Hey everyone,

I come here looking for advice and/or support. I had my viva last year and got a revise and resubmit, something that was traumatising on its own. However, on top of that, the lady who was the external examiner was incredibly unfriendly and rude. She came from a different field of social sciences and wanted me to take the approach that would fit HER field. At the end of the viva, she told everyone she sees no contribution and disconnected (it was done online). The written comments were equally nasty and again repeated how her field should be at the centre of my studies, on top of including unnecessary personal attacks. This naturally meant redoing a massive chunk of my PhD. The thing is, while I have made lots of effort, I am sure she will fail me regardless. My PhD is never suddenly going to turn into a thesis suitable for a different field. This person has also acted like she absolutely hates me (my supervisor confirmed this impression). I am already prepared that I will need to appeal once she fails me.

I am not sure what my approach should be. The previous viva gave me PTSD. I was already suffering and still am suffering from depression. My mental health is really poor as it is and I am not sure if I can handle yet another abusive viva, let alone the outcome that is already clear before she even reads it. I was struggling for weeks after the previous viva.
What is even worse is that I already have a lecturership. Revise and resubmit already put me in an awkward place, but a fail will probably cost me all future job opportunities. Based on what I read, a solicitor can't do anything other than help me appeal the outcome? Can I somehow tackle the verbal attack thing without the risk of retaliation? I am honestly lost as to what to do.