The public law Bar spans the full range of administrative, public and constitutional law. A variety of work, including a great deal of advisory work, is undertaken in relation to judicial review and the powers and practices of various public bodies. Public law barristers also advise on matters such as the regulation of financial services and the organisation of the National Health Service.

Specific areas within the field include civil liberties and human rights, commercial judicial review, community and healthcare law, disciplinary proceedings and the internal administration of public bodies, education law, housing law, planning law, prison law and social services and social security law. Public law work has a European influence, with a steady stream of cases being referred to the European Court of Justice for preliminary rulings, and other cases raising the issue of the application of the European Convention on Human Rights.

As a public law and human rights barrister of 11 years' call, Ben Hooper enjoys a diverse workload. However, most of his instructions stem from central and local government, and companies and individuals seeking to challenge public law decision making. Increasingly, his bread-and-butter work is human rights, both on its own and in combination with traditional public law. He explains: "Human rights law has the ability to surprise us, as it continues to intrude into and affect an increasing number of areas of traditional private law, as well as the relationships between parties. The sheer volume of cases may end up exerting some pressure on the European Court of Human Rights to rein in this expansion of human rights law; but if not, it will keep on providing work for people like me."

The pervasive nature of public law means that barristers practising in the field often find themselves parachuted into a diverse range of specialisms, some of which they may have little or no prior experience of. Their role is to handle the public or human rights points that arise. "I have to pick up the relevant statutory scheme - often one that is completely new to me - and become an expert in it very quickly," explains Ben. "It's challenging, but also exciting. After you've got used to doing it enough, you become confident that you can hold your own against established practitioners in the field."

An interest in the substantive issues behind government policy fires the passions of many in the public law arena, and Ben is no exception: "Compared with other areas, public law can be quite a philosophical discipline. It requires imagination in how you approach legal issues, and an ability to think creatively and not just accept that things should stay the way that they've always been. To excel, you need to be able to take a step back from pure legal analysis and think about the wider principles."

A quick and agile mind is therefore a necessary qualification for the job - especially because cases frequently end up in the appellate courts. Ben explains: "Public law disputes reach the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court much more often than commercial ones because of the way parties treat issues as matters of principle. While commercial disputes tend to be heavy and expensive, in comparison public law cases can seem quite cheap and cheerful; the difference is that we're standing up in the top courts in the country, in front of ferociously bright judges. That means that whatever your opponent might be doing, you'll also be facing three, five or even seven judges who could throw any point at you at any time - to do that and to enjoy it, you have to be able to think very quickly."

If the intellectual challenge is one of the perks, the unpredictability of the work is, for Ben, one of the potential downsides: "Something might land on my desk at 9:30am, which means that what looked like a stress-free day will actually be spent fighting fires and working late. Some people seem to positively enjoy that, but I sometimes find it quite disruptive; it's not like my life is constantly turned upside down, but things do crop up that make it difficult to plan ahead."

While excellent academics are a prerequisite for a career at the public law Bar (and indeed the Bar in general), it's important not to underestimate the value of work experience. Time spent in various sets can help you to find out which type of law you might enjoy in practice and proves that you're serious about your career choice. "Having multiple mini-pupillages on your CV shows chambers that you're committed to the profession," explains Ben. "It always looks bad on applications when people say how excited and motivated they are about joining the Bar, but the section for mini-pupillages on their form is blank. There has to be evidence to back up their enthusiasm."

A final thought for those thinking seriously about entering public law is that it isn't nearly as advocacy-heavy as fields such as crime or family. If being in court on a daily basis is what you crave, this area is probably not for you, advises Ben: "We do lots of preparation for comparatively short hearings. I can spend a few weeks preparing for a two-day judicial review, whereas in other areas of law it could easily be the other way round. On average, I'm in court or tribunal once a fortnight, so it's certainly not the area to go to if you want to spend every day in court. That's not to say that you can't grow and shine as an advocate, because you can - all the great public law barristers I know are superb on their feet."