In recent years human rights law has become a popular choice for both students and practitioners. University law faculties are increasingly offering human rights modules as part of their law degrees and more firms now boast specialisms in the field. The introduction of the Human Rights Act 1998 incorporated human rights law, public law and EU law into English law, and made the European Convention on Human Rights directly enforceable in the national courts.

Jocelyn Cockburn is a partner in the civil liberties team at Hodge Jones & Allen, one of the country's leading predominantly publicly funded law practices. She did a history degree at Newcastle University, followed by the conversion course and LPC at Northumbria University.

Jocelyn charts her progression from commercial trainee to civil liberties partner: "I did my training contract at City firm Druces LLP, where I did various seats such as commercial property and private client. I wasn't gripped by the work and, unsure about whether the law was really for me, I went travelling - as all confused people do! When I was in South America, I was introduced to some people doing charitable work. I was also reading John Pilger's Heroes at the time, all of which cemented the idea that I wanted to do something in the human rights field. So I came back and volunteered at Amnesty International for a year and then worked on the land mines campaign, before coming back to the law in 1999." She spent time at two other human rights firms before joining Hodge Jones & Allen in 2004.

Jocelyn now practises the full range of civil liberties and human rights law, including "cases relating to deaths in custody, which means representing the families at inquests and in any subsequent civil claim for compensation or judicial review". She also works on actions against the police and some miscarriage of justice cases. The typical structure to her day centres heavily on a seemingly never-ending to-do list: "In the morning, I come in and read my emails and post, and deal with any urgent matters before getting on with pretty much everything else. I try to have a priority list of things to do, so hopefully at some point during the day I'll pick up a file that I've highlighted to work on and progress that, but it's not always easy - sometimes I get to the end of the day without even getting to number one on my list. I might also have a client meeting, although that is not every day or even every week. I spend a lot of my day at my desk; this isn't a job for someone who likes to be out and about - they should try crime!"

While Jocelyn does a lot of death in prison work, in the last few years she has also been instructed by a number of families of soldiers who have been killed in Iraq. As a result, things have moved to the High Court. She elaborates: "We brought a case against the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which raised the issue of whether soldiers who have been deployed abroad have the protection of the Human Rights Act. Legally, it's very interesting because it's a new area. We succeeded at first instance, but the MoD has appealed. It's very interesting on a human level and involves up-to-date issues because of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts." While this is a high-profile case, Jocelyn is not convinced that the media glare is for her: "I don't really look forward to the press side of things, as it can be very disruptive. You have journalists begging you to do something for them and it's difficult to manage at times. But once it's all done, it's rewarding because there's a buzz and a challenge to it."

As all good human rights lawyers should, Jocelyn takes great pleasure in helping people. She explains: "I most enjoy the client contact and I feel very strongly about the cases. I meet a lot of families who've lost a loved one in prison and who are desperate for help, particularly because they've not always been treated very well. I like to show them that there are people who'll listen and take them seriously. I also find the cases themselves really interesting and I can choose to work on things that I find motivating. And I enjoy taking on the state - I derive a sad enjoyment from being the little person taking on the big guys!"

Doing publicly funded work brings with it its own difficulties, explains Jocelyn, singing the beleaguered legal aid lawyers' song: "I least enjoy dealing with the Legal Services Commission (LSC) - our work is almost entirely publicly funded and that can be a real struggle. I think the popular perception of all lawyers being on the gravy train is particularly unfair when you're talking about legal aid lawyers. I would like to earn more, but that's the sacrifice you make working in this area. Having said that, I think the quality of life might be better than at some City firms."

In terms of the sometimes dark subject matter, Jocelyn has moved beyond taking it home with her: "I've been qualified for a long time, so I can usually distance myself. But I am conscious of how it might affect trainees or others looking at the files and I do wonder how to protect them, although it's probably no more harrowing than the content of some newspapers." Also, the job can be frustrating: "It's difficult to get to the bottom of the pile and it can feel relentless, like all you're doing is fighting fires. There is a challenge in being organised enough to handle a big caseload."

Jocelyn acknowledges that a lot of students are drawn to human rights with a romanticised view of what it means: "Students are naturally quite idealistic, so it makes sense that many are attracted to this type of work. But it's all about whether you have the right commitment - you're giving up a potentially much higher salary, but there is so much of interest in this work. You're often pushing boundaries and involved in making, developing and challenging the law. And I do enjoy the enthusiasm of trainees and students who want to get into this area - it's really great, because I think I was like that at one time, and there's nothing wrong with idealists!"

So in addition to a healthy dose of idealism, what are the attributes of a human rights lawyer? Jocelyn says: "You need to have a strong and persistent character because you do meet a lot of barriers, especially taking on the government and the LSC. You have to be tenacious and committed to what human rights and civil liberties stand for. It also helps to be good with people; lots of our clients have difficult stories to tell, so being a good communicator and listener is a real skill."

In preparation, Jocelyn suggests doing some voluntary work: "Try groups like Liberty, INQUEST or Justice. Some people do a master's, which is by no means essential but does show a genuine interest in the area. Or you might want to read into the area a bit - for instance, find out about the government's infringement of our civil liberties in the last few years." Beyond that, if you're sure this is for you, Jocelyn's advice is to just keep trying: "There is a constant worry about where legal aid is going and trying to make this work pay is a constant theme in any firm. But you don't need to be working all the hours - there is a good quality of life. And the work is very topical and interesting; it is the sort of stuff you read about in the newspapers." Champions of the underdog, step forward!