Kathryn Howarth is a barrister at 36 Bedford Row, one of London’s largest sets with expertise in all aspects of the law, including criminal law. Kathryn’s decision to become a barrister was motivated by a “sense of injustice in the world” and a desire to “do something about it”, not to mention a love of TV lawyers (“more Kavanagh QC than Judge John Deed though!”). Kathryn studied law as an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge and then went on to complete a master’s in law at the University of Toronto, specialising in international law and legal theory. Her view is that, while a master’s degree isn’t essential, “it can add another string to your bow and so can certainly help your pupillage application”.

Kathryn has been involved in international human rights law and international criminal law for several years. While at university, she spent a summer working as an intern at the Jamaica Council for Human Rights, where she conducted interviews with defendants on death row. After her master’s she spent a year in Sierra Leone working as an intern and then as a consultant at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Prior to her pupillage she worked as a law clerk at the Prosecutor’s Office of the War Crimes Chamber at the National Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and during her pupillage she went to Tanzania as part of a team from chambers defending at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Her view is that “this type of international work is extremely rewarding and the type of experience that can help your application for pupillage to stand out amongst the crowd”.

Pupillage at 36 Bedford Row was both a rewarding and challenging year. Kathryn explains: “I had a criminal pupil supervisor in my first six months, during which time I went to the Crown Court with her most days and observed lots of sex crime, violent crime and a lengthy double murder with three defendants. I also went to court with more junior members of chambers towards the end of the first six months and saw more junior work in the magistrates’ and in the Crown Court.” In her second six months Kathryn was in court in her own right, usually three to four times a week, including in the magistrates’ court conducting trials and occasionally in the Crown Court for mentions.

Now, Kathryn’s criminal practice means she is in court every day, although these days her time is increasingly spent in the Crown Court. She discusses how things break down: “I do a fairly even split of prosecution and defence work. Some days I’ll do a number of mentions, for example a bail application, a sentence, a plea and case management hearing, or a mention in relation to another issue that has arisen in a case. Other days, I might be conducting a trial or an appeal against a conviction. I deal with a wide range of criminal offences; for example, I might conduct a trial in relation to theft, robbery, burglary or handling, or violent crime, or public order offences, or perhaps conduct a mention in relation to more serious matters such as sex crime or murder.”

Kathryn talks about the best moments of her career so far: “Since pupillage, my highlights include my first trial at the magistrates’ court (which I won), my first appeal against conviction at Luton Crown Court (which lasted three days during which I was appearing against two senior members of chambers), and of course my first jury trial! My international work has also been great to have been involved in, particularly some of the ground-breaking work at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, such as the first prosecutions for recruiting child soldiers.”
Listen up – literally! Kathryn stresses the importance of keeping your ears open when in court: “It is important to be a good listener. If a judge asks a question you have to listen to what that question is and what he or she wants to know and give an accurate answer. In relation to witness handling you need to listen carefully to what the witness says; what they say and what they omit. If you are overly focused on your own pre-prepared questions and you’re not listening to the witness’s answers, it’s easy to miss something important. You need to be reactive and that’s not possible if you’re not listening.”

Kathryn has some advice about how to demonstrate a genuine interest in the Criminal Bar. She says: “I think that, in addition to mini-pupillages, it’s a good idea to do some work experience with a criminal defence solicitor or the Crown Prosecution Service, or marshalling with a judge. That way you get a broader insight into what’s involved in the work of those people that ultimately you will be working with or against. Also you should seize any opportunity to practise advocacy that you can.”

Kathryn also thinks it’s very important to know the chambers to which you are applying. She says: “Look at their websites, see what sort of work they do and whether any members of chambers have been involved in notable cases. You can then tailor your application accordingly, showing that you know and have an interest in that chambers and its work.”

Despite things not being exactly like on Kavanagh QC, Kathryn’s view is that “if you do your research and take the time to talk to barristers about life at the Criminal Bar, then you won’t get any nasty surprises, and you’ll be well prepared for the reality of what is a very engaging and rewarding job”.