I’d firstly like to thank everyone at the Matrix for being so friendly and accommodating during my week here, from the OOA’s who took us to and from court to the barristers who took time to help us understand cases in further details and everyone in the office for being so hospitable. It has been a very insightful week into the world of law and full of excitement which I will never forget.
My week at Matrix Chambers began punctually at 9am on a Monday morning where I was warmly greeted by Tristan and Frank who gave us (Indigo and I) an induction and a tour around the office meeting each team and briefly learning about the roles of each team. Although our first day at court fell through, we were swiftly moved on to the next planned activity. We met the Legal Support Team and Polly kindly spent some time going over her role and answered the several questions that we had. We visited the library where we discussed famous cases and criminal law in particular. She gave us some important advice and I’d like to wish Polly good luck with her upcoming exams!
The rest of the week consisted of challenging yet enjoyable readings of papers before court each day. We made many trips to different courts such as the Royal Courts of Justice and the Employment Appeal Tribunal. It was rewarding to see such skilful barristers eloquently present themselves and their cases to the judges. We were lucky enough to observe some fascinating cases, for example: an employment appeal against NHS, an extradition of a US national and lastly a case about an inquiry into the fire at Grenfell Tower. It was inspiring to meet different barristers and see their passion for their job. One of my favourite cases was on Wednesday at the Employment Appeal Tribunal, we walked with Mathew Purchase in the morning whilst he informed us of the case ahead and answered any questions that we had. The presentation of his appeal was very clear, eloquent and persuasive leaving the judge with no doubts but to accept the appeal.
This week at Matrix has been very busy and perfectly captures the real life of barristers. It has been a unique and valuable experience to speak to the teams and barristers about the different elements of law. Despite having to wake up at crazy hours to face the rush hour London traffic, I am very grateful for this opportunity as it has reinforced my passion for pursuing a career in law. A final highlight of the week was the mock interview I participated in with Frank and Alice, this enabled me to identify my areas of improvement and to focus on for future interviews.
Thank you Matrix!