Name: Jack Palmer

Role:  Barrister

Specialist in (areas of law):Police Law, Public Law, Data/ Information Law, Inquests, Inquiries, Civil claims for government and private clients, Professional Misconduct

Based mainly: In London but appearing in courts across England and Wales

Called to the Bar in: 2022

Joined 5 Essex Chambers in…

I joined Chambers as a pupil in 2022 and as a tenant in 2023. My pupillage started in our old building in the Temple and, along with my co-pupil Paige Jones, I was one of the first new tenants to join in our shiny new chambers in Gray’s Inn.

Why did you decide to become a barrister? 

Following university and a first career in green technology I was looking for a job that married intellectual challenges, opportunities for self-directed career progression and work with real-world heft and consequence. After dipping my toe into the legal world by undertaking mini-pupillages and martialling I was taken and have never looked back.

Career highlights?

Working on the inquest team for the Ministry of Justice in the inquest into the deaths in the Forbury Gardens terror attacks was a real standout. Fresh out of pupillage and in the Old Bailey I got to work with and alongside so many inspirational barristers (many of whom were from Chambers!).

I have also revelled in the opportunities to undertake unled work, particular highlights being a successful appearance against a silk in a multi-day hearing for the NCA which was a real trial by fire.

A further example was a two week jury inquest for WMP where my client and I managed to put forwards an open and forthright presentation of the actions of WMP’s officers and employees and the Family, who had begun proceedings with a deep-seated grievance against the police, found closure and an understanding of the police’s actions. It felt like a real example of the justice system working as intended.  

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

I had often mused about becoming either a journalist or writer and when making the decision to become a barrister these careers were the other contenders. I am very glad with the decision I made; being a barrister incorporates writing (which can sometimes be quite creative!) with oral advocacy which is an experience I enjoy immensely. There is nothing quite like the feeling of a piece of cross examination going precisely to plan (which does happen from time to time!).

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

Try and soak up as many opportunities to do written and oral advocacy as you can. This does not have to be limited to more conventional opportunities like mooting and debating. In fact some of the lesser-known opportunities like pro-bono representation of children at risk of suspension from school or employees in disputes with their employers give unmatched opportunities to marry advocacy with client handling and ethical challenges. These will stand you in good stead and afford you great insights into what it is like being a barrister.

If I can indulge myself with a second piece of advice, it would be do not underestimate the importance of being interested in the wider world and a regular reader of books beyond legal texts and articles. The many hurdles one has to overcome to become a barrister can cause you to become quite blinkered but the best barristers have a wide understanding of the real-world context in which their cases take place and your lexicon and expressiveness are your primary tools as a barrister and must be honed and maintained.

Tell us about a person who’s had an influence on your career?

I martialled for HHJ Munro KC in the inquests arising out of the Stephen Port murders which had a double influence; I got to see a leading judge and dozens of barristers engage in a really complex and challenging case and I was hooked from then on. I also saw my now colleague Beatrice Colllier as Counsel to the Inquest which was my first exposure to 5 Essex Chambers and was the first domino to fall in the process that led to be becoming a tenant here.

I could not let this section go past without also acknowledging the huge impact each of my wonderful pupillage supervisors had on me, Bobby Talalay, Cicely Hayward and Emma Price. I try and incorporate the many lessons they taught me and the advocacy approaches I have attempted to adopt/steal from them in my practice to this day.

What’s the hardest question you’ve ever been asked at interview, and how did you answer? 

In one of my applications I had referenced a mountain I had climbed in the Pamir range. My brain was addled by the gruelling interview phase of the pupillage process and it was my third interview that day. For the life of me, I could not get the pronunciation of the mountain right despite half a dozen attempts. Becoming flustered by this meant that when it came to explaining how this experience might equip me to being a barrister, I rather think I made a hash of arguing that it was a lesson in resilience!