Neil Brathwaite

Neil Brathwaite built his career in the sharp-edged world of the Bar – logical, meticulous, and gently devastating in cross-examination when needed.

He practised as an advocate for decades, specialising in commercial matters where the stakes — and the egos — were often equally outsized. Colleagues remember him for clarity over bluster, and for his maddeningly calm insistence on “just one more question”.  Away from court he was a quiet advisor, not a self-promoter — the sort of lawyer who left better-informed clients rather than more-confused ones.

Retirement has not removed his curiosity: he continues to read, to debate, and to keep an amused eye on cases he’s glad he’s no longer billing for. Now he spends more time with the things that don’t involve affidavits — walking, travel, conversation, and time with friends — while still enjoying the occasional robust legal argument, so long as there are no deadlines attached.