Award-winning and renowned Family law Barrister with over 20 years of experience at the forefront of the legal arena Paula Rhone-Adrien is an award-winning and renowned Family law Barrister with over two decades of experience practising from Lamb Building Chambers in central London. Paula has been at the Bar for over 20 years and is widely known and respected as a leader in her field of work by the likes of the BBC and The Times. She recently achieved the highly prestigious industry award of Lawyer of the Week by The Times.
Paula regularly attends Court representing clients across the social spectrum, from the Magistrates’ Court to the Court of Appeal, in a range of areas including divorce and finances; disputes between parents regarding where their child should live or how much time they should spend with the other; the region/country a child should live in; child welfare, be that the concerns of social services regarding negligent parenting (sexual, physical or emotional abuse) or one parent accusing the other; and domestic abuse (representing the alleged victim or the alleged perpetrator).
Paula is able to skilfully communicate complicated legal issues to her audience and the public, having represented a wide cross-section of society, facing the most terrible of outcomes and being a successful mediator.
1. What are you working on at the moment?
I’m in a trial at the moment; the parents are currently in a three-year battle over which parent the child should live with and how much time the child should spend with the other. It’s as brutal and sad as it sounds.
2. Why did you decide to work in your current career field?
I genuinely like to help people; find answers to difficult life-impacting questions, and to push my intelligence and emotional quotient. I also love being my own boss and having the freedom to explore other business opportunities.
3. Which entrepreneur inspires you?
Annie Malone. Annie was born in 1869 and was the child of recently freed slaves. Annie didn’t allow her surroundings in our society to dictate the path she took and went onto become one of America’s first black female millionaires. It is important to recognise inequality and challenge less favourable treatment. However, it is also important to teach the possibility. It is the I’m possible as opposed to the impossible narrative that every entrepreneur ultimately believes in.
4. The secret to your success?
Believing I am possible and accepting that my past failures provide solid confirmation that my current success in that particular endeavour was right.
5. 1 word to sum up your career trajectory?
Right.
