From Danish pastries to a Lord Denning Scholarship: An interview with aspiring barrister, Huda Musa

In this broad interview, Huda Musa discussed her university experiences, her career motivations, and provided advice to aspiring barristers.

How was your year abroad in Denmark?

Being my first time in Scandinavia, it was a fantastic culture change. I learned how to ride a bike and picked up some Danish vocab. My personal favourite Danish word is snabel-a, which describes the @ symbol as the ‘a with an elephant’s trunk’!

The law modules I enrolled in were fantastic, especially Legal Negotiations which was taught by a lecturer who had worked alongside Joe Navarro, a leading ex-FBI agent and global expert on body language and nonverbal communications.

I also made lots of international friends, faced challenges that come with living independently in a new country and took my resilience further than ever before. The all-round experience was amazing.

What skills did you improve in Denmark?

In Denmark, my law exams were oral. These pushed me to improve my communication and advocacy skills; skills essential for any advocate in court. I also had to think on my feet and work effectively under stress when responding to the examiners’ questions.

I was fortunate enough to be selected to represent Denmark in international legal competitions in Paris and Hamburg. These competitions furthered my people-skills when networking with world-renowned legal professionals.

How have you refined your communication skills at University?

I found university workshops and networking events to be a great way to further communication skills as these allowed me to meet lots of legal professionals.

Competing in mooting is hugely beneficial for an aspiring barrister insofar as developing confidence in public speaking and persuasion. I was lucky enough to be the UEA Law Society Head of Mooting where I worked alongside the committee to run and oversee mooting competitions involving 140 student competitors. You can visibly see the progress students make throughout the competition.

The UEA Street-Law scheme also allowed me to practise communication and public speaking skills when teaching school children about law, by running mock trials, negotiations and mediations.

What was your motivation to become a criminal barrister?

When competing in mooting, I realised just how much I loved public speaking and persuasion. The Bar, and crime specifically, were only affirmed during mini-pupillages when I fell in love with the chaotic nature of practice, the skills involved, and the impact an advocate can have on a person’s life.

The University Justice Project enabled me to work on pro-bono cases and potential miscarriages of justice, and on my mini-pupillages I observed cases that ranged from murder to public disorder.

These experiences showed me that from a personal point of view, the criminal Bar is the area of law with the greatest potential to directly affect an individual’s life. I learned that not every case is ground-breaking, but each case matters to that individual. Criminal law is not the most glamorous type of work, but it promises the potential to make a real difference in an environment where no two days are the same.

How have you fostered the necessary levels of self-confidence?

The reality of this career is that it is so competitive that you cannot afford to lack confidence in yourself. However, if we are going to be honest, we all doubt ourselves.

It is only natural to have these moments of self-doubt; what matters is that you channel that into becoming a stronger person. If you do this, there is no reason why you cannot reach your goal, whatever that may be.

What does it mean to have attained a scholarship with the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn?

I still feel delighted and honoured to have received a Lord Denning Scholarship from the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn. Out of the four Inns of Court, Lincoln’s Inn was where most of my contacts were. Every member of the Inn that I had met was extremely friendly and I fell in love with the Inn itself when visiting it a few times prior to applying.

Having an Inn’s of Court scholarship means my BTC is funded, which is a massive financial relief, but also a huge symbol of faith in my abilities; faith that I will work hard to deliver upon in my BTC studies.

What advice would you give for Inns of Court applications?

A barrister once told me: If you don’t think you are good enough to apply for an Inns of Court scholarship, you’re probably not good enough to go to the Bar. You have to believe you are good enough to apply and maintain this attitude even if you are at first unsuccessful. That does not mean that not getting a scholarship means you won’t be a good barrister – some of the leading advocates in the country didn’t get scholarships. The point is you have to believe you are good enough to apply.

Whilst all four Inns are similar in what they offer, they vary in their application processes. Middle Temple and Inner Temple automatically interview every applicant whereas Lincoln’s and Gray’s do not. Therefore, Middle and Inner’s process may suit an applicant who believes that interview is where they can really wow a panel. However, Lincoln’s or Gray’s might be good for an applicant who believes they are strong on paper and thus has a good chance of getting through the initial paper sift. Remember, you can only apply to one Inn per year (the deadline for all Inns is November 1st).

How important is it for an aspiring barrister to build a network of contacts?

At the self-employed Bar, contacts are fundamental. Establishing your practice is crucial to your success. I personally have a ‘little book of contacts’ which I have gradually compiled from meeting and networking with legal professionals. Make use of your contacts; they will be happy to help you and potentially guide your career path. I am now fortunate enough to have a host of professional contacts, some of whom I consider friends and catch up with regularly.

How important are scholarships when enrolling on the BPTC?

I will be doing my BTC in September with BPP and I am in the fortunate position of having 3 BPP scholarships alongside the Lord Denning scholarship from Lincoln’s Inn.

The BTC is very expensive and this is unfortunately a barrier for many aspiring barristers. Therefore, scholarships can be fantastic in terms of financial aid. So, I would definitely advise others to utilise financial support schemes. The Inns of Court also offer huge support and bursaries to pay for the course and/or living costs. Make sure to also look at the financial support offered by your BTC provider.

Scholarships are also great for your CV. However, I genuinely believe that not getting a scholarship is not an indication of how good a barrister you will be. Like I said, many leading advocates didn’t get a scholarship. If you get one, great, but if you don’t, keep moving forward. My advice is just apply! You never know what will happen.

What advice would you give to scholarship applicants?

When demonstrating your eligibility, providing evidence to substantiate your claims is key. When saying ‘public speaking is one of my strengths’, back this up with an example where you have shown public speaking, like mooting.

For each experience, identify the skills that you have developed and link those directly to the Bar. The more specific you can be, the better. For instance, mooting obviously requires public speaking. However, go further and think about how it may have improved your ability to structure arguments logically, convey points coherently and persuasively, and respond to rigorous judicial intervention. If you can talk about a specific moot, even better.

What do you expect of life as a qualified criminal barrister?

Mini-pupillages showed me that life at the Bar is very demanding. Barristers work long hours and may sometimes deal with difficult clients and vulnerable witnesses. As well as being demanding, the job is incredibly rewarding. For instance, calling up a client to tell them you have gotten the outcome they were hoping for is an amazing feeling. The skills you develop – learning to persuade a jury, fearlessly putting forward your client’s case, responding to judicial interventions, all whilst maintaining your integrity – they’re more like an art than a job. Having a realistic insight and appreciation for all of this is the best way to prepare for the chaotic nature of practice at the Bar and put in the work needed to get there.

What skills are especially crucial for a criminal barrister?

I think integrity is the most important quality for an advocate; it’s fundamental in establishing one’s practice, reputation and success. Be kind and respectful to every single person you meet, whether it be the court usher, the judge, opposing counsel or anyone.

The demanding nature of the Bar means resilience is absolutely key, particularly in crime where days will be especially long and challenging. Resilience is needed to not only get through it, but to continue to move forwards and thrive.

Then, of course, there’s advocacy. Advocacy goes beyond speaking in court. It extends to more specific but powerful things, like appreciating that when a judge is asking a question, they are only exposing their hesitations and giving you the opportunity to alleviate those concerns. Then dealing with the question in a way that does that.

What has been your most valuable work experience?

Every piece of work experience has been extremely valuable in different ways and I’m grateful to all the legal professionals that gave me those experiences. One experience that always comes to mind is my first mini-pupillage, because not only was it my first experience at the Bar, it was my first insight into crime. I was thrown into the deep end on a multi-faceted 6-week sex trafficking case in Southwark Crown Court. I loved it so much that I travelled back to London after the mini-pupillage was over just so I could see the case through. That mini marked the moment when I knew I wanted to go to the criminal Bar, and I told myself that I’ll work as hard as it takes to get there (which I still do!)

How did you navigate the mini-pupillage application process?

The first place to look is Chambers’ websites. It’s a time-consuming and competitive but thoroughly rewarding process. So, after researching Chambers that I was interested in, I created a spreadsheet of respective deadlines, and my own personal deadlines that were slightly tighter so I knew I’d be able to get the applications done in time.

Also, use your initiative and contact barristers. I don’t have any legal contacts as family members or family friends so all contacts I have I made through networking. Get networking and use LinkedIn. I got one mini-pupillage by contacting a QC on LinkedIn and asking for advice. When I look back to that now, I think, gosh how bold of me. But, before I knew it, he was offering for me to shadow him – it was a month-long murder trial with 4 co-defendants! The worst that happens is they don’t reply and you’ve lost nothing. The best that happens is that they see you’re a person using your initiative, they remember their struggles when they were a law student and they help you. That’s what the Bar is about, people helping others.

One of my other minis I got by running across my university campus for 10 minutes to catch a barrister before he left. I had previously met him in court on a day when he told me his wife was making a casserole. I arrived as he was leaving and I was a sweaty mess. All I had to say was, “remember me? You told me about your casserole!” He gave me a mini-pupillage.

Most applications need to be done via the formal process but use your initiative and get your name out there too.

What was your inspiration for going to the Criminal Bar?

There are many. I’ve been inspired just by sitting in the public gallery in court during my free time and watching random cases. Many people don’t realise that that’s something anyone is allowed to do!

I always loved criminal law from my first year and went on to do all the crime optional modules which were incredible.

However, mini-pupillages are when I truly affirmed my ambition to become a criminal barrister. I also did some work experience with a solicitor’s firm which was informative, useful and made me realise that for me, it’s about advocacy at the Bar.

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

I’m really proud to have just graduated with a first-class Law degree after four years at UEA. Having done science subjects at A-level, I initially felt like I had to work much harder than my peers at University to learn how to actually write an essay, let alone a good one. The whole degree, which has consisted of balancing my studies with many extra-curricular activities, part time employment, and work experience, has been one big challenge, but one that is thoroughly rewarding.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career as a Barrister?

It’s a cliché, but grab every opportunity that comes your way and take nothing for granted. Believe that you are good enough and apply for scholarships with your BTC provider as well as Inns of Court. Get to know your careers department at University and go to all the networking and employability events. I got to know a lecturer of mine really well this way and she went on to write me many references for my scholarship applications.

Network! The Criminal Bar is a small world where every contact you make can lead to another. You will meet so many incredible people who are all happy to help you in your journey.

During work experience, make sure you keep note of absolutely everything you do and everyone you meet. There is little value in doing the experience if you aren’t able to later talk about it and what you learned. Take the time to reflect upon your experiences, your learning points, what stood out to you etc. I’ve filled up 2 entire diaries doing this. You’ll thank yourself when you’re asked to recall details on application forms and in interviews.

Persevere and don’t be disheartened when things don’t go your way. The challenging nature of the journey to the Bar, and the Bar itself, means you must take setbacks in your stride. You might not get pupillage the first time. You probably won’t get every single university grade that you want. You’ve got to be committed to the whole process, and setbacks are part of it.