In Camera - She chose maritime law for all the wrong reasons

THERE are some who say they entered the maritime profession due to a family link or having spent time at sea. Others will say it was purely accidental. Louise Glover is one of the latter. In fact, it could be said that she chose maritime law for all the wrong reasons.

Louise's career began at London-based law firm, Richards Butler, where she did her articles. "That dates me, as articles don't exist any more," she says, in horror. It was here that Louise qualified in 1982. During her training, she had placements in a number of different departments, none of which really inspired her. That was until she joined the maritime team.

"With fluctuating oil prices and freight rates, it was a very exciting time, with lots of disputes taking place," she recalls. "Also, everyone seemed to be flying around the world to the likes of Rio and Singapore, which made it all seem very glamorous." Having decided to settle on maritime law, Louise soon found herself out and about on location, too, but sadly only as far as Middlesborough on the UK's north-east coast. "Not quite as glamorous as I had imagined," she laughs.

But that didn't put her off. In 1991 she moved to specialist maritime, transport and trade firm, Holmes Hardingham Walser Johnston Winter, otherwise known as Holmes Hardingham, where she became a partner in 1992. Today, Louise specialises in charter party and bill of lading disputes, and dry shipping work generally. Although her main clients are P&I clubs, she also regularly works with foreign lawyers, charterers and traders. She is also the firm's in-house mediation adviser and oversees its continuous professional development programme.

She may have missed out on those heady days of intercontinental travel, but otherwise maritime law has more than fulfilled her expectations "It is difficult to think of any other job which would provide such fascinating problem-solving challenges, plus daily contact with such diverse and interesting people worldwide," she says.

Although many will say that seagoing experience is an important requirement for a maritime lawyer, being a technically good lawyer is the prime requirement, according to Louise. Additionally, maritime law has its own special demands. "Adaptability is one of the characteristics that makes a good maritime lawyer," she says. "Things may change from hour to hour. Detailed advice you give one morning may have been overtaken by events that afternoon.

"Also, much of my work involves contracts with abbreviated English used as a second or third language. That often requires some lateral thought to work out what was really intended by those words. The language factor also means that it is particularly important for a maritime lawyer to be able to express complex legal advice in a straightforward and understandable way," she adds.

In a specialised industry like the maritime business, it is easier for a lawyer to understand the challenges that clients face, and their needs. One of those challenges, Louise acknowledges, is quick and cheap dispute resolution with a result that is fair and accurate. "It is an increasingly important skill for a maritime lawyer to be able to achieve a balance between thorough preparation of a case and the costs level required by the market," she says

One area of dispute resolution that Louise is becoming increasingly involved in is mediation. As a qualified mediator she has been involved in a number of maritime mediations and welcomes the increasing role of the courts in encouraging parties to try ADR. "Mediation is certainly an important tool for the industry in developing the low-cost and effective means of dispute resolution the market requires," says Louise.

Ironically, however, an increase in alternative methods of dispute resolution has contributed to one of the problems which Louise believes now faces the industry - a dearth of court decisions on charter party and related matters. "Fewer of these cases are going to court. Without court decisions there may be no real guidance on a particular area or problem," she says. As Louise points out, this can make advising very exciting and challenging but it is a pity that the wealth of maritime law that contributed to the UK's popularity as a forum may now be in decline.

"In addition, cases on modern problems, such as the impact of terrorism or SARS-type outbreaks, may never reach the law reports. There is a lot of discussion under way on increased publication of awards, but that only partly solves the problem," she says. "It is, however, an issue that has been recognised and is being looked into by various bodies."

Another important characteristic for a good maritime lawyer is the ability to stand back from a problem and look at it in perspective. For Louise, some of that perspective comes from an unusual angle. "It is amazing how many tactical ideas come from thinking in the bath in the morning," she says. After that, her six-mile cycle to work puts her in the mood for fighting.

Although part of the attraction of the job is that no two days are the same, there are some common threads. Much of her morning tends to be taken up dealing with phone calls and emails. "A big part of the job is responding quickly and dealing with things that have arisen overnight. It is not usually until the late afternoon or evening that I get the chance to sit down and write more detailed advice," she says.

Given her daily battle with the London traffic, you'd think Louise would jump at the chance of working abroad, even for a short amount of time but, by her own admission, as a maritime lawyer she can't think of anywhere better to work than the UK. But, pressed on the matter, climate is the deciding factor, so possibly Australia. "If I could do the same work with the same clients but stroll along the beach to the office, I could see myself getting used to that," she says. So, if there are any Australian lawyers out there looking to trade in the sun, sea and sand of down under for the drizzle and congestion of London, you know who to call.

Not surprisingly, when Louise isn't at work, she spends much of her time outdoors, at her second home in Hampshire. As well as cycling, she enjoys tennis and is responsible for organising the hugely popular tennis tournament that has become a firm fixture at the biennial Posidonia event. She also spends as much free time as possible horse-riding and competing in horse trials, but admits to spending most of it falling off. Nor is she entirely land-based. She occasionally "gets in the way" as she puts it, on her husband's racing yacht in the Solent. "Seagoing experience for me usually involves getting rather cold and wet, and wondering why we don't have a nice comfortable boat with a galley and hot water," she laughs.

And when she's not doing all that, her work does offer some travel opportunities, especially to Italy and Greece. But, she complains, "Something I haven't worked out yet is why, the more senior you become, the less you get out of the office." Maybe she should have followed in her father's footsteps and become a journalist. Harbouring a love for writing, Louise quite fancied herself as a foreign correspondent or even the editor of The Times. She also has some fascinating ideas for magazine columns, particularly alternative careers for maritime lawyers. Let's face it, who hasn't spent an afternoon dreaming of running that quaint little hotel in the Tuscan mountains?

It may have been accidental, and it may have been for all the wrong reasons, but Louise was soon hooked on maritime law and has never looked back. But, as she points out, she never has made it to Rio, or Singapore for that matter.