Pupils Become Barristers for the Day as Part of Walker Morris' Work Experience Programme

Law firm Walker Morris and Parklane Plowden Chambers gave nine students from Notre Dame High School in Leeds, a taste of life in the legal profession this week, as part of their work with schools.

The students, all aged between 16 – 18 spent four days at Walker Morris as part of their school work experience programme, designed to help pupils understand more about the world of work and what a career in law would entail.

The week culminated with a mock trial, which was run in conjunction with Parklane Plowden. The mock court room was complete with wigs and witness box and to ensure the trial felt as close to a real court room as possible, Stuart Brown QC presided over proceedings as the Judge. Students took on various roles and worked with barristers from Parklane Plowden and solicitors from Walker Morris to prepare the prosecution and defence for a legal scenario, which is used to train barristers.

Judith Pike, partner responsible for recruitment, at Walker Morris explains:"Many students are very naive as to how challenging law can be, both to get into and to succeed in. The work experience we offer definitely helps them to become more aware and more prepared."

"It’s a challenging week for the students. In addition to receiving talks from Walker Morris' Human Resources team, its trainees and its solicitors, they are also given tasks to complete such as research, letter writing, preparing presentations and finishing, of course, with the big trial."

Gareth Price from Parklane Plowden commented:"Parklane Plowden takes great interest in the education and development of future generations of lawyers and is thrilled to be involved with this event."

Mr T Coen, Principal at Notre Dame High School said: "Work experience is invaluable in helping young people choose their career options and allows them to develop a range of transferable skills. It can also be an excellent opportunity to impress a prospective future employer! Law is one of the most popular choices for students at Notre Dame, and opportunities like this are a great way of giving students an insight into what a career in the law is really like."In addition to its work with schools, Walker Morris also runs vacation placements for 48 undergraduates each summer