Day 1:
Taking a seat in the Matrix Chambers reception was a relief after the rather soggy walk from Chancery Lane under the mid-October rainfall. After being warmly welcomed by Jen at the front desk, I had the chance to briefly meet my fellow work-experience students before a quick introduction session by Theo. It was interesting to find out more about what makes Matrix different to other barristers’ chambers, such as their use of more modern terminology to depart from the archaic, often daunting atmosphere of traditional chambers.
The morning mainly consisted of friendly introductions and a comprehensive tour of the buildings, through which I was impressed to discover that Matrix houses over 100 barristers specialising in a range legal fields. Yet my greatest takeaway from today was to find out just how much work goes on behind the scenes at barristers’ chambers: between the fess team, marketing, FOH, practice, finance (and more!) the Griffin Building really is a hardworking hive.
My placement was supervised by the fees team, so I had the opportunity to find out more about their important role as barristers’ personal accountants. Most interestingly, I learnt of the different financial types of cases (namely private, LAA, CFA/DCFA, pro-bono) and how they are managed by the team. Following this induction, I was given the task of researching more about different types of legal funding to consolidate my understanding of this aspect of legal administration.
The afternoon began with a lovely chat with two pupil barristers at Matrix, in the boho-intimacy of Pufrock Café. Over hot chocolate and juice, we discussed pathways into law and their journeys through the legal profession so far. It was inspiring to learn of their experience both in the commercial and human rights spheres, as well as in the solicitor and barrister routes. Finally, the day concluded with a relaxed tour of the rest of Gray’s Inn Court, followed by pre-court reading time and catching up with the morning’s tasks.
Day 2:
From 9:30 am to 3:30 that afternoon, my second day at Matrix consisted entirely of shadowing James Laddie KC in a case at the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT). My prep-reading from the day before gave me a good basic understanding of the facts of the case, but I really appreciated our chat with Mr Laddie about the technicalities, grounds of appeal and probability of success. On the way to the court, we discussed the case in the bundle of authorities; essentially, this was a case concerning the discrepancies between discrimination on the basis of ‘race’ and ‘migration status’, highly relevant to our case at hand.
Walking into the EAT was unlike what you’d expect from watching documentaries or films as the architecture was far from gothic and antique- instead, the modern design of the multi-storied building inspired a different atmosphere of authority and efficiency. After a half-hour worrying about the complainant’s whereabouts, the hearing began with the judge’s preliminary introduction to the grounds of the appeal and checking both parties had received the relevant legal documents.
Despite being a relatively straightforward case, I was surprised to discover just how thorough legal analysis can become. Oftentimes, debates would diverge into highly technical and narrow lines of argument (admittedly, these were sometimes difficult to follow and required intense concentration!). However, my greatest takeaway from this experience was to learn of the humane ethos of employment tribunals. Whilst you’d expect high degrees of formality and strict procedures from a court of appeal, the atmosphere in this hearing was very different. I admired the judge’s dedication to making the whole process less daunting for the litigant in person (i.e. the claimant who was representing himself) to give him a fair chance to have his voice heard in the matter. By frequently summarising arguments advanced by both parties, and explaining legal terminology in very simple terms, I felt this hearing was an exemplar of ensuring fair access to justice.
Day 3:
During my third day, I was again based in the Griffin building at Matrix. I logged into the system (a habit by now) and made a to-do list for the day ahead. By the first hour, I had ticked off my first task (to write up yesterday’s blog article) and shortly after, I submitted my legal funding research task. By then, it was time to meet Alex from the OA team and to accompany him to the Royal Courts of Justice to deliver a barristers’ bundles.
This was the highlight of my day, yet another chance to see the chambers’ well-oiled system in action. The OA staff ensure that barristers receive their bundles (collections of documents for their cases) promptly on the day in court- clearly, a very important task. A brisk walk through Grey’s and Lincoln’s Inns brought us to the legal heart of Strand: the Royal Court of Justice. Having been here before as a visitor, it was a great feeling to peer behind the curtain and come in as a working member of the court. As we wandered round the labyrinthine corridors, we learnt more about different pathways into law by discussing Alex’s experience from Sixth Form to his current position here at Matrix.
After a filling lunch from Leather Lane, it was time for me to head to my interview for the Future Lawyers Scheme. Since I wasn’t eligible for the programme, I took this as an opportunity to build on my interview skills and gain experience. The interview consisted of a short presentation of my argument that university education should be free for all, followed by a series of questions both on my presentation and more traditional interview-style questions. Overall, I was proud of my performance, mainly in my ability to calm my nerves and think clearly and calmly- though I should probably work on keeping my answers more focused!
This left me with the rest of the afternoon to complete outstanding tasks and read up on tomorrow’s case at the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
Day 4:
My last day of work experience at Matrix was spent following a different employment law case, this time at the Royal Courts of Justice. Having delivered a bundle there yesterday, I was familiar with the route across Grey’s and Lincoln’s Inns and the back entrance to the Court. Unlike Tuesday’s case at the EAT, this hearing was much like you’d expect from a case at the Court of Appeal: gowns, wigs and shelves of old books all featured in this room as well as highly technical legal terminology.
My reading about the case from the previous day certainly helped, although it required great levels of concentration to follow the parties’ lines of argument. I was surprised at the level of interjection by the judges themselves, who often directed discussion by posing challenging and intricate questions giving all the more reason to be in awe of barristers’ tenacity and quick-thinking abilities (on top of remaining the picture of reverence in front of the judges!).
There was a great deal of legal jargon used throughout the hearing (as expected from a highly-focused debate on fine points of law) so I can confidently say I learnt something new as a result. After the hearing was over, I took the opportunity follow up on the case with Edward Kemp KC and Anirudh Mathur (the Matrix barristers acting on behalf of the respondent). I asked some clarifying questions on key terms such as ‘Judicial Processes Immunity’ and ‘quasi-judicial’ bodies, as well as having a general chat about working as a barrister. The reassuring answer to that was ‘It really is the best job in the world’.
Overall, I am extremely satisfied with my time here at Matrix Chambers and I can confidently say that if I were ever successfully called to the Bar, I would be honoured to join Matrix as a working member.