Rabinder Singh QC is a barrister at Matrix Chambers, a high-profile barristers’ organisation known for its modern way of working. Rabinder studied law at the University of Cambridge and then did a master’s degree at the University of California at Berkeley, where he started to develop his interest in human rights law. “It’s one of the most interesting areas of modern law,” he says. “It’s very topical, and provides an opportunity to help people whose lives may be affected.” He was called to the Bar in 1989 and became a QC in 2002.

During his pupillage at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square (where he was a tenant from 1990 to 2000), Rabinder saw a range of work, from planning to administrative and even commercial law. He later moved into human rights law but has a broad practice which stretches to employment and media. Rabinder was actually a founding member of Matrix, which is so innovative an organisation that it is said to be the future of the Bar. Indeed, Matrix uses the word ‘training’ instead of ‘pupillage’.

During the first half of Rabinder’s career, there was no Human Rights Act: “It came into force in 2000 and it’s made a huge difference to our legal system, particularly in public law. It arises virtually every day in my work.” What he does in a typical day varies depending on whether he’s scheduled to appear in court. He says: “I’m in court about half the time. On a typical court day I come in early and finish preparing for the hearing. Usually, my cases are in the higher courts. Afterwards, I come back and perhaps have a conference around 5:00pm, probably on the same case. I do some more work overnight, preparing for the next day of the hearing. If I’m not in court, I would usually be doing paperwork, either written advice or drafting a skeleton argument, or advising clients in meetings.”

As a silk, Rabinder has worked on many high-profile cases, including some that were particularly groundbreaking. He notes: “The most important case I’ve done to date is a case called Al-Skeini v Secretary of State for Defence. This was a series of test cases, the most notorious of which arose from the death of a man called Baha Mousa. He was a civilian who was detained by British forces in Iraq and was killed in custody. In June 2007 the House of Lords decided that, in principle, the Human Rights Act applies to the actions of British Forces overseas.”

The Al-Skeini ruling was a landmark decision and one that highlights what most excites Rabinder about working at the Bar: “I enjoy the combination of highly intellectual debate with the feeling that you’ve actually helped a particular client. The Mousa family’s case illustrates that combination.” However, there is something Rabinder doesn’t like about his job: “Being kicked around by a grumpy judge in court! It doesn’t happen often but it still happens.”

As well as tolerating the odd irritable judge, Rabinder has some more tips for those considering a career at the Bar. He advises: “I’d say that it’s very competitive but it’s still worthwhile. There’s a lot of hard law and it’s not just about wearing your heart on your sleeve. Hard work is necessary at antisocial times, keeping on top of the latest legal developments and offering good client care.”

Rabinder notes that, although the Bar is very competitive, it has been harder in the past: “At least we now have open competitive systems and it’s not just an old boys’ network. I would tell people to demonstrate diligence and to keep trying. By demonstrating their courage and perseverance, they will help themselves by showing the qualities needed for a successful career at the Bar.”

For his final words on what it’s like to practise human rights law in some of the highest courts in the land, Rabinder sums up by saying: “No matter how prepared you are, something unexpected always happens.”