header-logo header-logo

12 December 2022
Categories: Movers & Shakers , Profession
printer mail-detail

NLJ CAREER PROFILE: Nicola Critchley, President of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL)

Nicola Critchley, DWF partner and president of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL), discusses the importance of access to justice and the need for more hours in the day.

What was your route into the profession?

I have always liked a good debate. I followed a traditional route with a law degree, LPC and a training contract.

What has been your biggest career challenge so far?

Time—there are never enough hours in the day. I am still working on my work-life balance!

Which person within the legal profession inspires you most?

It is difficult to single out an individual. I work with amazing colleagues, FOIL, the Civil Justice Council, insurers and the judiciary. I feel very privileged to work with such inspirational and talented people.

If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you choose as an alternate career?

A teacher.

Who is your favourite fictional lawyer?

Grace Van Owen from LA Law.

What change would you make to the profession?

Ensuring there is access to justice for all with sufficient funding for anyone who needs recourse to the law.

How do you relax?

Spending time with my family and friends, and spin and step classes.

Nicola Critchley is a partner at DWF and president of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL).

MOVERS & SHAKERS

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

Commercial property and child law teams expand with senior hires

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Set expands London and Singapore offering with senior international disputes hires

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Firm strengthens real estate and litigation teams with partner promotions

NEWS
Behind the profession’s polished exterior, lawyers are ‘internally drained rather than physically tired’, according to a stark assessment of burnout in legal practice
Five years after the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 came into force, concerns remain that the family courts continue to minimise allegations of abuse in child contact disputes
Uber has built a formidable strategy for insulating itself from liability for drivers’ conduct, but the legal terrain differs sharply between the US and England and Wales
The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 marks a constitutional watershed by severing the centuries-old link between hereditary titles and automatic membership of the upper chamber
The Civil Justice Council’s review of Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 could mark the end of what one commentator calls an ‘outdated’ and overly technical regime governing solicitor-client fee disputes
back-to-top-scroll