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According to the old adage, barristers never retire, they just hang up their briefs, and certainly, when I came to the Bar in the early 1970s, very few barristers formally did so. Instead, as barristers hit their 60s, while their practice might start to diminish, they could generally rely upon a few faithful solicitors – usually old-style managing clerks – to keep them afloat. Since rent was assessed by reference to earnings, there was no great hardship if work began to tail off – they would just be seen less often, except, of course, when attending functions. Nowadays, with the escalating costs of chambers, insurance and other professional obligations, together with the high octane pressure imposed by solicitors, it is less feasible to scale down your practice in this way. Save for some high-flyers and those who can become commercial arbitrators, it is generally a question of all or nothing but that does not mean moving from hero to zero.
Obviously, the financial aspect is crucial, but I will leave that to one side, save to say that it is extremely complex, not least given the tax implications, and I was and remain totally dependent on my excellent financial adviser who successfully steered me through the Equitable Life disaster in the 1990s and has looked after me ever since. Unless you really understand finance, it would be very unwise to think you can plan your own investment strategy. How exactly you handle the retirement process is of course something to discuss with your chambers. Mine were extremely sympathetic and allowed me to give a provisional unpublicised notice, so that work did not dry up immediately and solicitors were only informed near the final date.
After 40 years at the Bar, I retired aged 63 at a time when I hoped I still had enough energy to do something new. Because my family had been in China and the East throughout the 19th century and I had a lot of family papers, I wanted to research their lives and decided the best way to do it would be by undertaking a Ph.D.. Fortunately, I found a highly respected academic at Bristol University willing to take me on and be my supervisor which has been a very stimulating relationship. Since completing my Ph.D., I have become an honorary associate at Bristol and have had three books published about Britain in China, the latest, The Alcock Album: Scenes of China Consular Life (1843-1853), came out last year.
I have no doubts that, had I not had something intellectually challenging to do, I would have found it very difficult to make the transition and simply cease practice. It may have been unusual to go to the lengths of doing a doctorate but to move from a busy practice to gardening, sticking in photographs and ferrying grandchildren to their various activities may not be sufficient for many barristers.
So, my main tip is not to underestimate how much you will miss the adrenalin rush that comes from life at the Bar, including all the anxiety of going to court. I still have nightmares of having to appear without a stitch of clothing on save for my wig and gown. The change is not easy, particularly if you have a partner who has plenty to occupy their time and will not welcome you hanging round the house trying to think of things to do. Although in one sense you are on holiday all the time, I find that it is a good idea, within reason, to structure your time so that you still think in terms of weekends and holidays.
Travel is an obvious option but whatever you do does need to be reasonably challenging. A few weeks ago, I met a judge who told me that he intended to retire at 72, and when he did so, he and his wife were going to charter a large yacht and sail it round the South Pacific, which certainly put me in my place. Of course, it is important to keep fit but don’t be tempted to take up distance running as a retirement project; it is very bad for the joints! Artists and musicians manqués can finally do what they have always wanted to, one colleague has embarked on a creative writing course (although beware the loneliness of being a writer), another is doing some amateur dramatics and another provides adult literary coaching for a charity, Read Easy, which they find extremely rewarding.
Obviously, there is a vast range of options but, for me, it was important to maintain some connection with the law and my chambers. As I had specialised in employment law, there was plenty of opportunity to do some pro bono work. Having always found the subject interesting, in terms of both the legal issues and the human dimension, I continued as a trustee and reviewer for Advocate, work as a volunteer adviser at a law centre and participate in various other related activities. None of this takes up more than one day per week and is, in any event, flexible enough to accommodate holidays etc. I find it extremely fulfilling, particularly as it has enabled me to meet a wide range of people, most of them far younger than myself, and to maintain my connections with the Bar. Again, I think that I would have found it very difficult just to sever that contact.
To assist at the law centre, I obtained clearance from the Bar Standards Board (BSB) that, provided I tell clients that I am acting as a volunteer adviser and not as a lawyer and do not do any advocacy, this will fall within the scope of the Guidance for Unregistered Barristers and I do not need to have a practising certificate. The position is not entirely straightforward and it is obviously sensible to check with the BSB’s excellent helpline before doing this sort of work. Also, make sure you are covered by the insurance of whatever charity you’re connected with.
There are plenty of other areas where retired barristers can maintain some connection with the Bar or at least continue using their skillset, whether by participating in the activities of their Inn or acting as volunteer advisers, mentors or charity trustees. While you want to be wary of taking on anything just for the sake of it, Bar in the Community runs an excellent scheme for introducing barristers to appropriate charities in need of that sort of assistance.
Making the decision is not easy and you will probably waver a lot before taking the plunge. But, once you have made it, as my grandfather always said, ‘Do and doubt not.’ Put away your phone and, whatever you do, enjoy yourself after all that hard work.
Read Easy UK is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation providing a volunteer-led reading coaching programme for adults.
National Pro Bono Centre’s Information for Retired Lawyers.
Bar Standards Board’s Guidance for Unregistered Barristers. For more information, email the BSB helpline at authorisations@barstandardsboard.org.uk or tel: 020 7611 1444 (Ext: 865) 9:30am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 3:30pm (Mon-Fri).
Bar in the Community, run by Advocate, offers barristers and chambers’ professionals the opportunity to volunteer their professional skills to support charities across England and Wales.
According to the old adage, barristers never retire, they just hang up their briefs, and certainly, when I came to the Bar in the early 1970s, very few barristers formally did so. Instead, as barristers hit their 60s, while their practice might start to diminish, they could generally rely upon a few faithful solicitors – usually old-style managing clerks – to keep them afloat. Since rent was assessed by reference to earnings, there was no great hardship if work began to tail off – they would just be seen less often, except, of course, when attending functions. Nowadays, with the escalating costs of chambers, insurance and other professional obligations, together with the high octane pressure imposed by solicitors, it is less feasible to scale down your practice in this way. Save for some high-flyers and those who can become commercial arbitrators, it is generally a question of all or nothing but that does not mean moving from hero to zero.
Obviously, the financial aspect is crucial, but I will leave that to one side, save to say that it is extremely complex, not least given the tax implications, and I was and remain totally dependent on my excellent financial adviser who successfully steered me through the Equitable Life disaster in the 1990s and has looked after me ever since. Unless you really understand finance, it would be very unwise to think you can plan your own investment strategy. How exactly you handle the retirement process is of course something to discuss with your chambers. Mine were extremely sympathetic and allowed me to give a provisional unpublicised notice, so that work did not dry up immediately and solicitors were only informed near the final date.
After 40 years at the Bar, I retired aged 63 at a time when I hoped I still had enough energy to do something new. Because my family had been in China and the East throughout the 19th century and I had a lot of family papers, I wanted to research their lives and decided the best way to do it would be by undertaking a Ph.D.. Fortunately, I found a highly respected academic at Bristol University willing to take me on and be my supervisor which has been a very stimulating relationship. Since completing my Ph.D., I have become an honorary associate at Bristol and have had three books published about Britain in China, the latest, The Alcock Album: Scenes of China Consular Life (1843-1853), came out last year.
I have no doubts that, had I not had something intellectually challenging to do, I would have found it very difficult to make the transition and simply cease practice. It may have been unusual to go to the lengths of doing a doctorate but to move from a busy practice to gardening, sticking in photographs and ferrying grandchildren to their various activities may not be sufficient for many barristers.
So, my main tip is not to underestimate how much you will miss the adrenalin rush that comes from life at the Bar, including all the anxiety of going to court. I still have nightmares of having to appear without a stitch of clothing on save for my wig and gown. The change is not easy, particularly if you have a partner who has plenty to occupy their time and will not welcome you hanging round the house trying to think of things to do. Although in one sense you are on holiday all the time, I find that it is a good idea, within reason, to structure your time so that you still think in terms of weekends and holidays.
Travel is an obvious option but whatever you do does need to be reasonably challenging. A few weeks ago, I met a judge who told me that he intended to retire at 72, and when he did so, he and his wife were going to charter a large yacht and sail it round the South Pacific, which certainly put me in my place. Of course, it is important to keep fit but don’t be tempted to take up distance running as a retirement project; it is very bad for the joints! Artists and musicians manqués can finally do what they have always wanted to, one colleague has embarked on a creative writing course (although beware the loneliness of being a writer), another is doing some amateur dramatics and another provides adult literary coaching for a charity, Read Easy, which they find extremely rewarding.
Obviously, there is a vast range of options but, for me, it was important to maintain some connection with the law and my chambers. As I had specialised in employment law, there was plenty of opportunity to do some pro bono work. Having always found the subject interesting, in terms of both the legal issues and the human dimension, I continued as a trustee and reviewer for Advocate, work as a volunteer adviser at a law centre and participate in various other related activities. None of this takes up more than one day per week and is, in any event, flexible enough to accommodate holidays etc. I find it extremely fulfilling, particularly as it has enabled me to meet a wide range of people, most of them far younger than myself, and to maintain my connections with the Bar. Again, I think that I would have found it very difficult just to sever that contact.
To assist at the law centre, I obtained clearance from the Bar Standards Board (BSB) that, provided I tell clients that I am acting as a volunteer adviser and not as a lawyer and do not do any advocacy, this will fall within the scope of the Guidance for Unregistered Barristers and I do not need to have a practising certificate. The position is not entirely straightforward and it is obviously sensible to check with the BSB’s excellent helpline before doing this sort of work. Also, make sure you are covered by the insurance of whatever charity you’re connected with.
There are plenty of other areas where retired barristers can maintain some connection with the Bar or at least continue using their skillset, whether by participating in the activities of their Inn or acting as volunteer advisers, mentors or charity trustees. While you want to be wary of taking on anything just for the sake of it, Bar in the Community runs an excellent scheme for introducing barristers to appropriate charities in need of that sort of assistance.
Making the decision is not easy and you will probably waver a lot before taking the plunge. But, once you have made it, as my grandfather always said, ‘Do and doubt not.’ Put away your phone and, whatever you do, enjoy yourself after all that hard work.
Read Easy UK is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation providing a volunteer-led reading coaching programme for adults.
National Pro Bono Centre’s Information for Retired Lawyers.
Bar Standards Board’s Guidance for Unregistered Barristers. For more information, email the BSB helpline at authorisations@barstandardsboard.org.uk or tel: 020 7611 1444 (Ext: 865) 9:30am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 3:30pm (Mon-Fri).
Bar in the Community, run by Advocate, offers barristers and chambers’ professionals the opportunity to volunteer their professional skills to support charities across England and Wales.
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