Day 1:
Upon my arrival at the Matrix Chambers reception, I was warmly welcomed by Jen and Theo. Once all my fellow work experience students had arrived, we were given an introduction by Theo and introduced ourselves to the cohort.
Following this, we were given a tour around the building and Gray’s Inn by Idris. During the tour, we were fortunate enough to not only see where barristers work but also to meet a barrister. It was interesting to learn about the history of the chambers and to discover that Gray’s Inn is a listed building, which means that there are pretty strict regulations around the changes that can be made to the building. As a history enthusiast, I believe that this is great as visitors are still able to see the building close enough to its original form.
Then we received our first task, and later we were able to have a discussion with our supervisors Donella and Annie to debunk some myths about the legal profession.
After lunch, I had the opportunity to read through documents for a hearing we were going to attend. This gave invaluable insight into the type of documents a barrister is required to prepare prior to a hearing, such as a “skeleton”, which is an outline of the arguments a barrister would like to make in court including the legal authorities they will rely on. Shortly after this, we had the opportunity to meet with one of the barristers (Catherine Dobson) we were going to attend court with the next day. This was especially insightful as I was able to learn about how a barrister prepares themselves for a hearing, how they research and more specifically what her career path into law was like. As an A Level Biology student, this case appealed to me as I was able to understand the case quite well in terms of the impacts of the environment on those with underlying health complications such as the barrister’s client.
Later, we were introduced to the fees team at Matrix, and we had a discussion with them about their roles and how they support the barristers so that they can focus on their clients. The day concluded with us speaking to the legal assistants about their work and discussing future career options.
Day 2:
From 9.30 – 4.30pm, my second day at Matrix consisted of shadowing two Matrix Barristers, Guy Vassall-Adams KC and Catherine Dobson, advocating on behalf of their respective clients. It was truly inspiring to see them representing their clients with such passion and enthusiasm. Witnessing these hearings taught me more about the role of a barrister, how to construct a legal argument, and the importance of referencing evidence that you have used to back up your argument.
During lunch, I was able to truly appreciate the character and architecture of the Royal Courts of Justice. It was especially interesting to discover that the RCJ is 143 years old! As an aspiring lawyer, I was truly grateful to have had the opportunity to be seated in a building with such a rich legal history.
To end this exciting day, we listened to the rest of Catherine Dobson’s case regarding the environment which we were able to do research on prior to this.
Day 3:
On my third day at Matrix, we headed to the courts again to see another case which was focused on immigration, an area of law I am passionate about. We were able to witness Raza Husain KC and his opponent in action, who were both particularly interesting to watch, as they were confident and well-spoken which are skills I believe are necessary as a barrister. Raza Husain KC skillfully used analogies which made the arguments much easier to understand as someone who is not too familiar with complex legal terms.
After the court session had wrapped up for the day, I headed back to Matrix to work on my blog and prepare myself for my interview the next day.
Day 4:
My final day at Matrix started with me logging into the system and finishing my blog. After this, I was allocated a slot for the Future Lawyers Scheme interview and began to prepare myself for it. Next, I completed my interview for the scheme, which was conducted by Donella and Elaine. This experience has definitely taught me how to prep, research, and get my point across effectively, with time constraints, in the setting of an interview.
After this, I completed a task assigned by the Fees team . It was interesting to discover what individuals, such as those who qualify for legal aid, can do if they cannot afford the services they need.
Later, we had a session with Guy Vassall-Adams KC to discuss his case we watched earlier in the week. This was especially insightful as we were able to find out about how he prepares himself for cases, discuss cases he had previously worked on, and what his route to becoming a barrister looked like as an individual who didn’t study law as an undergraduate.
To end our time at Matrix we spoke with trainees (Florence and Mannat) about their own pathways into law and gained insight into the work they are doing currently, their pathway into law and their ambitions for the future.
I am especially grateful to Matrix Chambers for selecting me for this work experience placement, which has taught me so much more about law in general and what life as a barrister looks like. A massive thank you to Donella and Annie for supporting us this week and to the entire team for being so accommodating and arranging so many exciting activities for us.