Retiring judge reveals highs and lows of her professional career...

WHEN Eleri Morgan told the careers adviser she wanted to be a barrister, he informed her it was not a suitable job for a woman.

But despite not being able to get a pupillage because many chambers would not accept women, she went on to build herself a hugely successful career and worked as a judge for 25 years.

“I still pinch myself in astonishment,” she said, referring to her realisation she had become the most senior person in the court where she started out as a clerk.

The Recorder of Cardiff, Her Honour Judge Eleri Rees retired on Friday, and a valedictory, or farewell ceremony, was held at Cardiff Crown Court.

As a child, Eleri grew up on a sheep farm near Aberystwyth, and went to Ardwyn Grammar School.

She said she had “no idea” what she wanted to do and went to the careers adviser.

“When I floated the idea I would like to be a lawyer and possibly a barrister – although I have to say I didn’t really know what a barrister did – he pooh-poohed the idea,” she recalled.

“He said it was not a suitable career for a woman. Of course that helped me enormously, because I immediately decided that I would become a lawyer and, if possible, a barrister.”

Her parents encouraged her to believe she could do anything she wanted to do, and she went to study law at the University of Liverpool.

When she started the course, she was “a bit surprised” to discover that out of 110 students in the first year, only 10 were women.

“I found out later we did have to have higher grades to get in,” she said.

Then Miss Morgan, she was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn in July 1975, but struggled to find a pupillage.

“A lot of chambers in those days would not take women and I couldn’t find anybody to take me,” she explained.

She married Alan Rees, a medical student, in August 1975 and heard about a legal adviser job coming up at the magistrates’ court in Cardiff.

The role – which involved adult crime, youth court and family work – gave her experience of running a courtroom. “I enjoyed that enormously,” she said. “It was very varied and interesting.

“I have been lucky all through my career that I have been in the courtroom dealing with people. That makes it endlessly fascinating. No two days are the same.”

Her husband moved to London to do research at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, and she became Clerk to the Justices at Bexley Magistrates’ Court.

Aged 29, Mrs Rees was responsible for all aspects of the court, staff and its bench of lay magistrates, and was one of the first women to hold such a post. In 1994, she started sitting as a metropolitan stipendiary magistrate – now called a District Judge – based at Camberwell Green.

“That was a fascinating job,” she said. “One day we would be dealing with prostitutes and pick pockets, the next General Pinochet would be coming through the door – there would be an extradition application.

“I also memorably sat as a Norwegian court to take evidence in relation to the theft of The Scream painting by Edvard Munch.

“That was to take evidence from the undercover arts and antiques squad officers. They did not want them to travel to Norway, where there was no anonymity for witnesses.”

She said the job was “endlessly fascinating because you got to do some very unusual things.”

Dr Rees moved back to Cardiff to work at the University Hospital of Wales and Judge Rees got a job as assistant recorder, working as a part-time crown court judge. She became a full-time Circuit Judge in 2002, sitting mainly on crime, but also spending about a third of her time working in the county courts.

“Family work is probably the most important because you are making lifechanging and lifelong decisions for children,” she said.

“I think I enjoy the criminal side of things because it has the human interest.

“I like dealing with people. There is a lot of drama in the work. Sitting in court, you hear of people who do very wicked things. But you also hear about marvellous witnesses and complainants – very brave people who have either suffered at the hands of a criminal, or intervened to help rescue somebody else.”

She added: “I also think in the crown