photo
PRINT | EMAIL | TEXT SIZE: ＋ － | RSS

A Guiding Hand

From an Interview with Alphege Bell

Alphege Bell is a barrister working in London, U.K. He was called to the bar in 1995 and has worked on cases at the House of Lords, and internationally on human rights cases as well as immigration and military tribunal work. Most recently he has specialized in high-profile criminal defense work. Here he describes his relationship with Richard Ferguson QC (1935-2009) who defended some of the most complex cases in recent British legal history and rose to fame as a champion of justice.

photo

I met my mentor at a Christmas party networking event when I was a student. He took an interest in me, and I was receptive to his advice. I needed a mentor because the profession is very competitive. Not very many are let through the hoops, and you need all the help you can get.

The qualities of a good mentor are anticipating challenges the mentee might face, being able to give tailor-made assistance and advice about how to meet those challenges and creating gateways for them. Being a mentor is about shepherding someone, particularly in a career sense, so they feel that they can present you with any problem, and that you will operate as a good sounding board. Still, the most substantial thing I gained was the opportunity to understand at the very highest level the way that cases are prepared and that there is a golden standard of how to operate when under pressure from the media in high-profile cases.

Dick [Richard Ferguson] would be dealing with some of the most important cases in the country. I was learning from him how to do these cases well. There is the theory about what the approach is, but that is very different from what it is like on the front line, with the sole burden of responsibility for finding a solution, which the client will want to be nothing less than perfect.

photo
[©Stockbyte/Getty Images]

It is harder to invent the wheel yourself and do everything than for someone to give you the steer. This is the difference between teaching yourself something and being taught. There is only a very small group of lawyers who do the top line of work. It is a rarified world, and any access you get by way of learning, observation and preparation is part of your professional development. However, it is not simply about becoming a carbon copy. There was a sense of clarity at the technical level and of developing confidence, so as to understand that I did have the requisite ability to work at the highest level, and to interpret for myself what I could bring to that arena.

There is a commitment and an ethos to mentoring. I have always tried to be a mentor to other people since I was young. At the moment there is a trend that people try to operate as individuals and not bring collective benefit to others by reaching out. I set up the Oxford Access Scheme to help people apply to the institution [of the bar in the U.K.], and to set up meaningful and tangible ways to assist the up-and-coming. I am always committed to that.

It is not just about transmitting knowledge; that is the difference between mentoring and teaching. A computer can teach. There is the pastoral and emotional and psychological side to mentoring, engaging with those aspects in addition to knowledge-based issues. Anybody starting out on a new road needs a level of accomplishment and ability. I had a Law Degree from Oxford University, which should be enough, but you need someone to give you a bit of confidence and reassurance. Some people are already very confident but need to integrate their skills into the arena of work. None of us are "self-actualized," with surround vision; none of us are complete individuals. We need self and others to ensure we can maximize our potential. We can all benefit from a mentor; the benefit is unarguable, although it doesn't reduce the hard work and application required.

TOP