Family first and foremost

“When anything new comes along, my instinct is always to try it out. I never like to miss out on anything. So when direct access was first introduced 10 or so years ago, I embraced the concept straight away.” So says Julie O’Malley, who was called in 1983 and now practises exclusively as a family law barrister.
    
Now, about 20 per cent of Julie’s practice is direct access, with the rest of her instructions coming through her tenancy at Lamb Building Chambers, which she joined in 2001. “I get my direct access instructions through myBarrister, a service that has generated much more work for me than I thought it would when I first joined. I like the philosophy of the operation, and, in particular, the screening of clients through the myBarrister call centre.

“Harry [Pitcher, director of client communications], is a charming chap to deal with. He is a rapid response man and he does everything that I as a barrister would want and expect,” she says. 

Julie had always wanted to be a barrister, since reading law at Sheffield University, and as a pupil her desire was confirmed. “Someone said to me that being a barrister isn’t a job, it is a way of life. That suited me very well, although things have changed a lot since I first started. In those early days, life was more genteel and gracious.”

Julie has settled on family law, although she practised more widely in her earliest days of being a barrister and has done a lot of criminal law. Family law appeals to her because it often throws up challenging issues that she likes to resolve. She also likes the fact that most hearings are before a judge only, rather than a judge and jury. “I prefer presenting the arguments directly to the judge rather than to the jury, which can be more of a performance. I also like the particular challenge of cross-examining expert witnesses.  Experts never admit they are wrong, so you have to extract the information more subtly,” she notes, with a laugh.

Direct access suits her practice very well. In fact, she has been instructed on “some pithy and substantial cases” that she had not anticipated, including advising a bank employee who is currently contesting the amounts of ancillary relief. She took on a case involving a “lovely” local cab driver on a question of enforcement of a court order (“I arranged for him to drop off the papers to me by Brent County Court”).  She has also represented an employee from a large British company on another divorce. “Direct access works perfectly, when you as a barrister can offer the expert legal appraisal with the client managing the paperwork and assembling the right documents,” she says.

She believes there is much more potential for direct access work, particularly involving international family law. She is currently involved in a dispute between an English mother and Moroccan father, for example. 

“Do I get embroiled in the emotional side in family law disputes?  No, absolutely not: I self-regulate. I tell my clients I will advise them to the best of my ability - a professional demarcation, which comes naturally to me either conveying it or obeying it. I feel that if I don’t do that, I am not delivering a professional service - while, of course, I always aim to be user-friendly.”

Getting the balance right
As the mother of three children, who are now aged 24, 20 and 18, her career as a barrister has also suited Julie well. She has always worked full-time (“if you work part-time, you tend to get overlooked”), but has managed to devote herself to her children.  As she puts it, “I wanted to be successful but I also want a life, so I have not chased glittering prizes.”

You can find Julie O'Malley in myBarrister. 

Family Law Barrister - myBarrister