Sarah Regan - On Sam

Compared to many who are only beginning to feel the weight of his loss, I only knew Sam for a relatively short time. I first met him when I joined chambers as a pupil in June 2000. Sam had been there by that time for only 8 months but already seemed to be part of the furniture. As a private pupil my pupillage was considered by many to be undemocratic and made me aware of how they felt. Such things didn’t ever affect Sam and he immediately made me feel welcome. His warmth, plain speaking manner and encouragement meant that we became firm friends. When I became a tenant, feeling that the celebrations had been far too tame Sam took me and two friends back to his flat where the celebrations continued into the small hours. That fact is nothing unusual for those who have witnessed Sam’s infinite enjoyment of a good night out. What made it remarkable was the fact that that day, he and Michala were off to France on holiday. In fact he left for a while to pick up the van they were to travel in insisting none of us left and then returned to continue the celebrations.

That was Sam and over the years that followed I was lucky enough to witness his kind, mature and intellectual side just as much as the fun side. We had many evenings talking about books, his family, life but always stopping for the magic half hour to watch the Simpson’s!

Two things from our most recent conversations stick in my mind. Speaking to me a few days after he broke his leg he relished in telling me the gruesome details of the break, the pain and the blood! When he reached the point about still being on a trolley in the corridor hours after he had been admitted I said but surely you had been given some painkillers. He said no and so horrified I asked why he hadn’t asked for some and his response was so typically Sam “they were so busy”.

The second was when he described his wedding day, with the biggest grin over his face, as the happiest day of his life.

I awoke the other morning having dreamt about him. All of his belongings had been packed up by his family and they were stored in some sort of old building. As I walked around, looking at the boxes I saw Sam sat in a corner unpacking. Shocked to see him I said the first words that came into my head and asked him how he felt. He looked at me genuinely surprised at my tears, smiled his smile and said “me, I'm very happy” and being Sam, he probably is.