeremy Johnson, to conduct some research about the claimant in a forthcoming case, someone he thought was called ‘Snoopy Dog’ (it was Snoop Dogg). Jeremy later led me twice in the Supreme Court which was thrilling and felt like we were undertaking important work that would make a real difference to policing. Early in practice, I was instructed in a forced marriage prevention order which proved to be a life-or-death situation. That showed me the importance of the junior work we do in chambers.

Finally, away from practice, I have loved all the work I do helping others come to the Bar, from mentoring, co-writing ‘The Path to Pupillage’ and presenting the Middle Temple Pupillage Podcast with Beatrice Collier.

Tell us about a sliding doors moment when your career could have gone in an entirely different direction?

Like many barristers, I was determined to become an actor when I grew up. My mother, a wise woman, did not try to disabuse me of this but instead appeared to support me whole-heartedly. Aged 14, she arranged for me to appear as an extra in two films which entailed 4am starts, sitting around all day under hot lights and getting very little done. As she had probably anticipated, I hated it.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to do the job you do?

It is the best job in the world. We are so lucky to do what we do. It is very hard work but never boring and usually great fun. Some of my cases are more exciting than an airport thriller and standing up in court still feels like an enormous privilege. But…I think that AI will shake up the legal profession in ways that we are only just starting to comprehend. If you are thinking of a career at the Bar now, make sure you are paying attention to these changes.

What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee/pupil?

I was appearing in a large, echoey courtroom when the judge said something to me in Latin that I did not understand. I said, ‘I am so sorry, my Latin is a little rusty.’ The judge roared with laughter. He had not been speaking Latin…

What others say of Georgina

Legal 500

‘Georgina is by far and away the best police law junior at the Bar. She is efficient, hard-working, and on top of every detail.’

‘First class for both inquiries and inquests. She gets to the heart of things quickly and robustly, and clients love her approachable but no-nonsense approach. Very sought after for difficult inquest and inquiry work, where she is particularly trusted in national security matters.’

“She is an outstanding advocate, logical, methodical, and easily gains the respect of the court; a star”

Chambers UK

“She is absolutely fantastic: very bright and a lovely person. She has a great manner with clients and opponents.”

“A “fantastic barrister” who is “superb with clients” and “extremely personable.”

“She’s very bright, hugely personable and fantastically efficient. She’s on top of every point in a case and leaves no stone unturned.”

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Georgina Wolfe

Call 2006