Pathways to Law: Our Collaboration with The Sutton Trust
We were delighted to welcome 6 students from the Sutton Trust to Chambers again this year for a 3 day “Pathways to Law” experience. This is one of the highlights of our Equality, Diversity and Social Responsibility calendar, and we really enjoy the opportunity to welcome students, take part in workshops and show them the opportunities for a career at the independent Bar.
The Sutton Trust champions social mobility through programmes, research and policy influence. Pathways to Law is one of several programmes for students from underrepresented backgrounds. The aim is to give students insight and opportunities to explore a particular profession such as law, medicine or engineering. Those who are selected for the scheme are from non-fee paying schools, academically promising, and additionally might be the first generation to attend university, or be eligible for free school meals, or be in care.
The first day of the programme consisted of a criminal law workshop followed by a visit to the Old Bailey to see a murder trial. This was a great opportunity to see barristers in action, and the students really relished the opportunity commenting that “The visit to the Old Bailey helped us to see and understand the work of barristers first hand”.
The second day of the programme was a careers day during which we talked through the various roles within the law, and thought about questions which might be asked in university interviews. During the afternoon, we ran a CV workshop so that students could get advice on their CVs, and also an interview workshop with hints and tips on getting work experience during their university studies. The students ate lunch at Middle Temple Hall and learned a little more about the role of the Inns of Court and the history of the profession.
The final day involved a number of workshops – negotiation and mediation in the morning and advocacy in the afternoon. The students were able to learn new skills and enjoyed the interactive element of the tasks commenting that amongst the activities which worked well was “The mediation activity – group activities where we had to read and analyse information and try to create an efficient and effective solution”.
At 5 Pump Court, we are committed to widening opportunities for talented advocates to join and thrive at the self-employed Bar. We were delighted with the feedback from students who said that the work experience was beneficial, well organised and full of worthwhile tasks. Those tasks which students particularly enjoyed included advocacy training, CV training and writing, mock interviews, and the visit to the Old Bailey. The main suggestion for improvement was to make the experience longer!
