A lifelong learner who got a degree in psychology while juggling her law career and an infant has celebrated her Call to the Bar.

Sophie Clarke, 33, joined Bermuda’s legal community on Thursday during a ceremony in the presence of her husband and close friends.

Ms Clarke admitted to the Commercial Court that it was a difficult decision to move her family — a husband, then five-month-old son and two dogs — to Bermuda last year.

However, she added: “I think he would agree that actually it turned out to be one of the best decisions we’ve made as a family unit — both professionally and personally.”

Ms Clarke, who works in the dispute resolution team at MJM Barristers and Attorneys, comes from a family of nine children in England.

Ms Clarke’s interest in law, according to Fozeia Rana-Fahy, her colleague at MJM, came from a “genuine love of language, of reading, of writing and of understanding how people work”.

Ms Rana-Fahy said: “In speaking with her, she modestly professes that it’s not very glamorous, but in truth it is precisely these foundations that underpin the very best lawyers.”

Ms Clarke studied law at the University of Exeter before receiving her diploma in professional legal practice at the University of Law in London.

During her studies, she worked as a paralegal at Ashtons Legal LLP in England until she qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2019.

Ms Clarke cut her teeth in commercial litigation, working on disputes from insolvency to contraction disputes.

She said she developed an interest in contentious trust and probate disputes, explaining that “I like a professional challenge” and wanted a chance to help people.

During her time in England, MS Clarke balanced her career as she raised a child and completed a postgraduate degree in psychology.

She told the court: “I’ve just always found it quite fascinating and it helps me connect with people.”

She added: “Don’t worry, I won’t be psychoanalysing people.”

Ms Clarke moved to Bermuda for its strong offshore trust market and the balance the island offered between work and life.

Ms Rana-Fahy said that since moving Ms Clarke worked in several high-end trust matters at MJM and was known for her communication skills and “pragmatic and strategic approach to all matters”.

She added that with artificial intelligence shaping the legal landscape, those who remained who need to have a human touch to help them stick out.

Ms Rana-Fahy told the court: “Those who thrive in the next chapter of the profession will not simply be those who have excellent understanding of the law or who are technologically adept, but those who combine those skills with depth of character, emotional intelligence and sound judgment. Ms Clarke is very clearly one of those lawyers.”

She added: “I’m very proud to call her my colleague.

“Her intelligence, integrity, dynamic energy and creativity are demonstrated on a daily basis in all that she does and those attributes are recognised and appreciated by all at the firm who work with her.”