legal matters
No defence for jargon I
Author of a new, monthly legal column in Parking News, Claudia Gerrard introduces herself and explains why she thinks the law should be demystifi ed
n the past, when someone asked me why I chose to study law, my spontaneous answer was always: ‘it seemed like a good idea at
the time.’ Yet, looking back, like many undergraduates, I was relatively ignorant about ‘the law’ and what it entailed. In fact, it wasn’t until the end of my fi rst year at university that I realised ‘the law’ didn’t fall into one neat package. It wasn’t an easy subject to study, nor was it simple and straightforward. Instead, it was a quagmire
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of mysterious subjects – tort, equity and administrative law. With the growing number of cases and statutes, I thought how diffi cult it must be for non-lawyers to understand and apply ‘the law’. Luckily, there
commercial, pragmatic legal advice has stayed with me, especially now as legal director at Ortolan Legal. Providing advice that clients really need is fundamentally important, as is making sure they understand it, without using incomprehensible Latin
That basic approach remained with me – give the client what they want: solutions, not problems
were subjects I really enjoyed. Commercial, contract and employment law felt real to me and had meaning in the day-to- day world. T ree years later I left university clutching my law degree. T e Bar by contrast was
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completely diff erent. Mooting and abstract theories gave me no sense of reality or relevancy. So I decided to head out into the world of commerce and industry, as an in-house lawyer. Embarking on the next phase
of my career was an eye- opener. My fi rst in-house job
or specialist legal terms. I also don’t want price to be a deterring factor. Clients are advised to seek legal help before problems arise, as swift action early on could save expensive legal costs later on. So now, 20 years on, when
people ask me why I went into law, I answer truthfully: ‘to be a good lawyer’.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Claudia Gerrard is legal director for Ortolan Legal Limited
Next month Claudia will demystify the Equality Act
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was with a trade association, the Heating and Ventilation Contractors Association (HVCA). Dealing with queries from businesses taught me that clients just want to know what to do, without legal jargon and complex case law. I went on to work with other companies, but that initial, basic approach remained with me – give the client what they want: solutions, not problems. T at desire to provide
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