‘sorry love which barrister are you doing work experience with?’
‘if you just wait there until your barrister arrives’
‘if you’re just here to take notes, please can you sit in the public gallery’
‘have you seen the barrister yet?’
 …. are all comments that were directed at me during my first year of practice as a barrister.
By Grace Gwynne, barrister, No5 Barristers' Chambers
Each time I heard them, I would instantly feel shy and humiliated; my mouth would become dry and my head would feel hot. However, as embarrassing as those comments were, I would simply smile and politely inform them that I, in fact, was the barrister that they were referring to. I would observe their eyes slightly widen and see their faces become increasingly claret. Each occasion was an awkward encounter, but it was...