Commons desire

We profile three solicitors on different rungs of the ministerial ladder, starting with Claire Ward, the youngest women MP, and describe how legal training helps them in Whitehall

Claire Ward could easily still be a solicitor, to the extent that she is in the office by 8am and is often unable to go home until well into the night.

That she is an MP simply means that she does not have to worry about timesheets.

But presumably party whips achieve much the same effect.Ms Ward - at 29 the youngest woman MP - was a trainee solicitor at trade union firm Pattinson & Brewer when she won her Watford seat for Labour in 1997.

She qualified in 1998.

Since then, her youth and gender have given her a higher profile than many of the 1997 intake, added to membership of the frontline culture, media and sport select committee.

She is also known for her chairmanship of the all-party Commons confectionery and chocolate group.

Is there a danger of becoming known as the MP for fun? 'Being an MP is a very serious job,' she says, 'but you need to have a bit of fun.' It is also something you can get away with in your first term, she adds.

She stresses, though, that the group does not spend all its time arguing whether Mars is better than Twix: the industry is a major employer and fair trade is an important issue.

Yet it is not a surprise that post-election media talk named Ms Ward as a possible minister for sport.

The Watford season-ticket holder offers the classic political response: 'It's best never to take any notice of speculation.'But having shown her tougher side as a critic of Keith Vaz as part of an internal party investigation into him some years back, the serious stuff is starting.

Earlier this month, Ms Ward was appointed parliamentary private secretary - the first rung on the ministerial ladder - to health minister John Hutton.

'I'm pleased with what I'm doing because health is a massive issue,' she says.

'If we get this right, not only do we do what people want but it secures the Labour government for the next election.'While Ms Ward has not taken an active interest in legal issues, she says the training has proved useful.

'Apart from the public speaking and confidence, I'm dealing with a whole new kind of client: constituents.' Many of the cases are similar to what she dealt with before, and the skills - such as negotiating - are the same.The work can be frustrating, she concedes.

'You've got all these problems people come to you with but sometimes you can't do anything.

You come up against "the system", whether it be the education system, the legal system or whatever.

While the government can change the system, it can't do it overnight and saying [to constituents] that the government is doing X, Y or Z makes no difference to them.'But it is not a shock to learn that Ms Ward finds being an MP better than being a solicitor.

'It's like no other job.

It's pressurised but very self-motivating.

I like the fact that you meet so many people.

Every day is different and you can choose the things you want to do.'With time on her side, a slight swing to her against the national trend in June (her majority is 5,555 over the Tories), and a profession to fall back on should it all go wrong, the future looks bright for Ms Ward.Yet politics is a fickle lover; she points to Peter Mandelson, who entered and left the cabinet twice in one term.

'I never make predictions or set ambitions.

What you realise about politics is that you are not in control.'But surprisingly, for a member of a party often accused of control-freakery, Ms Ward seems to be making a good fist of being just that.Neil Rose