Stephen Notman is not what you would describe as your typical lawyer. The charismatic young Bermudian can be doing everything from defending a client in court to pursuing a complex corporate or property matter during his day job.

Then in the evening he treads the boards in the latest play at the local theatre.

But his two lives are not so different, with the skills required to be an actor being similar to those of holding court in an important legal case.

And the up-and-coming legal eagle, who is an associate at Mello Jones & Martin (MJM), explained that it was a natural transition moving from his love for acting to becoming a top lawyer.

"I started out at Trinity College at the University of Toronto studying International Relations in 2001 and at the time I actually had dreams of being an actor and spent a year bumming around afterwards," said Mr. Notman.

"With the stage experience I had I decided law might be a good avenue to pursue, so I applied to Durham University and got in there, where I did three years.

"I did my bar course at the Inns of Court School of Law in London and got called to the bar in 2006 and subsequently in 2007 in Bermuda, and I am coming up to a year since I was called to the bar here."

Having started out getting experience of attending court rooms in Canada, Mr. Notman progressed onto working as an associate with Cox Hallett Wilkinson, before joining MJM in February this year, where he linked up with the firm's litigation group and advised on a range of general civil, matrimonial and criminal issues.

"I would say I was better off playing a lawyer on TV," he joked.

"I guess it was the thrill of the court room that first attracted me to the profession.

"But more importantly I actually thought I was making a difference for my clients and it still means an awful lot to the client and if it all goes well you get a real sense of job satisfaction out of it."

Since joining the company, the 29-year-old Mr. Notman has been taken under the wing of highly experienced litigators Alan Dunch, JP, and Saul Froomkin, OBE, QC, from whom he has learnt his trade.

"They have a long and eventful history and have just been incredible for me because I have been able to learn from their years of experience and basically what you cannot be taught out of a text book," he said.

A typical day can involve anything from taking on matters handed over by partners to dealing with clients calling up with litigation issues, but no one day is the same according to Mr. Notman.

"Everyday something new happens, but that is one of the attractions of litigation because while you may not have the answers at your fingertips, it is all about listening to people and figuring out where their problems are and assisting them," he said.

He has already been involved in a number of high profile cases including that of Arkansas lawyer Gary Barket, who was acquitted of importing two guns into the country in his luggage by the Supreme Court, after about six months of investigation and deliberation.

Other notable cases Mr. Notman, who hails from Paget, was featured in include the recent case over the murder of 18-year-old Kellon Hill at Elbow Beach which happened last month, representing one of the suspects in the trial.

"You have got to toughen up a bit and also retain a sense of decency and compassion towards people in dealing with cases," he said.

"I think the trick is looking at things objectively, but not cold-heartedly.

"When I did my first trial it was a landlord vs tenant dispute, I was representing the tenant and we won on three points of law, which was a great feeling.

"But I have also done a couple of others and got stomped on, however it was a valuable learning experience all the same.

"Standing in front of the judge can be a horrible feeling, but I believe my acting experience has been invaluable in helping with that and at the same time I feel completely at home with it."

Among some of the biggest changes he has seen during his time in the legal profession, Mr. Notman cites setting up courts to hear commercial cases and improving human rights legislation, as well as Government coming on line with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.

He also reckons bringing more police onto the streets to allow Crown Court to try cases more effectively would be a big boost to the profession, while he has been impressed with the high standard of the young Bermudians in the Department of Public Prosecutions.

Mr. Notman has turned his hand to writing as well, publishing a series of reports from 'What Penalty is High Enough to Stop Bermuda's Drinking and Driving?' to 'Posting Questionable Opinions on the Internet/ Make Sure You Can Verify Your Claims'.

But in his spare time there is nothing better he enjoys than getting back to his first love of acting, having done about 20 shows, from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing to Ragtime and 15 Minutes of Fame and is even playing Roland Mall in the upcoming Present Laughter later this month.

He also has aspirations to perform in Sam Shephard's True West, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee.

In addition to offering legal aid, the ambitious young lawyer also plans to follow an online distance learning Masters degree in philosophy.