Surprisingly, there isn’t a hint of nervousness in me as I turn the corner into Griffin Building. I’m the last one to arrive, but Lucy greets me warmly at the front desk and immediately hands me a pack of documents to sign, which really cements the legal atmosphere.
As I quickly glance around, the room directly facing us catches my eyes. Its glass doors are blurred, but I can make out the proceedings of an important meeting going on. Later, Theo (who works in Front of House) tells us, “That’s Clare Montgomery (KC), one of the most high-profile barristers here,” and being able to stand metres from such a figure makes me excited already. The first morning is spent touring Gray’s Inn and the surrounding Squares, led by the knowledgeable Idris: and after a brief walk under the sunshine, I feel much more informed about the Chambers!
After lunch, we meet two more departments: the Legal Support Service team (LSS) and the Marketing team. We sit down for a chat about becoming a barrister with David from the LSS group, which turns out to be a very insightful conversation: there isn’t one single linear pathway to becoming a barrister! Although there are certain steps to complete, there are a variety of ways to enter the legal industry, and lots of ways to build the necessary skills. The next half hour is spent reading up on the fascinating Rooney v Vardy case on Westlaw (a legal documentation platform), and I’m left feeling very curious about the writing of court judgements after. We then meet Charlotte from Marketing, who shows us the Matrix Chambers website and social media pages. It’s no surprise that cases are shared online, but I’m suddenly quite appreciative of how much thought goes into each news story – some of which are written by the barristers themselves!
On the second morning we are introduced to the different types of legal funding by Christine from Fees. It’s fascinating to see how barristers get paid, which is something I was always curious about given the self-employed nature of the career. Shortly after, we are given material about tomorrow’s court case to look through – an environmental judicial review. The afternoon involves a debate task: 45 minutes to prepare one of four arguments and present it to two members of the Matrix team. I found this a really useful experience, and a great opportunity to practice answering interview questions in a formal setting.
Wednesday morning’s office atmosphere is about as lively as it’s ever been. I enter the office’s double doors for the third time and am given a small pack about key bits of law to read through before our court visit. Iona, a junior clerk, walks us down to the Royal Courts of Justice, all the while sharing information about case law and statutory law. We part right at the court doors and quickly slip into the back row to watch the hearing of the Transport Action Network v The Secretary State of Transport. The case, given its ESG nature and discussion of environmental action, turns out to be really pertinent and as the afternoon goes on, I am increasingly in awe! Over the next two days, we watch a number of hearings ranging from appellant hearings and commercial cases. There is no better way to truly discover how hearings are conducted than to sit in one yourself, and, contrary to popular belief, barristers aren’t solitary workers. Watching from the public pews, I realise that they don’t storm into the courtroom alone clutching a huge stack of files – a runner helps them with that, and throughout the hearing there is a constant supporting team of lawyers behind the main barrister on both the claimant and defendant sides. The hurried whispers and passing of sticky notes amongst frantic typing makes for a really exciting, debate-style courtroom atmosphere. And it turns out the courtroom is not a place of constant tension: a few jokes cracked about barristers lighten the mood, and unexpectedly, I feel very refreshed and enriched each time I leave the courtroom.
The 4 days pass in the blink of an eye, but I feel like I’ve learnt so much in such a short amount of time! My time here has let me gain hands-on experience, learn so much more about law, as well as open my eyes to the barrister profession. I genuinely feel so much more well-informed and confident about my pursuit of law and I only have Matrix Chambers to thank for this!