Siân Marchandani qualified as a vet from Cambridge, and worked as a junior fellow at Bristol veterinary school and in practice before going to the Bar and joining chambers in 1998. She works in the areas of professional liability, commercial litigation and construction litigation.
What made you become a barrister?
Before I became a vet, I had thought, for literally one day, about becoming a lawyer, (my brother was doing law at Oxford – his textbooks put me off), but then I got into vet school, which had been my plan since I could first remember, and I went off to Cambridge and had a fantastic time for six years.
Unfortunately, the actual job was not for me, so I went back to the careers services and took lots of blind aptitude tests that suggested the careers to which I was best suited. To my astonishment, the results consistently threw up ‘lawyer’. Based on that, I decided to look into it and quickly decided that a career at the Bar – rather than as a solicitor – was the one for me.
My veterinary degree and work history definitely made my CV different! The person who interviewed me for pupillage still recalls asking me about my experiences translocating wild elephants in Malaysia (a project that I had done in my fourth year). Working as a vet locum also funded my training costs.
How did you get to where you are today?
I applied to City University for a place on the common professional exam course, which covers the core subjects of a law degree in a year. It was a bit like nonstop cramming for exams, with a steep learning curve. I then applied for a place at Bar School (Inns of Court was the only place then, though there are lots more now). The next application process to get through was that for pupillage. I was very lucky; this was the easiest part for me, though I know that that is not a common experience. A friend of mine did a short placement (called a ‘mini-pupillage’) at a particular set of chambers. It was not for them, but they told me about it as they thought it would suit me. It did. Amazingly, the set thought the same, and offered me a pupillage after I had done a week’s assessed mini-pupillage with them. At the time I did not realise what a godsend this was and I sat on the offer letter for a few weeks. I then woke up, and quickly wrote to accept their offer. I am still at this set and very, very happy there.
What does your job involve?
I spend a lot of time doing paperwork, ie, drafting documents for court (called ‘statements of case’), advising, researching for advice, etc. This paperwork is the groundwork for a case in court. I also appear in court, speaking on behalf of my clients, at applications and hearings. I also get instructed to act in mediations – a form of alternative dispute resolution where the parties meet and, with the assistance of a ‘mediator’, make a deal to resolve their dispute. I sit on a tribunal that hears complaints against barristers; I also write and give lectures to solicitors and other barristers in London and at firms across the country.
What do you like about your job?
It has huge variety. The work I do is interesting and demanding, and my colleagues are a pleasure to know and to work with. Best of all – I can choose when I want to work, and when I want to take holidays.
What do you not like?
There is a lot of pressure when a client is depending on you, and the outcome of their case depends on you performing at your best. There is no worse feeling than knowing that you have not done so.
Why is your job important?
For most professionals, being sued for alleged negligence is one of the worst experiences of their lives. Sometimes they have made mistakes; sometimes there is negligence – a lot of the time there is not. Usually these professionals have to carry on with their day-to-day job, and supporting their families while the claim is hanging over them. I know that they feel better about their position when they have met their legal team, heard the lawyers’ advice, and know that they are no longer dealing with the claim on their own. I have been told many times that they are relieved to have someone else to worry about it, to have someone in charge.
What advice would you give to someone considering a similar career?
The odds against getting a place as a tenant are high, but it can be done if you are prepared to be flexible, to go that extra mile, to move to the work, and to give it all you have got. Have no illusions about the job – it is absolutely nothing like the programmes on TV. The Bar is also nothing like the way it is portrayed – spend the time to find that out for yourself.
What’s the best piece of advice you were ever given?
If you want it badly enough you will find a place at the Bar. You just have to want it that much.
What was your proudest moment?
Getting tenancy when I was so convinced that I would not be offered it that I had lined up interviews to do corporate finance in the city! .
. . and most embarrassing?
That I had lined up interviews to do corporate finance in the city. Who was I kidding?