Monday 13 November was World Kindness Day.

It was also the day I lost a very dear friend. He was a very kind person and the outpouring of kind words about him in the days since his passing have confirmed that attribute, one of oh so many.

As I begin my grieving process, I have been shown kindness in many ways by my friends and colleagues here at Greens. Some have picked the phone up just to ‘check in’, others have made sure that I’m ok with workload, I have had extra cups of tea appear on my desk and a reassuring hand on my shoulder when I have started to falter.

Kindness takes many forms. I was taught to smile at people, especially those who don’t have one on their face, because they might be lonely and it might be the only time they connect with someone that day.

Being kind to oneself is said to be important, but can often be the most difficult. It seems to be easier to do something nice for someone else, than for ourselves.

Family and Criminal Law can be immensely fulfilling, I would never do any other job than the one I do, but you are helping people when life has not been kind to them. Something has gone wrong for some reason for them to need our assistance. They need legal advice and guidance, but also, in many cases, to be shown respect and kindness and I believe we are able to do that because, as I have discovered to my benefit, people I work with have compassion and empathy.

So, in a week that started with World Kindness Day, I would ask anyone reading this to consider passing on a smile to someone who is without one, or making a cup of tea for a colleague who hasn’t had time to move from their desk. Kindness shouldn’t just be celebrated on one day, it should be every day.