Day 4 was spent mostly in court. As I've gained more court experience the more confident I have begun to feel with the procedure and what to expect, enabling me to express my own thoughts on the cases. (outside the courtroom of course)
9:00 am: head to court from the firm after a briefing of the cases the firm will be dealing with that day.
9:30 am: sat in on a consultation prepping the client for court.- A really interesting situation as the client wanted to plead guilty even though he stated in the consultation he was not but believed he would be sentenced anyway, so wanted to receive the credit from pleading guilty. - eventually went with no plea and case adjourned for 28 days.
10:00 am: sat in on multiple cases in the magistrates court. - one hearing, the defendants would not attend but the court proceeded anyway and charged a sentence.
1:30 am: lunch
2:30 am: read through some crown court cases and discussed.
4:30 am: Home time as most of the firm had been called to the station.
I love being in court and the interaction with clients. After looking at their cases yesterday I was able to get a really good grasp of what was going on and what the likely outcomes would be.
I've found it really helpful to record cases and experiences, particularly learning experiences so that I can call on them later either for reference or as examples of what I have learnt and taken part in. However, I make sure I don't put them into my blog or any other type of public site as I feel this is a breach of confidentiality.
One noticeable point for me from today was how much humanity there actually is in court in comparison to the classic stereotypical view. I noticed more than once how a sentence would often be in accordance with the emotional influence from the defendant towards the magistrates. (good/bad)
On another note, I have been lucky enough to get in touch with a Judge who has worked in criminal law. We have already spoken on the phone and she has offered to meet me for a drink on Saturday! It will be really great to hear her advice from the view point of a barrister and also within the context of the changing politics of law during her experience. - I will of course report back on here!
Tomorrow it has been arranged for me to go into the police station and shadow a Detective-sergeant who works in Public Protection Department Family Investigation Unit, for a couple of hours. This will be a really good chance to learn about the processes and build up before a solicitor is involved. It will also be really fascinating to see how evidence and materials are recorded which will use for/against a case.
I will also be in crown court tomorrow meeting another partner at a linked firm in the centre of the city!
Lots of excitement for tomorrow!
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