International Women’s Day Insights: Eleanor Barber, Partner & Solicitor

Written by Eleanor Barber | Family Team | 08 March 2024

This International Women's Day, we're highlighting the journeys, challenges, and experiences of our female lawyers. Their stories show the importance of diversity, resilience, and empowerment in shaping an inclusive legal community.

We’re starting with Eleanor Barber, who heads up our Family Team.

With 15 years of Family Law expertise, Eleanor has been a full member of the Law Society’s Children Panel since 2010 and is also a member of Resolution which encourages cases to be pursued and resolved in a non-antagonistic manner. Eleanor is also a Resolution Accredited Specialist for Complex Financial and Property Matters and also for Domestic Abuse.

Eleanor is a trained Collaborative Lawyer, offering clients the opportunity to resolve issues and disputes through the collaborative process rather than through Court proceedings and is listed as a Leading Lawyer by Wiselaw.

What achievement are you most proud of within your career?

I sit on the Management Board as an equity partner at Nash and I also head up a team of incredible lawyers and support staff.  My team all happen to be women, but that is not by design, they just happen to be the very best people for the job.  There is a supportive culture within the team that ensures that everyone can achieve their potential, and I am very proud of that.

What is a valuable lesson you have learned so far?

Not every firm or every boss will share your values.  Like any relationship, if its not working for you, move on.  There is a firm or team out there that will share your values. When you find them, your full potential will be unleashed.

Which of your strengths have contributed to your success within the profession?

As a family lawyer, I need to be patient, empathetic, kind and fair. I often meet clients at a time where their lives and their world are falling apart. It may be another case to me, but to my client it is their everything. The most successful family lawyers bring that recognition to work every day, and I hope that my clients leave meetings with me feeling that I have listened, understood and am with them 100%.

How do you juggle your personal life and professional life and what advice would you give to other women in your position?

That’s easy.  I have learned to get by on 6 hours sleep and never having a minute to myself.  No, that’s a joke. Well, sort of. But in reality, it is tough to combine a career and family responsibilities, and there is no easy answer. However, for households with two working parents, having children is a shared responsibility and that difficult ‘juggle’  is something that both parents need to address. Not many working men get asked how they ‘juggle’ their personal and professional life, but if we asked that question a bit more, then maybe the ‘juggle’ for working women would become a little easier.