Is there life after (or even during) legal practice? The life of a lawyer these days is a very demanding one. Pressures associated with operating in an increasingly competitive global marketplace mean that many lawyers are more concerned with simply 'getting home' and seeing their families rather than contemplating what life may be like in the remainder of the working world – except where it impinges on clients' interests.

However, many enlightened employers, including law firms, are now realising that facilitating experience of other working environments delivers tangible business-enhancing results.

Although I have spent the last 35 years practising employment law, and during the last five years discharging the duties of senior partner of my firm, I have been able during my career to participate in various bodies outside the law which have taught me lessons which could not have been learnt during the normal cut and thrust of day-today legal practice, but which are particularly valuable either to clients or to the running of law firms.

For example, chairing a nominations committee or an audit committee teaches not only chairing skills, but increases awareness of the importance of assessing risk in all its different guises – not only in relation to conflicts of interest or similar professional issues. Some activities may be particularly relevant to a lawyer's specialist expertise, may be pro bono in nature or may concern a hobby or interest. However, whatever the type of activity, it is likely that new skills will be acquired or existing skills enhanced.

One type of appointment which may be overlooked by lawyers wishing to diversify their activities is appointment to a public body. The public sector and, more importantly, the role which public bodies play in our public life are subjects which are not necessarily well understood by the wider population. In my new role as Commissioner for Public Appointments, I shall be regulating the way in which ministers make appointments to the boards of public bodies.

The aim is to ensure that all government departments have systems in place for making appointments that are visible, fair and open and that all appointments to the boards of public bodies within my remit are made on merit.

This remit covers not only appointments made by UK ministers but by members of the National Assembly for Wales to the boards of around 1,100 national and regional public bodies. This represents approximately 10,000 ministerial appointments to advisory and executive non-departmental public bodies, health bodies, nationalised industries, public corporations and utility regulators. The appointments themselves are often part-time and non-executive in nature.

The range of these bodies is considerable. Examples include the BBC, The Arts Council, The Competition Commission and less well-known bodies such as The Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites. These bodies operate in relation to a diverse range of subjects and affect virtually every aspect of life in our society today.

Some may argue, understandably, that undertaking activities outside current legal practice brings risks of conflicts of interest, time pressures which may be adverse to clients' interests and may reduce, rather than increase, a lawyer's overall capability. Clearly, there are issues which need to be managed. Human resources policies and partnership governance need to be sophisticated and supportive; and the activities in question should be closely aligned to the lawyer's own self-development aims.

However, at a time when many firms are realising that they need to become much more professional in their management, it is arguably now even more important to ensure that those who will be the managers and leaders of law firms in the future have the widest possible experience of other sectors and business approaches.

Janet Gaymer stood down as senior partner of Simmons & Simmons on 30 June.