SEC Lecture: Parenting at the Bar - practice, pressure and family life

Baby at the Bar

Parenting at the Bar: practice, pressure and family life

Date: Thursday 25th June 2026
Time: 18:00 to 19:00
Zoom link: Circulated on the day at 14:00

Introduction: Fiona McAddy, SEC Director of Education, 2BR Chambers

Speakers:
Emma Louise Fenelon (1 Crown Office Row)
Emma Price (5 Essex Chambers)
Matilda Robinson Murphy (2KBW)

Following the Circuit’s International Women’s Day discussion earlier in the year, this session turns to the practical realities of parenting while in active practice at the Bar.

This lecture moves beyond the broader themes to focus on day to day navigation: managing diaries and listing, approaching maternity and paternity leave, maintaining practice and visibility, handling expectations within chambers, and returning to advocacy with confidence. The panel will also consider progression, financial planning and the unspoken pressures that can accompany caring responsibilities.

Drawing on their recent book and their own experience, the speakers will offer frank reflections and practical guidance for pupils, juniors and more senior practitioners alike.

The emphasis will be on candid discussion and workable strategies, equipping attendees with clarity, reassurance and concrete tools for balancing professional commitment with family life.