Many a successful trial lawyer can be said to have a flair for the dramatic. For Marc Daniels, the barrister and attorney behind the new Consigliare Law Chambers, the pull of law and theatre was almost equal when he was growing up.

"I used to want to be an actor when I was a child," he told The Royal Gazette. "It was when I was in high school in the United States that I truly started to entertain the idea of studying law." Before attending the Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts, Mr. Daniels had done his early schooling at Saltus. "Williston was a great school which opened my mind to critical thinking in ways which I had not been exposed to before during my education in Bermuda," he said. "I recall having a film studies class where we analysed movies, many of which were films based on law and legal concepts. Movies such as 'Twelve Angry Men', 'To Kill a Mockingbird', 'Witness for the Prosecution', all heightened my interest in studying law."

With his career instincts tweaked, Mr. Daniels set off satisfy the academic qualifications of the profession — first undertaking a BA at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, then on to Spain for language and culture followed by law at the University of Kent and the College of Law, London.

Once qualified, he seized the opportunity to work abroad. "Delroy Duncan of Trott & Duncan was very supportive of my desire to remain in London and it was he who made it possible for me to gain further work experience by introducing me to 25 Bedford Row, the chambers of Rock Tansey QC, where one of his mentors, John Perry QC, practised," Mr. Daniels said.

"During my time at 25 Bedford Row, I developed a professional relationship with one of the partners of a prominent criminal defence practice in South London, Rbt. Blackford & Co., who offered to train me at their firm. I remained there until the December 2005, when, having been abroad for over 10 years, I felt the time was right to return home."

Back in Bermuda, Mr. Daniels didn't miss a beat career-wise, he commenced a pupillage with Attride-Stirling & Woloniecki, training with the firm's partners in commercial litigation, insurance/reinsurance disputes and insolvency proceedings before being called to the Bermuda Bar in 2007. While he enjoyed his time with ASW, Mr. Daniels said he missed the drama of criminal court.

"ASW afforded me an excellent foundation and I would recommend other law students to consider training with that firm as it is internationally renowned and carries a wealth of seasoned attorneys," he said. "I was surrounded by class and I learned new strategies and techniques daily. I remained with ASW for another two years before I made the decision to branch out on my own. Despite the amazing opportunities with ASW, I missed the criminal courts and the demands of being in court daily."

So the 30-year-old decided to set out his own plaque — forming Consigliare, a name he selected to honour his mother's heritage. "Consigliare means 'legal adviser' or 'counsel' in Italian," he said. "My mother is an Italian American who hails from Queens, New York, but our ancestry traces back to a small town called Ghieti."

He also wanted a memorable name and consistent brand for his firm. "I wanted to build a brand which was separate from 'Marc Daniels'," he said. "Everything from the choice of colours, to the logo, is all a part of building that brand. One of my closest friends from childhood, Gavin 'Sundjata' Smith, designed all of the branding concepts based on countless discussions together. The brand is simply this: the barristers and attorneys at Consigliare are 'your light in the dark'. We aspire to hold the torch for every client; to stand on their behalf and articulate their position; to fight for their cause and defend their interests to the best of our professional ability; to be their most trusted counsel."

He added: "My aspirations for the chambers are to see the most talented and highly rated Bermudian, as well as international, barristers and attorneys, in their respective disciplines, working together under the Consigliare banner; with a strong reputation in the community for providing quality professional legal advice and services." At the moment, Mr. Daniels is the only employee at the office on Queen Street.

"I am keen to find someone to help manage the office, but at the moment I want to understand the business from the bottom up and I enjoy the challenge of managing everything, even if it means working additional hours to get the work done," he said.

While he hopes to get married someday, his current single status allows him to completely devote himself to his new chambers. Consigliare offers both criminal and civil litigation and his involvement in the high profile trial of the accused murderers of Kellon Smith has done much to get his name out. Mr. Daniels represented Zharrin Frankie Simmons along with Mark Pettingill. Mr. Simmons was acquitted yesterday on the basis he had no case to answer. Over the years, the young lawyer has drawn inspiration and guidance from many notable Bermuda lawyers including Wayne Caines, Victoria Pearman, Elizabeth Christopher, Charles Richardson, Larry Mussenden, Kevin Bean and Delroy Duncan. And he had a special admiration for the late Julian Hall. "Mr. Hall was there from the start of my legal studies," he said. "When I was working in London I assisted him in the preparation of defending his bankruptcy case. Although I never was able to see Mr. Hall advocate in the courtroom, I have spent a lot of time reasoning with him and seeing first hand how brilliant his mind was. The legacy of Mr. Hall is truly an inspiration to all lawyers and law students."

Mr. Daniels has a strong interest in politics and in public service. Since returning to Bermuda, he's been tapped for numerous boards and has launched a new legal clinic in the West End. "I have lived my whole life in the West End, so I wanted to give back to the community where I live and then branch out to different parts of the Island," Mr. Daniels said. "The idea for the legal clinic is to offer the community a place to ask general questions, to explore whether or not they have a valid claim or action, before they incur legal costs. There are many lawyers who currently partake in a similar programme in the City of Hamilton. So, I wanted to offer the same concept and expand it outside of the city limits. The idea behind the clinic is not designed to draw clients to Consigliare but to offer guidance to those that need it. It's my way of giving back."

He also currently serves on the Bermuda College Board of Governors, the West End Development Company Board, the Sustainable Development Roundtable and had served on the Gaming Taskforce. "I believe that service to the community from which we all benefit is extremely important," Mr. Daniels said. "As a young man, I have plenty to learn from the elders which serve on the boards but I also feel that I may bring different perspective; which is balance. I firmly believe that young people need to be included in the political and social process and I hope that by serving in these roles, I can inspire other young positive and progressive men and women to get involved."

In addition to these roles, Mr. Daniels has also started a new legal Q&A segment in the Style Bermuda online magazine through which he hopes to "empower readers". With so many coals in the fire, however, Mr. Daniels admits he is often running. "The hardest challenge that I have encountered to date is maintaining a healthy work/life balance. But, I am slowly getting much better at it," he said.

The rigours of law keep him invigorated, however, as well as his commitment to his clients. "I love the challenge," he said. "No two days are alike. A lawyer is always expected to remain current with the latest developments in the law in order to think of new ways to challenge, uphold, promote or defend their clients' interests.

"There is nowhere else, that I can think of, where one is tested like the courtroom. A very good teacher of mine told me during my first Supreme Court case 'this is why they call it a trial'. Every day is a learning lesson and, therefore, I do my best to study after a day's work as to assess where I went wrong, or right, so that I can go deeper with a similar argument in the future, or possibly set a precedent."