Our final IWD highlight is Barbara Zeitler.
Barbara came to the Bar after a career as a university lecturer in the United States.
Barbara specialises in property and employment law. She has a substantial landlord and tenant and housing law practice, appearing for both social landlords and tenants and practises in all aspects of employment and discrimination law.
What made you decide to pursue a career in Law?
“It’s difficult to pinpoint the one moment when I decided to become a lawyer. After I graduated, I toyed with the idea of becoming a lawyer but a career of research and teaching seemed more enticing at that stage. A few years of teaching later, though, I wondered where else I could deploy my research and public speaking skills. Becoming a barrister seemed the obvious answer.”
How did your career begin and what area of law were you drawn to?
“I did a law conversion course. During the early years of my practice, I was unsure what area of law I wanted to specialise in. I knew pretty quickly which areas of law I did not want to practise in and what would keep me up at night. Partly as a result of the chambers I was in at the time, I found that landlord and tenant law and the employment law were the areas of law that excited me (and did not keep me up at night).”
What advice would you give females who wish to embark on a legal career?
“I regularly dine with students at my Inn, and the advice I often give to them is to find the area of law that really interests them, as opposed to aiming for a career that will give them the greatest financial reward. It is about finding the right fit and being able to deploy one’s skill set in the best way. It is also important to have confidence in oneself and not be intimidated by others, particularly those who seem very confident, not least because they may not be as confident as they appear.”
Who are some of your role models?
“I find the question about a role model difficult to answer. There are people I am awestruck by, an example being Gisèle Halimi, a trailblazing French lawyer and feminist activist, but can I follow in their footsteps when they live(d) and work(ed) in entirely different circumstances? I try to follow the example of various fellow lawyers: those who work hard and are disciplined, those who encourage the next generation and those who, whilst taking their job very seriously, have a life outside the law.”
