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!
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Day 3....
A great day today! Lots of interaction with the other solicitors and able to start to get involved within some of the processes.
9:00 am: analysed the cases for tomorrows court. Using the magistrates handbook ran through the likely sentences.
11:00 am: carried out legal research for a case of appeal on a SOPO and discussed with advocate.
1:45 pm: lunch. Make sure sometimes you give yourself a bit of space to reflect. Although don't do this at the expense of relations at the firm.
2:45 pm: ran over a couple more cases before court tomorrow.
4:00 pm: one of the solicitors took us through a case explaining how she approaches, carries out and concludes a case. We then ran through a practice case and picked apart evidence to try and form a case.
5:30 pm: heading on home.
Really proved to myself that this is that I want to do today. I love forming cases and picking apart evidence, looking for the flaws and holes. It seems that the method is very similar to writing an essay in History, finding your facts backed up with evidence and forming your argument.
Although I have really enjoyed experience within the firm, my favourite parts have certainly been in court and researching higher level cases. For this reason I am hoping to find some experience at the bar just to try out the other side!
Court tomorrow!
9:00 am: analysed the cases for tomorrows court. Using the magistrates handbook ran through the likely sentences.
11:00 am: carried out legal research for a case of appeal on a SOPO and discussed with advocate.
1:45 pm: lunch. Make sure sometimes you give yourself a bit of space to reflect. Although don't do this at the expense of relations at the firm.
2:45 pm: ran over a couple more cases before court tomorrow.
4:00 pm: one of the solicitors took us through a case explaining how she approaches, carries out and concludes a case. We then ran through a practice case and picked apart evidence to try and form a case.
5:30 pm: heading on home.
Really proved to myself that this is that I want to do today. I love forming cases and picking apart evidence, looking for the flaws and holes. It seems that the method is very similar to writing an essay in History, finding your facts backed up with evidence and forming your argument.
Although I have really enjoyed experience within the firm, my favourite parts have certainly been in court and researching higher level cases. For this reason I am hoping to find some experience at the bar just to try out the other side!
Court tomorrow!
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
Day 2....
Today I was based at the firm all day, getting a taste of the less exciting parts of a career in law. Although, of course I wasn't in love with it, it was still a great learning curve and experience.
9:00 am: read through and discussed a case. It was one of my first real experiences of the seriously grim parts of being involved in criminal law.
1:00 pm: lunch (opportunity to increase connections)
2:00 pm: watched tapes of primary interviews at police station and discussed evidence.
5:00 pm: end of day.
As today most of the solicitors had to be down at the station there wasn't as much interaction available. However it is important to notice when the people you work for might need an extra hand just to do the menial task to speed up any processes. Always offer up your services, demonstrating your enthusiasm.
I also took the opportunity to ask a couple of questions about subjects that I would like to know more on.
What did I learn today?
- The importance of the right level of professionalism with clients. Keeping a good emotional distance at the same time as building a trusting relationship.
- What holes to watch out for in evidence and how to begin to form a defence.
- The structure of case files.
- The importance of the team within the firm to deal with the emotional challenge of some of the cases together.
On to day 3 tomorrow!
9:00 am: read through and discussed a case. It was one of my first real experiences of the seriously grim parts of being involved in criminal law.
1:00 pm: lunch (opportunity to increase connections)
2:00 pm: watched tapes of primary interviews at police station and discussed evidence.
5:00 pm: end of day.
As today most of the solicitors had to be down at the station there wasn't as much interaction available. However it is important to notice when the people you work for might need an extra hand just to do the menial task to speed up any processes. Always offer up your services, demonstrating your enthusiasm.
I also took the opportunity to ask a couple of questions about subjects that I would like to know more on.
What did I learn today?
- The importance of the right level of professionalism with clients. Keeping a good emotional distance at the same time as building a trusting relationship.
- What holes to watch out for in evidence and how to begin to form a defence.
- The structure of case files.
- The importance of the team within the firm to deal with the emotional challenge of some of the cases together.
On to day 3 tomorrow!
Monday, 3 September 2012
Day 1...
The main thing to take away from an internship is the learning experience.
My advice to do this is - ask lots of questions and write it all down when you get home so you can refer to it at a later date before an interview.
Today was the first day of my two week internship at a criminal law specialists firm.
9:00 am - introductions. Remember the importance of first impressions!
9:30 am - straight over to the magistrates court, where we watched a couple of consultations in the cells and duty solicitors. This was great for watching different techniques and styles.
11:00 am - listened to a couple of hearings in court. A good opportunity to get to grips with the processes and style of court. It seemed that the etiquette of the court often depended on who was present at the time.
1:15 pm - lunch. Make sure you take every opportunity to get to know your colleagues as they are the ones who can put you in the right direction.
2:15 pm - court opens again.
4:00 pm - read through some open cases back at the firm, enabling us to pick up the proceedings and structure of carrying out cases within a firm.
5:00 pm - home. Make sure you don't just pick up and leave, wait about to say bye and thank you to the people you have worked with.
The first day has been great! It was insightful to watch the consultations within the cells and it's surroundings. Being able to witness these interviews highlighted certain techniques and styles which vary between solicitors. The processes within court was relatively easy to pick up and enabled me to understand what may affect the level of a case.
It seemed there is often overlapping of areas in law, as today I witnessed family, criminal, EU and even contract law. I found it really thought provoking how circumstances of witnesses and offenders can change a case entirely.
Everybody so far has been extremely friendly and co-operative, all very willing to share their experiences.
When speaking to the firm they emphasised that they look for enthusiasm and willingness to work hard, which I certainly have!
Later this week I will be attending some hearings at the crown court and even getting a bit of experience about the local police station, to try and learn as much as possible.
I have asked questions for anything I am unsure of and have recorded everything, particularly some of the cases so that I can learn from it and have the cases to refer to later on when I attend interviews.
So far, I have really got a feel for this and seem to be enjoying criminal law much more than family, which I wasn't necessarily expecting!
1 day down 9 to go!
My advice to do this is - ask lots of questions and write it all down when you get home so you can refer to it at a later date before an interview.
Today was the first day of my two week internship at a criminal law specialists firm.
9:00 am - introductions. Remember the importance of first impressions!
9:30 am - straight over to the magistrates court, where we watched a couple of consultations in the cells and duty solicitors. This was great for watching different techniques and styles.
11:00 am - listened to a couple of hearings in court. A good opportunity to get to grips with the processes and style of court. It seemed that the etiquette of the court often depended on who was present at the time.
1:15 pm - lunch. Make sure you take every opportunity to get to know your colleagues as they are the ones who can put you in the right direction.
2:15 pm - court opens again.
4:00 pm - read through some open cases back at the firm, enabling us to pick up the proceedings and structure of carrying out cases within a firm.
5:00 pm - home. Make sure you don't just pick up and leave, wait about to say bye and thank you to the people you have worked with.
The first day has been great! It was insightful to watch the consultations within the cells and it's surroundings. Being able to witness these interviews highlighted certain techniques and styles which vary between solicitors. The processes within court was relatively easy to pick up and enabled me to understand what may affect the level of a case.
It seemed there is often overlapping of areas in law, as today I witnessed family, criminal, EU and even contract law. I found it really thought provoking how circumstances of witnesses and offenders can change a case entirely.
Everybody so far has been extremely friendly and co-operative, all very willing to share their experiences.
When speaking to the firm they emphasised that they look for enthusiasm and willingness to work hard, which I certainly have!
Later this week I will be attending some hearings at the crown court and even getting a bit of experience about the local police station, to try and learn as much as possible.
I have asked questions for anything I am unsure of and have recorded everything, particularly some of the cases so that I can learn from it and have the cases to refer to later on when I attend interviews.
So far, I have really got a feel for this and seem to be enjoying criminal law much more than family, which I wasn't necessarily expecting!
1 day down 9 to go!
Sunday, 2 September 2012
Back on track!
Since exams, my blog has been suffering from neglect! With travelling and trying to balance summer jobs I haven't managed to keep up to date with my blogging but I am still making my way up the path towards law.
So here is a quick update;
Over the summer I have been lucky enough to bag a couple of summer jobs. I am even more lucky to be able to take experience from these job roles and use it during my career path towards law.
-----------------------
I have always had an interest in mental health and hope that I can incorporate this into my future career. Due to this interest I have recently taken on a job role as a Health Care Assistant at St Andrews Mental Health Hospital.
To attain this job role I had to be successful in the written application, expressing my interest and relevant experience. Then to be successful in a selection event and individual interview. Taking what I learnt from similar situations I was successful and now have the following job role.
My Position involves:
1. Aiding in the healthcare of the hospitals patients.
2. Monitoring their behaviour and intercepting to avoid dangerous situations and maintain a calm environment.
3. Entertain patients during the day, to avoid them becoming distressed.
4. Accompany patients on day trips to maintain the patients and the public’s safety.
5. My role is on bank, so the hours are flexible around my other commitments.
Skills Developed:
This role will provide me with excellent experience of the outcome of Criminal and Mental Health Law. I have always had a keen interest in mental health and wanted to take this opportunity to have an active role within the improvements of the mental health community. Many of the patients are convicted criminals or unable to leave the hospital due to risk for public safety. Working in an environment will provide me with first hand experience of the results of convicting criminals and the mentally ill into institutions, which will be extremely valuable to me and eye opening if I take a career path in criminal law. It also provides me with the experience of working in an environment with people, without the safety blanket of customer services. I plan to take the training offered for restraint so that I can expand my role and work on more challenging wards. – It is important to me that I understand all aspects of my future career and believe this role is a step towards achieving that.
----------------------
My second job role this summer is with Barclaycard, as a Recruitment Clerk in ROPS. Working at the Northampton complex provides great experience of working in an extremely professional corporate environment. The complex is huge and divided into multiple departments of varying levels. Working within this complex has also provided me with a lot of valuable experience working under confidentiality and security issues.
My Position involved:
It was my role to check merchants who are trading through websites against Barclaycards Card Scheme Trading Policy.
If a merchant was not compliant with the policy I would then have to take further action, to either access the information required to be compliant or terminate their trading through the merchant’s facility.
I needed to know the basics of Contract and Tort Law, as I often had to challenge merchants Terms and Conditions if they were not compliant with Barclaycards Policy.
Skills Developed:
This role has provided me with excellent experience in Contractual and Tort law, which has helped me to understand the basis of many other areas of law. I have learnt to be aware of any responsibility I was taking on and what the result of any of my actions may be. I learnt how to interact with a wide variety of colleague and customers across the entire department and deal with the level of responsibility I held within my position.
-------------------------------
Finally, I have an Internship which I am starting tomorrow!!!!!!!!
I will be working in a Criminal Specialists solicitors law firm for two weeks, attending court and looking at cases. I will of course be updating my blog daily concerning my experience.
I have prepped for the work by;
1. Researching the firm and area of speciality.
2. Contacting the firm to confirm what I will be doing.
3. Prepare how you are going to get there so you are not late in the morning.
4. Make sure you plan what to wear as presentation is one of the most important factors for first impressions.
5. Sleep well the night before to be on best form!
Really looking forward to starting tomorrow morning and can't wait to learn form it! - watch this space!
So here is a quick update;
Over the summer I have been lucky enough to bag a couple of summer jobs. I am even more lucky to be able to take experience from these job roles and use it during my career path towards law.
-----------------------
I have always had an interest in mental health and hope that I can incorporate this into my future career. Due to this interest I have recently taken on a job role as a Health Care Assistant at St Andrews Mental Health Hospital.
To attain this job role I had to be successful in the written application, expressing my interest and relevant experience. Then to be successful in a selection event and individual interview. Taking what I learnt from similar situations I was successful and now have the following job role.
My Position involves:
1. Aiding in the healthcare of the hospitals patients.
2. Monitoring their behaviour and intercepting to avoid dangerous situations and maintain a calm environment.
3. Entertain patients during the day, to avoid them becoming distressed.
4. Accompany patients on day trips to maintain the patients and the public’s safety.
5. My role is on bank, so the hours are flexible around my other commitments.
Skills Developed:
This role will provide me with excellent experience of the outcome of Criminal and Mental Health Law. I have always had a keen interest in mental health and wanted to take this opportunity to have an active role within the improvements of the mental health community. Many of the patients are convicted criminals or unable to leave the hospital due to risk for public safety. Working in an environment will provide me with first hand experience of the results of convicting criminals and the mentally ill into institutions, which will be extremely valuable to me and eye opening if I take a career path in criminal law. It also provides me with the experience of working in an environment with people, without the safety blanket of customer services. I plan to take the training offered for restraint so that I can expand my role and work on more challenging wards. – It is important to me that I understand all aspects of my future career and believe this role is a step towards achieving that.
----------------------
My second job role this summer is with Barclaycard, as a Recruitment Clerk in ROPS. Working at the Northampton complex provides great experience of working in an extremely professional corporate environment. The complex is huge and divided into multiple departments of varying levels. Working within this complex has also provided me with a lot of valuable experience working under confidentiality and security issues.
My Position involved:
It was my role to check merchants who are trading through websites against Barclaycards Card Scheme Trading Policy.
If a merchant was not compliant with the policy I would then have to take further action, to either access the information required to be compliant or terminate their trading through the merchant’s facility.
I needed to know the basics of Contract and Tort Law, as I often had to challenge merchants Terms and Conditions if they were not compliant with Barclaycards Policy.
Skills Developed:
This role has provided me with excellent experience in Contractual and Tort law, which has helped me to understand the basis of many other areas of law. I have learnt to be aware of any responsibility I was taking on and what the result of any of my actions may be. I learnt how to interact with a wide variety of colleague and customers across the entire department and deal with the level of responsibility I held within my position.
-------------------------------
Finally, I have an Internship which I am starting tomorrow!!!!!!!!
I will be working in a Criminal Specialists solicitors law firm for two weeks, attending court and looking at cases. I will of course be updating my blog daily concerning my experience.
I have prepped for the work by;
1. Researching the firm and area of speciality.
2. Contacting the firm to confirm what I will be doing.
3. Prepare how you are going to get there so you are not late in the morning.
4. Make sure you plan what to wear as presentation is one of the most important factors for first impressions.
5. Sleep well the night before to be on best form!
Really looking forward to starting tomorrow morning and can't wait to learn form it! - watch this space!
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Experience employability.
Previously, I spoke about partaking in the Employability Award - a scheme which helps students to increase their employability skills through mock interviews, case studies, projects and networks. It also provided a chance to meet with top employers such as Accenture and TeachFirst who sponsored the award. The end result appears on your transcript and is reflected by your increased employable skills. Therefore furthering your ability to be successful in your future career. The award also appears on your degree transcript.
What did I get out of it?
For me, I felt I really benefited from the scheme. Although I already knew the general direction of how to attain employable skills, the scheme provided a means of focus, testing your ability whilst providing feedback and helping to build your confidence.
I particularly benefited from a lecture on networking and valued all feedback we received from project appraisals. Most importantly the focus it provided has helped me to find and develop my career path!
I would really recommend this to anybody who is floundering on the edge of where to go and what to do!
Would I have done it if I knew what I know now?
Of course! I feel I wouldn't be where I am today without the guidance of the scheme. It's easy to fit around your degree with relatively simple assignments and also a great way to meet like minded people who can inspire each other.
I've recommended it to everybody who is in a similar position, so much so that, we (The History Committee), are currently trying to link the leadership award to our mentoring scheme, in order to enhance the employability of our students!
How might I do it differently?
To get the most from the award you need to make the most of its facilities. That means try to attend everything, get involved with everything and be enthusiastic. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend some of the networking evenings or fairs last year, which I will certainly be attending this coming year.
I hope to partake in the volunteering award this year via my involvement with the Youth Offending Service and if we are successful, with the leadership award via the History Committees mentoring scheme.
If you are interested, enquire at your university's career service or find it on their website.
http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/careers/la/
I hope you have as much fun as I did!
What did I get out of it?
For me, I felt I really benefited from the scheme. Although I already knew the general direction of how to attain employable skills, the scheme provided a means of focus, testing your ability whilst providing feedback and helping to build your confidence.
I particularly benefited from a lecture on networking and valued all feedback we received from project appraisals. Most importantly the focus it provided has helped me to find and develop my career path!
I would really recommend this to anybody who is floundering on the edge of where to go and what to do!
Would I have done it if I knew what I know now?
Of course! I feel I wouldn't be where I am today without the guidance of the scheme. It's easy to fit around your degree with relatively simple assignments and also a great way to meet like minded people who can inspire each other.
I've recommended it to everybody who is in a similar position, so much so that, we (The History Committee), are currently trying to link the leadership award to our mentoring scheme, in order to enhance the employability of our students!
How might I do it differently?
To get the most from the award you need to make the most of its facilities. That means try to attend everything, get involved with everything and be enthusiastic. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend some of the networking evenings or fairs last year, which I will certainly be attending this coming year.
I hope to partake in the volunteering award this year via my involvement with the Youth Offending Service and if we are successful, with the leadership award via the History Committees mentoring scheme.
If you are interested, enquire at your university's career service or find it on their website.
http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/careers/la/
I hope you have as much fun as I did!
Friday, 6 July 2012
A trip to Parliament and a thought on expectations.
A couple of days ago, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet my local MP at the Houses of parliament. I would assume not many people get to casually bump into famous politicians, whilst having a drink and debating with their local MP on the exclusive Strangers terrace bar in the Houses of Parliament!
Dad offered me the opportunity to go along with him, via a charity event raising money for mental support for teenagers with depression. Of course I jumped at it, considering my interest in law and politics.
The building itself is awe inspiring. As a history student it was incredible to walk where so many men and women I have studied have been. I even got to see the closet were a sufrajet locked herself in overnight before the signing of the census!
I was struck by the humanity of the people working inside parliament and the community there seemed to be. Even across opposing parties.
A particular comment got me thinking whilst I was there. It concerned weighing up people's expectations alongside their well being. - many people EXPECT to be successful and are then disappointed when they realise that they may not turn out to be the CEO of a multi billion pound company. - challenging my long held belief that if you believe in yourself enough then you can do almost anything.
So what do I expect?
I know I have a fight ahead of me. I'm not an Oxbridge student, I don't have straight A* grades and I will probably get a 2:1 rather than a 1st. So my fight will be harder than many others.
However I do have the passion and the drive to do law. And I am beginning to build my experience ahead of many others who are in the same situation.
Therefore I expect getting a training contract is going to be difficult but achievable. I expect I will struggle to work my way up quickly and know that it will be a slow and most likely a difficult climb. I need to continue to expand my experience, network and knowledge base. All of which I feel is achievable.
However I also expect I will eventually be successful and be lucky enough to be involved in a career which, I will love and follow through with enthusiastic passion for the rest of my life and be able to make a difference in the world of law. I am sure that many would consider this (myself included sometimes) expecting too much.
Yet, is it better to expect too much or too little? An applicable quote which I think answers this is, 'Aim for the moon, then if you miss, you will land amongst the stars'. (Paula Radcliffe)
Dad offered me the opportunity to go along with him, via a charity event raising money for mental support for teenagers with depression. Of course I jumped at it, considering my interest in law and politics.
The building itself is awe inspiring. As a history student it was incredible to walk where so many men and women I have studied have been. I even got to see the closet were a sufrajet locked herself in overnight before the signing of the census!
I was struck by the humanity of the people working inside parliament and the community there seemed to be. Even across opposing parties.
A particular comment got me thinking whilst I was there. It concerned weighing up people's expectations alongside their well being. - many people EXPECT to be successful and are then disappointed when they realise that they may not turn out to be the CEO of a multi billion pound company. - challenging my long held belief that if you believe in yourself enough then you can do almost anything.
So what do I expect?
I know I have a fight ahead of me. I'm not an Oxbridge student, I don't have straight A* grades and I will probably get a 2:1 rather than a 1st. So my fight will be harder than many others.
However I do have the passion and the drive to do law. And I am beginning to build my experience ahead of many others who are in the same situation.
Therefore I expect getting a training contract is going to be difficult but achievable. I expect I will struggle to work my way up quickly and know that it will be a slow and most likely a difficult climb. I need to continue to expand my experience, network and knowledge base. All of which I feel is achievable.
However I also expect I will eventually be successful and be lucky enough to be involved in a career which, I will love and follow through with enthusiastic passion for the rest of my life and be able to make a difference in the world of law. I am sure that many would consider this (myself included sometimes) expecting too much.
Yet, is it better to expect too much or too little? An applicable quote which I think answers this is, 'Aim for the moon, then if you miss, you will land amongst the stars'. (Paula Radcliffe)
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