Pamela Scriven QC Talk – The Marist School

On Thursday 1 May, we were very fortunate to welcome Pamela Scriven QC to The Marist School, where she delivered an inspiring and thought-provoking talk to our pupils.

Pamela Scriven QC practised at the Bar for over forty years, and specialised in all areas of children’s law. Over the course of her career, she was involved in some of the longest, most serious, and complex cases in this field.

She served as Chairman of the Family Law Bar Association for three years and was later made an honorary lifetime Vice Chairman. She was also a member of the Bar Council.

In addition to her practice at the bar, she held several judicial appointments, including Deputy High Court Judge in the Family Division, Recorder, Commissioner of the Royal Court of Jersey and Lieutenant Bailiff Royal Court of Guernsey.

Pamela has lectured both within the United Kingdom and internationally and has been involved in the training of judges and advocates. She is also a Master of the Bench at the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.

During her talk, she shared insights into her career and the experiences that influenced her journey. She reminisced on being 15 years old in a classroom when she was told, “You can’t be a barrister – women aren’t barristers.”

She reflected on when she first started reading law with 110 people in her year, only 10 being women. She highlighted the impact of her father’s encouragement – telling her that she could do anything she set her mind to – a key source of motivation and resilience.

She gave valuable advice for those wanting to stand up at the bar and how to stand out in a competitive industry as well as what first steps to take towards a legal career.

Pamela also spoke about her involvement in key legal cases, including the Bellinger vs Bellinger case in 2003, which resulted in a declaration of incompatibility – a legal milestone. She also discussed the Miller cases which some of our students have been covering in their lessons, linking classroom learning to real-world legal practice.

She shared a powerful message: that the greatest lessons came from the cases that went wrong.

Our pupils had an opportunity to ask questions and share opinions on current topics with Pamela, which they used to their advantage. It was an invaluable session.