The Work/Life of Ayesha Nayyar

A one day diary from morning wake up to lights out!

MY ALARM GOES OFF at 7.15am and then I hit the snooze button a few times before I crawl out of bed. I get ready and round up my brood and we leave the house for the school drop off.  Before we leave, I have already checked my emails and appointments for the day. I promise myself I will get up earlier and have time to eat breakfast tomorrow. I also resign myself to the fact that the pure morning chaos is the life of every working mother.

I HEAD STRAIGHT to our Cheadle office and catch up with the Heads of Department. One of the Team have made me a cup of tea and it is little gestures like this that set me up for the day.  It is a busy morning where we have a case that is going to trial. The Barrister and client both have a conference call with us and we are confident that we press ahead and go for a win. When I get off the phone, I know it will play on my mind for the rest of the day. He cannot afford to lose.

THE NEXT STOPis my local radio show in Manchester City Centre which I host every week on Asian Sound Radio. I walk through the doors at 10.59am and we go live a minute later. I love interacting with the public and having a legal show is my way of giving back to the community. Their problems can be vast and varied. For listeners to ring in live on to the radio they are often desperate, and I need to give advice as best I can on the limited information I have. The hour flies.

HAVING 2 OFFICES splits the work day up and I stop at the Levenshulme office on the way back. My husband Juwad is also working there today. We have a meeting with a Media Company who discuss our plans to record a TV advert. They have lots of ideas and my note writing skills are put to the test. I leave them to see a client who has come in for an emergency appointment. His wife left him and their children last week and he needs family law advice on what to do next. It is an emotional meeting. Immediately after, I see another new client who has lost her husband in a car accident on the M6 motorway. I see the haunting look in her eyes that I recognise so often with these types of cases.  I check our social media posts and blogs for the day which is an important part of interacting with our clients.

I DRIVE HOME around 5.30pm realising I forgot to eat my lunch again. Along the way I catch up on work phones calls. I have been invited to speak at an event next month on my life as a lawyer  and we run through the agenda on that. I rarely need to prepare speeches having been a public speaker for years, but it is important to know what the brief wants. I speak to several new clients along the way home and arrange to set up further meetings. In the middle I get a call from the client whose case went to trial.…. he won the case! I can breathe a sigh of relief as cases can go either way at Court. He promises to take me for dinner. I would be happy with a cup of tea right now!

THE MEET AND GREET in my house is always the same. My girls run up to me as though they haven’t seen me for weeks (not just the morning). We make tea while they do their homework (admittedly I am continuing to answer emails while I do). Between my 3 girls there is always an activity of some kind and tonight the eldest has hockey. Once the younger two are tucked up in bed (do not be fooled that is not the same as meaning they are asleep) I go to the gym. This is my place to switch off.

THE EVENING wind down starts around 9.30pm when I head upstairs. I potter round for a few hours organising for the next day. I finally get into bed and catch up on my emails and social media accounts (I did read there was a helpline for phone addicts and seriously wonder whether I should join). I find myself doing this for a couple of hours. The lights probably go out around midnight. Before you know it I am hitting the snooze button again and it all starts again.