Julia Middleton
Which area of the law do you work in?
Family law – mainly divorce, finances and private children matters. I also am a collaborative lawyer and mediator.
Did you always envisage a career in the industry?
As a child I initially wanted to be a hairdresser, and then a fiction writer. I decided I wanted to be a lawyer when I was about 13 years old and watched repeats of LA Law and was attracted to making witnesses cry in cross examination and the power suits the women wore!
What has been your career path so far?
I trained with a sole practitioner in my native South Shields, worked as a newly qualified family solicitor briefly in Manchester and Gateshead then worked for 13 ½ years at Ward Hadaway in the family department before joining EMG in 2017. I am Head of the Family Team here at EMG and I became a Director at the firm in April 2020. In this role I feel I can make a real difference and give input to the growth strategy alongside the firm’s other Directors.
What have been the biggest challenges you have faced so far?
There has been a huge level of change in the profession from when I trained to now – it is almost like a different career. Initially I did not have an email address or work mobile phone and so managing client expectations was very different. There was less emphasis on business development as there was a lot of work due to readily available legal aid in family law. Having said that there was little opportunity to develop and enhance other skills such as mediation, arbitration and collaboration.
Who do you most respect in your industry?
Any person that juggles children, career and having a life!
Which fictional lawyer would you most like to meet?
Very low brow but probably Harvey Specter from Suits.
What is your greatest strength?
Ability to listen (I think).
What is your biggest weakness?
Not finishing a task before starting another. What are your remaining career aspirations? To become an accredited family mediator which I am working towards now. How do you see your industry evolving in the next ten years? I think most divorces, financial matters and private law children cases with no safeguarding issues will be dealt with out of the court arena – through dispute resolution such as mediation or arbitration.
