This blog was prepared by one of the amazing Sutton Trust students who spent a week in Chambers
"Being a lawyer has always been an aspiration of mine and as soon as I stepped through those doors that aspiration was confirmed. Previously, I had felt a mix of emotions. Anxious, enthusiastic, and optimistic are just some of those. Strict and assertive is what I always thought Chambers to be which was the reason for my heightened nerves but what I was greeted with was something I would have never imagined.
Throughout the week I have met barristers, clerks, security guards, police, and even the judges. They all made me feel like I was in the right place making all imposter syndrome I had fade away. I was introduced to some important people, those who run the chambers, and many others. The types of law that many of these barristers focus on isn't solely civil or criminal, so it was only right I had to be taken down to those courts. The difference between these two types of law isn't as big as you would have thought as many cases come into both. However, I really loved the aspect that in the civil court, anyone who has a legal problem is able to defend themselves before a judge and that there is no bias and help is even given to the most vulnerable. This makes me want to become a civil lawyer more after such experiences with the courts with cases such as medical negligence to a minor as aiding up petition.
Knowledge was infinitely given to me on this experience. From how the courts were run, who sat where, and the biggest shock to me is the prior discussions between the prosecutor and defence before trial. It baffles me how barristers willingly tell each other their game plan like they are on the same sides in order to ensure a smooth trial. The court system is already so far backed up, and this teamwork between barristers always goes smoothly, allowing as many cases to be heard correctly. The problem of witnesses is surprising not showing up to a trial, especially if you're an eyewitness to the incident, was something I was unaware of and how it has a big impact on cases being adjourned. This really made me feel that there should be more work in having essential witnesses show up instead of waiting for a witness summons.
After such experience I gained a wide range of new skills. My communication has improved tremendously after speaking to such highly intelligent individuals who were willing to answer any question I imposed onto them. My active listening was another skill that benefited the most from this experience. Being able to listen to such in-depth trials and absorb bundles of information effectively has helped me develop as a person. Data analysis has now become my best friend. Having to go through bundles full of all case information was a major task that I found really hard but now the week has commenced I feel a lot more confident in reading through lots of data even if it looks too scary to comprehend."
