Nobody is born an advocate. Somewhere between the first nervous appearance and the day a court finally listens, a transformation happens — and it happens differently for everyone. This series exists to document that transformation, one lawyer at a time: senior advocates and juniors, litigators and transactional lawyers, those in glittering chambers and those holding the line in district courts far from the cameras.

Each interview will follow five movements. The road in: education, pupillage, the first brief, and the seniors who opened (or closed) doors. The craft: how they prepare, how they draft, how they cross-examine, how they negotiate — the working methods that are usually learned only by watching. The practice: building a client base honestly, keeping ethics intact under commercial pressure, and what fees mean for access to justice. The profession: what must change in legal practice over the next ten years, from technology to the treatment of juniors. And finally, the person: the routines, the reading, the failures they survived, and the single piece of advice they would give a fresh graduate entering the profession today.

Our first interviews are being scheduled now. If there is an advocate whose story you believe deserves telling — including the quiet ones who never seek publicity — nominate them through our contact page. The profession’s wisdom should not retire when its holders do.