Day 1:
Before starting my placement at Matrx Chambers, I was excited to see barristers and other legal experts at work and I hoped that by the end of my experience, I would gain an insightful understanding of different areas of the law and different pathways to becoming a barrister. I am glad to say that these hopes were fulfilled.
At first entry into Matrix Chambers, I was instantly greeted by a friendly face from Lucy at the reception and given a warm induction by Theo. After this, we were given a tour of Matrix Chambers and Gray’s Inn Square which I was very appreciative of because I had the opportunity to see the beautiful grounds and meet some of the staff that work at Matrix Chambers. After the tour, we were welcomed by Team X who would be looking after us for the full duration of our stay at Matrix. After lunch, we engaged in a really riveting activity by the LSS team which entailed us conducting mini legal research into the Vardy v Rooney case (A defamation case) using the website Westlaw. I really enjoyed this activity as I gained legal perspective in a case that I only knew very little about and one that has constantly been in the news. I also learnt how to use Westlaw which I am sure will be useful for me in my legal future. Finally, we were introduced to the Marketing team and gathered insight on how they work with Matrix, which includes updating the Matrix website and posting updates on cases on social media.
Day 2:
The next day we were introduced to Christine from the Fees Team who walked us through what she does on a daily basis and the different forms of legal funding like public funding and CFA. This really intrigued me because it showed me that this role is not just an ordinary admin task but rather a strong tool in deciding who gets access to justice. Later on, we read over a case surrounding environmental law and it would be one that we would see being discussed in court the next day. I really found this useful for my understanding of the case in court. This was followed by a strongly anticipated interview for the Future Lawyer’s scheme. At first, I was quite anxious, but my worries were put at ease by the welcoming faces of Jim and Lucy, who would be conducting the interview. We ended the day by researching into cases surrounding the LGBTQ+ community and ones where Matrix lawyers were involved, for instance, Bull v Hall. We also applied Article 8 and 10 of the Convention Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998 to a fictional scenario between a celebrity and The Sun.
Day 3:
I found today really exciting as it was our first day in court. We eagerly walked down from Matrix to the Royal Court of Justice, which is a major high court in England. More specifically we were in the King’s Bench Division. The case (Transport Action Network v Secretary of State for Transport) discussed the issue of decarbonizing road transport and what that would look like. I found this really interesting because I not only had the opportunity to see barristers in action but also to hear about what laws are in place surrounding climate change. Afterwards we walked back to matrix and discussed the cases we researched the previous day with David from the LSS team. These cases were appellant cases which were pivotal in promoting equality, especially for the LGBTQ+ community and also conveyed the complexity of EU law in relation to UK law (The cases were Walker v Innospec, Bull v Hall and Steinfeld v Secretary of State for International Development).
Day 4:
Thursday brought our time at Matrix to an end. We first finished up tasks from the previous day like writing this blog then made our way to the Court of Appeals, which is one that hears appeals from the High Court, County Court and certain tribunals. The case we saw was Prestwick Care and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department and it encompassed the operator of the care facility initially requesting a judicial review of the Home Office’s decision to revoke their sponsor license, but their case was dismissed because there were numerous breaches of sponsor guidance spanning multiple sponsored workers which led to the conclusion that Prestwick Care could not be trusted to comply with its sponsor duties. Now the case has been appealed and heard. The second case we saw was Augustine vs Data Cars Limited and the claimant argued that a flat weekly fee was unfair to part-time workers. After some time, we left the Royal Courts of Justice for the last time and headed back to Matrix.
Reflecting on the amazing week I had at Matrix, I would definitely recommend this work experience programme to anyone who reads this blog. The team were so welcoming and the lessons and skills I gained here from are indispensable. I’ve learned so much about how barristers, office admins and support staff all work together to keep the legal system running smoothly. It’s made me even more excited about pursuing a career in law.