My leave of absence at the University of Edinburgh

Brave Legal superstar Senior Associate, Jyoti Haikerwal, is completing a Masters in Health and Ethics at the University of Edinburgh.  It’s been 6 months since Jyoti has been abroad, and we thought many of her clients and legal peers would enjoy learning about her studies and travel.

It’s been 6 months since you began your Edinburgh adventure/Masters in Health and Ethics. First things first – how was your first winter Christmas?

I can’t believe it has already been six months! Christmas was great! It was cold and definitely a change of what I am used to in Australia but my family flew up and we spent it together in the Scottish Highlands so it was pretty special. The Christmas markets and lights definitely made it even more magic.

What is it like going back to study as a senior lawyer?

It has been challenging but so worthwhile. For years I have been training my brain to think like a litigator but having to change that mindset to a more academic one has been a tougher journey than I care to admit.

Give me a 10-page letter any day but needing to write a 10 page fully researched paper in academic language has taken me some time to get used to. Having said that, being able to have the time to research my area of interest is such a privilege. Particularly in this course where I am surrounded by people with genuine shared interests in health law and have global perspectives is brilliant. I feel very lucky.

The intersection between your medical negligence experience and your studies in health and ethics must be fascinating. Have there been any “aha” moments that have challenged past thinking?

So many! My biggest a-ha moment was when I was researching wrongful birth and wrongful life claims in the UK which led me down a rabbit hole and was reading judgments from the Australian jurisdiction.

Before I left Melbourne, I had several wrongful birth claims in my practice and although I knew how to run the claim from a litigation point of view, I did not really have the time to sink my teeth into the jurisprudence (especially the historical cases). But now, I have been able to read all the key judgments and understand the international perspective and how these cases are handled globally so when I work on these types of cases in the future, I will be a much better and informed lawyer for the study I have done here.

What do you know now that you wish you had known as an undergraduate?

Honestly – I loved my undergrad experience.  As stressful as it was I am not really sure that I would change that much. I think the biggest difference is that as an undergrad, you are trying to work towards getting the best mark that you can and balancing a million other activities to bulk up your CV so that you can get that clerkship, or internship, or job. Now, going back to study after working for a few years and having the confidence that there is a place for me in the workforce, it means that I can actually enjoy studying and the readings rather than it feeling like a chore. That pressure of needing to be the best of the best because you are competing for a job or to have the most extra-curricular activities is not there anymore and instead, it is replaced with a curioristy to know more about health law.

What is your sense of the legal industry in the UK? Have you found it different, and if so, how?

I have not had much experience or practice in the UK per se but it does seem very similar which makes sense and I certainly haven’t felt too out of my depth trying to learn the UK law given that it is a common law system.

What are you missing most about Melbourne life?

Of course the answer is my family and friends, the weather and the general Melbourne vibe but I must say, the thing I find myself missing more than I thought is CorePlus, which was my gym that I would religiously go to! I haven’t found something quite like it over here so when I come back, I will be taking full advantage of CorePlus and not taking it for granted!

Did you love hearing about Jyoti’s adventure? Is she going to create a Edinburgh side hustle and open CorePlus in South Queensferry, Edinburgh? How is her eyesight with all that reading?

Stay tuned for more news about her studies in the UK, and additional insights into her studies and what they have involved.

Jyoti is currently on a Brave Legal leave of absence although we hope to see her back in 2026!