Melissa Morton, a barrister from South Yorkshire, has opened up on how she overcame a university lecturer’s cruel remarks about her accent to succeed in the world of law
A barrister has shared her journey of overcoming criticism about her accent to succeed in the legal world. Melissa Morton confesses that she doesn’t come from a “stereotypical barrister background”, having attended an “average state comprehensive school” in a “small town” in South Yorkshire.
Despite this, she combined modest A-Level results with outreach work through the University of Sheffield and graduated from its law school, setting her on the path to success. “I’m a barrister with a Yorkshire accent and for some time that really did worry me… in fact one of my university lecturers told me I would need elocution lessons in order to make it at the bar,” Melissa disclosed in a TikTok video.
However, her “stubborn nature” meant she “refused” to let this deter her. “I felt like I didn’t want to change everything about myself in order to make it as a barrister,” Melissa added.
Contrarily, she explained that her accent has actually proven “more of a help than a hindrance”. Melissa revealed: “I’m able to tone it down quite a lot as I do in these videos and in court or when speaking publicly – but I’m also able to use it to gain trust from clients.
“I practiced in criminal law in my local area for a while, and so I think the whole legal process can seem quite intimidating especially going through criminal proceedings often for the first time,” Melissa said, reflecting on the situation some of her clients can find themselves in.
Indeed, Melissa admitted that barristers can seem “quite intimidating” to those unfamiliar with the legal process. She believes her accent reveals the “real me” and shows that she’s “quite similar and from similar areas”.
“I think it helped build that trust that I understood and was trying to help them,” Melissa observed. “I think sometimes that can really benefit the situation and show that you’re not simply putting on a performance.”
Melissa concluded by saying her accent “helped build connections really quickly” and fostered trust, which is “really important” when you’re “practising at the bar”.
“You don’t have to change everything about yourself as long as you can speak clearly when it comes to court… then you will be absolutely fine,” she said.
Reacting to her clip, one TikTok user exclaimed: “Elocution lessons….. absolutely not! Be proud of your accent and your roots.”
Another person commended Melissa: “You’re absolutely right, don’t change. I’m from South Yorkshire and used to work in Sloane street, London and felt it endeared people to me. Be proud of your achievements and your roots.”
A third concurred: “I used to cover the crown courts as a journalist and loved hearing my Yorkshire accent from advocates – it just really stripped away a layer of formality… SO glad you kept yours!”
Whilst a fourth TikTok user praised Melissa’s accomplishments, saying: “Your accent is quite lovely and your accent doesn’t make any difficulty to get the message across, you quite pronounce words clearly and is quite good to see that your accent doesn’t put you down as a professional, on the contrary, it gives more value to yourself and career. Keep it up girl!”