A SENIOR judge who is leading the inquiry into Harold Shipman - Britain's worst serial killer - was advised to "give the law a miss" by a male careers advisor when she was a schoolgirl.

Bolton School "old girl" Dame Janet Smith told of the careers advice when she returned to her former school last night.

Dame Janet was the guest speaker at the annual presentation night at Bolton School Girls' Division. She urged sixth formers in the audience to aim for everything - a career, a family and enriching pastimes.

Dame Janet said she first considered becoming a barrister at the age of 16 and approached a male careers advisor.

She said: "He told us about careers in nursing and teaching and that if just one or two of us were very, very clever and very good at science, we might just get to be a doctor and that was it. The choice was pretty limited."

When Dame Janet told him she wanted to be a barrister, he suggested that she should "give it a miss" after hearing she did not have male relatives within the legal profession.

The former Bolton School head girl went on to become one of most eminent lawyers in the country. After working as a barrister in Manchester for 20 years, she was appointed a recorder in 1988 and then a High Court Judge four years later.

Since 2000, she has been chairman of the inquiry into serial killer Harold Shipman.

She is also a Privy Councillor, a Lord Justice of Appeal and Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University.

Mother-of-three Dame Janet said there had been times when she felt completely exhausted with juggling career and family.

But she said: "My advice to you is to go for it. Go for it all, go for the career, the family, the husband and go for one or two things more. By one or two more, I mean other interests such as music, dance, films, sport."

Dame Janet spoke of her fond memories of attending the independent school.

She once played Lady Macbeth in a school production and she said she remembered being "utterly terrified" of playing the piano at school concerts.

She also recalled her own speech day 46 years ago, and her delight that her former headmistress Margaret Higginson was in the audience last night.