20 Lessons from 20 Years in Practice as a Criminal Defence Lawyer
- Namita Pawa
- Nov 11
- 6 min read
Day 1 as a Criminal Lawyer
1 November 2025 marked 20 years since I was admitted to the roll as a Solicitor of England and Wales. I remember the day well – no congratulations or celebration – instead ‘here’s a pile of files, get to St Albans Mags now and deal with them’. No notice, nor time to read or prepare and only a vague instruction to get the ‘AI’ – which had a very different meaning then than it does now, standing for Advanced Information – in reality what the Prosecution provided so you could try to understand the case against your client.
I had never even stepped foot into a magistrates’ court before. From security I was directed to “The Advocates Room” – hidden away down various corridors with ripped chairs and bashed in lockers – still, there were genuine lawyers inside and I was now one of them. It might have been my brand new suit that gave me away as being so brand new myself but I am eternally grateful to the kind Solicitor who gave me advice that day that I have passed on to every paralegal and junior Solicitor since – sit in court and watch, then watch some more and after you have finished your advocacy, stay behind and watch again. Oh – and make friends with the “clerks” (now called Legal Advisors).
The time from my days as a paralegal, a trainee Solicitor and that first day on my feet to now – 20 years later has gone by in a flash. But, I have so many stories of the many cases I have worked on; plenty of highs, lows and everything in between that I recall so vividly. It has been a privilege to have worked on the whole spectrum of criminal cases at four different firms alongside some of the most talented Solicitors in the profession. Travelling up and down the country, visiting various courts, prisons and police stations has not only earned me the nickname ‘SatNam’ but enabled me to see parts of the country I never knew (or sometimes wanted to know) existed. I have met people from all walks of life, watched the finest advocates on their feet and made some cracking friendships along the way. The thrill of the job is as present today as it has ever been and I try not to take for granted what a privilege it is to be able to help people navigate the criminal justice system, often when they are at their most vulnerable.
So apart from a trip down memory lane, where is this going?
20 Tips from my 20 years as a Criminal Defence Solicitor
I am by no means wise, but there are some things I have picked up in my time in practice that I thought I would share. So here are 20 tips from my 20 years in practice as a criminal defence lawyer in London.
Building relationships is key. Colleagues in your office, lawyers at other firms, clerks, counsel, court staff, custody sergeants. They can make your working life smooth or painful so invest your time in relationship-building.
Attend everything – someone once said that I would go to the opening of an envelope. I was initially a little offended and then laughed out loud because it was true. I attended everything and met everyone and that is where my key relationships were formed and developed. As the years have passed, I can now pick and choose which envelope openings I attend.
If you make a mistake, own it immediately and tell whoever needs to know so you can remedy the situation. The longer something is left, the worse it gets.
If someone else makes a mistake – don’t have a go at them. Set expectations for your team and colleagues. Everyone is human and making mistakes is a part of life. So, if something goes wrong, and the individual is brave enough to come and talk to you, listen with empathy and work together to solve the problem.
Stick to your specialism. If you specialise in crime, stick to crime. If you are asked to get involved in a different area of law, develop your network outside of your specialty and refer on.
The learning never ends. The law is ever evolving and therefore if you think you know it all, you will already be out of date. Attend lectures and updates, often put on by various chambers. Sign up to webinars and other legal publications that deliver updates to your inbox. Read them, don’t ignore them. You never know when the topic will come up in a case and a bell will ring from something you have read.
Don’t view other solicitors in the profession as your competition. View them as your peers, an in-built support network, a referral source, a sense check. They are the only people who understand what it is like to do this job.
Set your standards high and keep them there. Some might call you hard work/pedantic but in fact what you are doing is ensuring the absolute highest levels of client care. Having these standards for yourself and demanding the same from others you work with – colleagues in your team and barristers you instruct. Everyone knows they need to be on their A game when they work with you and ultimately it is for the client’s benefit.
Always seek to provide accurate, timely advice delivered in a kind and empathetic fashion.
Develop your own style of training and leading a team. Just because something has been done in a particular way for years, doesn’t mean it fits now or is right for your style.
Trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t, but the choice whether to listen to it is yours. This applies to work, colleagues, cases and life. The longer you are in this job the greater your experience, and the more you develop an instinct about things.
Preparation is key – “winging it” is not an option. Take the time to read everything and stay on top of the details. You need to be able to hold your own when you are challenged in Court. Or when a client raises a point, you know exactly what they are referring to and have already prepared how it needs to be addressed or factored into the case preparation.
Time management is an underrated skill. Build good practices as early as possible and hone them as you progress. Learn to organise your time, stay on top of your tasks so they don’t slip. Find systems and strategies that work for you – blocking time in your diary, a to-do list, colour-coding your inbox – whatever works for you. There are also so many apps now available, often built into case management software.
Your legal career is long – it’s marathon, not a sprint. Be ambitious by all means, but don’t be in a hurry to progress and move to the next stage. Enoy where you are and move at your own pace, not the pace of those around you.
Take the opportunities when they present themselves, and look for the opportunities in everything. You never know where a passing conversation might lead, so remember to follow it up.
Have a positive attitude. Some days are hard and that’s ok. But having a good attitude about whatever situation presents itself is key. You have a choice about how you are going to respond to a situation. Find humour in as much as possible and people to share it with.
Work hard play hard? I prefer play hard but work harder. There is no short cut to hard work, and you should expect to work hard throughout your career. There are many opportunities for socialising in our profession. Attend them and have a great time, but not at the expense of your work.
Make sure you take time off – work will still be there when you get back. I always used to feel guilty about taking a break but ultimately, I benefitted from the physical and mental break and so did my clients. 20 years on, I still have to remind myself of this, but I am getting better at it.
Be present. This is a busy job and the to do list is never complete. But when you’re sitting in with a client, be present and make sure they feel heard. Navigating the Criminal Justice System may very well be the most difficult thing they have been through and they need reassurance that you understand that and are there to help and guide them.
And finally…. be grateful for the advances in technology. Really deep papercuts were a right of passage. The digital age has put a stop to this, and we are all the better of for it. When you start to curse Adobe and having to collate and paginate a bundle, be grateful you just do it once and then send it to print. Long gone are the days of using the paginator stamp and hours in front of a photocopier.
