Cath Brown is a former barrister with a hard-earned understanding of the challenges and demands of the legal profession.  After 15 years at Kings Chambers in Manchester, she transitioned into coaching and training, founding Skilful Conversation in 2018.  She works with barristers on a range of career-related issues, from confidence and work/life balance to communication skills and applications (KC/judiciary) or even career change.

Passionate about empowering barristers to find and implement their own solutions, she also offers mentorship for junior barristers who may need more structured guidance. She will be speaking at the Her Bar Conference on 17^th May, but in her latest blog, you can get some advance pointers on a very important topic....

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Career Planning at the Bar: Using Coaching to Move from the Accidental to the Strategic

For many barristers, career progression feels more like a series of accidents than a strategic journey. The demands of practice—constant deadlines, client needs, and the relentless pace of life at the Bar—leave little time for reflection, let alone planning.

But my experience shows that those who take control of their career path, rather than simply reacting to circumstances, are more likely to achieve professional fulfilment, financial security, and a sustainable work-life balance.

Coaching offers a structured approach to career planning that helps barristers move from the accidental to the strategic.

By using tools such as reflection, feedback, and accountability, barristers can take charge of their future and ensure that their career aligns with their skills, values, and aspirations.  Of course, I’d love to help you with this and you can contact me here, but there are things you can also do independently.

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The Accidental Career

Most barristers enter the profession with clear ambitions: securing pupillage, tenancy, and a steady flow of work.  However, after the initial hurdles, many find themselves “going with the flow” rather than having clear control over their future career.

It is not unusual for barristers to wake up at 30 or 40 and realise that they are actually living out somebody else’s ambitions (often their parents’ or even their 19 year-old self’s).

Perhaps you take on cases as they come, accept instructions without a long-term vision, and make career decisions based on short-term pressures rather than long-term strategy. This can lead to dissatisfaction, burnout, or stagnation.

A lack of strategic thinking often results in:

• Random specialisation: Barristers take work in whatever area is available, rather than actively shaping their practice.
• Plateauing earnings: Without a clear strategy, growth stalls. And you only need to read the Bar’s recent report on the gender pay-gap to know that you can’t rely     on others to look after this for you.
• Work-life imbalance: Unstructured careers often lead to exhaustion and lack of control over workload.
• Missed opportunities: A reactive approach means barristers may not capitalise on key chances for career advancement.
• Uncertainty re next steps: Should you apply for silk this year or next?  Are you considering applying for the bench, not because it is a dearly-held dream but because it looks like it might be preferable when compared to your current diary?

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Moving to the Strategic

Strategic career planning requires barristers to step back and think about where they want to go and how they will get there so that they have the career they want rather than that which fate grants them.

1-1 Coaching provides an effective framework for this process, focusing on three core elements: guided reflection, feedback, and accountability.

1. Reflection: Understanding What You Want

Many barristers rarely take the time to reflect on their careers in a meaningful way.

Reflection is not simply about considering what has happened but actively analysing strengths, weaknesses, values, and ambitions. Key questions to ask include:

• What areas of practice energise me, and which drain me?
• What kind of work do I want more of?
• And what work or other commitments do I want less of?
• What are my long-term career goals?
• What is a realistic time-scale for those goals?
• What intermediate steps do I need to take to get me closer to those goals?
• How does my current workload align with my personal and professional aspirations?
• Who can help me achieve my goals?
• And, if struggling with that one, how can I build my network?

Coaching to help with this might be more affordable than you think – I price my coaching according to your year of call.  A coach can ask the right questions and uncover patterns in your professional life that might not be immediately obvious.

But, if it is not right for you at the moment, try to introduce regular time set aside for reflection, including whichever of the questions above resonates with you.  A habit of regular reflection can ensure that your career decisions align with your long-term objectives, rather than being dictated by short-term pressures.

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2. Feedback: Gaining External Perspectives

Barristers work in isolation more than anyone would think is ideal.  So it is easy to develop blind spots about their performance, reputation, and potential.  Feedback is not part of the established culture.

Seeking structured feedback—whether from peers, clerks, clients, or a coach—can be invaluable in identifying strengths to build on and areas that need development.

You might also realise that something has been getting in your way to date – perhaps a reluctance to face up to a difficult conversation or a lack of confidence.  This is valuable data that will allow you then to work on resolving those issues.

Some useful feedback mechanisms that you could adopt independently include:

• Client feedback: Take steps to understand what solicitors and lay clients value most.  
• Chambers colleagues: Seek insights from those who see your work regularly.
• Clerks and practice managers: They are likely to have a valuable perspective on positioning within the market and emerging opportunities.
• Formal coaching or mentoring sessions: Get objective feedback to challenge your assumptions and give you a fresh opinion.

Think carefully about the questions you might ask in these contexts.  Just asking for feedback tends to result either in an outpouring of views which might feel challenging or something very banal and of little use to you. Asking something a bit more specific such as – could you suggest one thing that would help me approve (e.g. after delivering a presentation or a webinar) is likely to get a better result.

It can also help to share a little about your goals so that any feedback can be targeted. I am sometimes surprised that barrister clients I work with haven’t previously shared their ambition to be a KC with clerks or colleagues.  They will be in a better place to help you if both you and they are aware of a clear direction of travel.

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3. Accountability: Turning Plans into Action

One of the biggest challenges in securing the career you want is maintaining momentum. Many barristers start with good intentions but life takes over and their personal objectives end up taking second place.

How many times have you told yourself that you will get onto that application or planning that publication “after this case”.

Coaching introduces an accountability structure which increases your chances of success.

This can include some or all of the following:

• Setting clear goals: Breaking down mid- or long-term career ambitions into     actionable steps.  This helps you to     be prepared to move into that specialist area or make that application     when the time is right.
• Regular check-ins: Coaching provides a structured review process to assess     progress and identify the reasons for any lack of progress, sometimes with     robust challenge but, recognising also the benefits of…
• Adjusting the plan: Perhaps the original goal was too ambitious, not specific     enough, or poorly timed.  Maybe, on     reflection it wasn’t right for you.      So it is important that strategies and goals can evolve as     opportunities arise and priorities shift.
• Overcoming barriers:  Identifying and     tackling obstacles that prevent career advancement is often a crucial part of coaching, but can also emerge through your own reflections and feedback.  Sometimes solving the problem is as easy as identifying it with specificity whereas, in other cases, you might need to embark on a specific path of training or development to ensure that you can maximise your potential.

Accountability can transform career planning and career creation from a passive exercise into an active, ongoing process. It ensures that barristers take consistent steps towards their ideal practice, rather than leaving their future to chance.

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TLDR: Some Rapid-fire Practical Steps to Take Control of Your Career

To move from the accidental to the strategic, barristers can take the following practical steps:

1. Schedule time for career reflection: Set aside regular slots (e.g., quarterly) to assess your career path.
2. Seek structured feedback: Actively request input from clients, colleagues, and clerks.
3. Clarify your career goals: Define short-term and long-term objectives and create a roadmap.
4. Identify skill gaps and opportunities: Consider training, networking, or diversification to enhance career prospects.
5. Work with a coach or mentor: External guidance can provide the structure and insight needed for progress.
6. Commit to accountability: Share your goals with a coach, mentor, or peer to ensure you stay on track.

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Take the Next Step

If you’re ready to take a more strategic approach to your career at the Bar, I can help. Coaching provides the structure, clarity, and accountability needed to ensure that you are actively shaping your future, rather than leaving it to chance.

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1. Book a free introductory call with me today to explore how coaching can support your career goals: https://calendly.com/cathbrown-1/introduction-call

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2. Or please do come and chat to me at the Her Bar Conference – I will be offering free mini-coaching sessions there and also in the month that follows for those who sign up on the day.

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