Lawyer by day, author by night: meet Laura Malpass AKA Laura Carter

We're proud to work with the very best people, in every team and every office. The spectrum of interests and talents represented at Ogier is vast – we have among us musicians, footballers, dancers and singers, and Ogier team members get involved in a significant amount of charity and community projects across the globe. Achieving a good work/life balance is essential for all of us, and we encourage our people to pursue their interests and goals outside of work, providing paid days leave to work on charity and community projects for example, and supporting employees who would like to support a particular charity at work.

We were delighted to discover that we have another hidden talent among us – Laura Malpass, who we know as an associate in Ogier's BVI funds team, but who is known to her thousands of fans as Laura Carter, an acclaimed writer of contemporary romance and women's fiction. In this exclusive Q&A, we give you insights into Laura's life as a lawyer and an author.

Tell us a little bit about your career so far, both writing and legal

I have always written in some form, whether it be short stories, screenplays or song lyrics, but I never considered that I would make a career from it (for a long time, I wanted to be an astronaut?!). I always enjoyed the core subjects at school and decided at some point (possibly post-Legally Blonde) to become a lawyer. While I was studying at Durham University for my LLB, and later for my post-graduate diploma (LPC) and LLM, I wrote short stories and theatre/film reviews for magazines. It was whilst taking a year out between my LPC and training contract that I started to write a novel. Though that first novel is safely tucked away in a drawer, writing 'the end' for the first time gave me the novelist bug and I have written full-length fiction ever since. I got my first three book deal with Harlequin/Harper Collins in 2015 and released my first book in 2016. I now have seven romance and women's fiction titles published and, thankfully, the ideas keep coming.

How do you balance being a lawyer and an author?

I love that I have the opportunity to do both things. The law challenges me academically and writing gives me a creative outlet. Don't get me wrong, if I am busy in my legal job and I have a publishing deadline, it can be exhausting. But I am a big believer that if you want something to happen, you will make it happen. I want to do both things and so I find the time.

How do people react who know you as a lawyer first when you tell them you're an author?

This is a short answer because the first reaction is always to ask, "How do you have time?"

Do you have two different writing brains – lawyer v author? Is there any overlap?

Writing is a completely different exercise for my mind when compared to being a lawyer. It is a release, something that takes you out of your routine for a while, in the same way that playing sport, watching movies or reading can do. There are overlaps in the sense that both being a lawyer and being an author rely on a manipulation of language - and I am partial to writing lawyers (not based on anyone in particular!) into my books. But largely the two are different and that is definitely a positive for me.

What's your writing routine – where do you write, when and for how long?

Mostly, I write on weekends. If I have an editorial deadline, provided I have the time and the brain power when I get home from the office, I sometimes write in the evenings too. I try not to be too rigid when it comes to writing. I have structure in my legal life and enjoy the flexibility of writing when it suits me. I also think it is important to take breaks and let ideas flow naturally. If an author is not completely immersed in their work when writing, I don't think they can expect a reader to be lost in their words when the book is published.

Ideal dinner party guests (real or fictional) and why?

This is tough! Okay…

1. Sebastian Faulks because he is my favourite author. If you haven't read Charlotte Gray and The Birdsong, you must!
2. Barack Obama and Joe Biden (strictly as a duo) because I think they would have everyone at the table cracking up!
3. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts as their characters Edward Lewis and Vivian Ward from Pretty Woman. I really need to know this romance lasted!
4. The Beatles (all of them), so that they could provide after dinner entertainment
5. Shrek and Donkey because…Shrek and Donkey
6. Mary Berry to bring pudding

Most surprising thing you can tell us about yourself or your career

I completed the first draft of my first novel during my training contract and whilst studying part-time for an LLM in International Trade Law #gluttonforpunishment.

Laura will be speaking at the Jersey Festival of Words at the Jersey Arts Centre on Saturday 29 September. 

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Disclaimer

This client briefing has been prepared for clients and professional associates of Ogier. The information and expressions of opinion which it contains are not intended to be a comprehensive study or to provide legal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for specific advice concerning individual situations.

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