I am delighted to be able to address the thousands of young people hoping to embark on a career in law. Twenty-five years ago I found myself wondering whether a woman from a working-class background could sensibly dream of a career in the law, especially at the Bar. Nobody in my family had ever been to university before, let alone had any involvement in the legal profession. But I took the plunge, managed to finance myself through Bar School, pupillage and the difficult early years and have never regretted my decision. Whilst a newly qualified solicitor or barrister can expect to carry a five-figure debt into employment, it would be tragic if the uncertainty of obtaining training places and employment at the end of it deterred talented people of all backgrounds, race and sex from even contemplating a legal career. This is important not only for the individual sense of job satisfaction but for the future integrity of our legal system. This is even more important since the coming into force in October 2000 of the Human Rights Act 1998. More and more the courts will be hearing disputes of a controversial and political nature and we need judges and lawyers who are equipped both intellectually and socially to rise to these challenges. Should Ronnie Biggs be kept in jail? Should bosses be allowed to read their workers' personal e-mails? As these types of issues illustrate, human rights law is concerned not only with preventing crimes against humanity but with protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms in everyday life. The former are absolute rights and in no circumstances can interference with them be tolerated. However, most fundamental rights and freedoms are qualified or limited in some way, often because they are inconsistent with other fundamental rights and freedoms. Not only do these compete against each other, but also against the interests of the community. It is a truism that the freedom of one person to swing their arm ends where someone else's nose begins. One of the issues that most troubles human rights lawyers and judges is how to measure rights against each other, and how to measure an individual's human rights against the interests of society. In deciding these types of issues, the courts apply what is known as the principle of proportionality. They ask whether the violation of the person's fundamental rights and freedoms is justified in the light of the community goal whose achievement is sought by that violation, and they ask whether the person's rights are violated further than is necessary to achieve that goal. As you can see then, a career in law gives you an opportunity to be involved in important debates about public policy. And the best lawyers never forget that the interests of justice are the first priority both in the way we conduct our cases in court and in the way we recruit into and organise the legal profession. I hope that reading this excellent publication will inspire you to make the law your career in whatever branch you choose to practice and help to continue the ideal of justice into the 21st century. Cherie Booth QC | 
