Studying Law and Specialising – Tahirah’s experience with AvMA

by Tahirah Hayat, July 2025

Student, Lord Denning Scholar, and volunteer with the medico-legal department’s Panel Data Project

I graduated with a degree in Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and I am currently completing the Bar Vocational Studies course at the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA).

Although I’ve long been interested in work that directly affects people’s lives, my interest in clinical negligence developed more deeply over time through a combination of personal experiences and academic engagement. I first became aware of how life-saving medical treatment can also lead to serious and lasting complications when someone close to me experienced vocal cord impairment following a heart procedure. This situation made me seriously evaluate the lasting impact healthcare outcomes can have on individuals and families (even when treatment is broadly successful).

However, it was the Dr Bawa-Garba case that opened my eyes to the complexities of responsibility in healthcare. It taught me how serious outcomes are influenced by wider system pressures. As well as this, it raised powerful questions about justice for the patients and families affected. Around the same time, my sister was working as an F1 doctor and watching her navigate the long hours and high-pressure situations gave me a very real perspective on just how challenging the medical profession is.

AvMA plays an incredible role in supporting people who’ve been directly affected by clinical negligence, and I wanted to understand more. It can be easy to focus on the legal principles in theory, but I was reminded that behind every case is a person or family, trying to navigate something personal and often traumatic. I also felt drawn to their work around inquests; an area which supports families during a difficult process but also sharpens the kind of legal skills I want to develop and an opportunity to view the scrutiny given to medical decisions.

I’ve found the experience of volunteering eye-opening and incredibly rewarding. It’s given me a much clearer view of how clinical negligence cases progress in practice. I’ve learned about the typical timelines involved, the frequency of resolving via settlements and how rarely cases make it to trial. Seeing the bigger picture has been invaluable in understanding the practical and strategic considerations behind these cases (things that aren’t always obvious when studying law in an academic setting!).

In five years, I hope to be practising as a barrister, with clinical negligence and personal injury as key elements of a broader practice!

My advice to anyone starting out in law is simple: stay curious and keep putting yourself out there, particularly when it comes to volunteering; it can be a game-changer, not just for your CV but for your understanding of the human side of the law. Organisations like AvMA are brilliant for this! They offer a chance to see how the law impacts people’s lives in very real and often emotional ways. Looking ahead, I’d love to continue being involved with AvMA as a barrister, whether through volunteering or taking on pro-bono cases that support their mission.