Following the announcement of their promotion to the partnership, we caught up with our five new partners to chat with them about, amongst other things, what drives them, the importance of a work-life balance, and some of the key lessons they have learnt during their careers so far.

In this edition, we sat down with Daniel Jackson, new partner at BCL, regular early morning gym goer, and ardent Spurs football fan.

How are you feeling about becoming a new partner at BCL and what are you hoping to bring to your new role?

”Enormously excited. It’s the realisation of a longstanding ambition.

I intend to bring my motivation for personal, team and firm-wide success, combined with my passion for always providing the best possible service to our clients. And my dry, quick-witted sense of humour, of course.”

Reflecting on your own career so far, what advice would you give to those that are beginning a career in criminal law?

1. ”Work hard and never give up. The trips to the police station in the early hours are tough but it’s invaluable experience.
2. Expect to learn something new every day and know the law better than the rest.
3. Be ready to network from day 1.”

I bet as a criminal defence lawyer your friends outside of the profession think your job is just like they see on the TV and in films? Following that theme, do you have any favourite legal novels, TV shows or films?

“They do! Some days are certainly as action-packed as you see on the big screen. Others are spent poring over the case papers, which doesn’t make for such great viewing!

I really liked The Lincoln Lawyer (Michael Connelly). In fact, the whole Mickey Haller series is a good holiday read.

In terms of TV series, I didn’t think I would, but I quite enjoyed watching Suits. I definitely drink less whiskey than the cast of the show!”

We all know balancing work vs life is at times difficult so how do you maintain a good balance of meaningful time away from work vs the commitments of a working week?

”If I can, I often try to fit in a gym session before work (even if it means an early alarm) – I find that it sets me up for the working day ahead and rehabilitates my dodgy knee (old rugby injury).

Save for the occasional police station commitment, I dedicate the weekends to spending time with my family.”

How do you relax outside of work and what or where would be your ideal weekend away?

”I am a season ticket holder at Tottenham Hotspur (for my sins!), so I enjoy (results permitting!) attending matches with my family. I love going on activity-filled days out with my wife and two boys at the weekend.

An ideal weekend away with the whole family would be a trip to Euro Disney. If my boys are being looked after by their grandparents, then it would be a European city break, with some sightseeing and local cuisine.”