Liam Symonds, who won £352,000 for slavery victim

Liam Symonds, an associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, led the pro bono team that secured more than £352,000 for a modern slavery survivor at a tribunal. The man’s family had sued the government for denying him adequate compensation. Victim A, who was in his fifties, had been kept as a slave by a family on a Lincolnshire Travellers’ site for almost 26 years.
What were the biggest hurdles you had to overcome in this case?Our client had been out of the system for most of the 26 years that he was enslaved, so there were few medical records available to evidence various aspects of his injuries. The compensation scheme was not drafted with modern slavery survivors in mind, so it took effort and lateral thinking to demonstrate that his circumstances met the criteria.
What is the best decision you have taken as a lawyer? Not to specialise in a particular sector at this stage of my career. It has enabled me to work on a diverse range of matters for a mix of clients.
Who do you most admire in the law?Johnnie Cochran, the US defence lawyer who represented OJ Simpson, because of his outstanding skills as a litigator, his commitment to civil rights and equality, and his status as a positive black male role model within the international legal community.
What is the best advice you have received? To always strive to see the bigger picture while also being across the detail, so that, as lawyers, we are always seeking to put ourselves in our clients’ shoes and approach our work in ways which consider the commercial (and other) drivers that underpin our clients’ instructions.
What is the funniest thing that has happened in your job? Having a mouse try to run up my trouser leg during a meeting.
What are the best and worst elements of being a lawyer?The best is helping clients to solve difficult problems and being continuously challenged to learn. The worst is always hearing the same lawyer jokes.
What law would you enact?Socioeconomic background should be a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010 to create a basis for fairer outcomes for those from less affluent backgrounds.
What is your favourite film?Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained for its amazing cast, interesting storyline and striking visuals.