Oxbridge :showing subject passion "for law"?? How?

[PassionForLAw]

Just curious really I can see how this would be obvious for English or history but how does one demonstrate a passion for law??

Same as for English or History, reading around the subject, extra-curricular activities relating to the subject, starting a school law society, knowledge of careers in law, work experience, researching cases, EPQ on a topic relating to law

Reading court reports, case law and journals, attending court, debating, work experience etc

'Passion' may not be the most helpful word - think 'serious engagement' instead perhaps?

@LIZS unfortunately work is experience at least in chamber is cut off by a charity to help disadvantaged children.
I think this is brilliant, all these professionals should do similar programs but cutting off people like my dd who isn't privaledge also doesn't help. However my friend got her dd into chambers because her sister works in one so people with connections can still access it.

@ErrolTheDragon yes you're right, 😂we shouldn't uses the word passion I couldn't think of one.
Thanks, serious engagement

Courts are open to the public. She can go and sit in your local crown or county court for an afternoon as an observer.

Read Old Bailey trials.

Watch live court cases.

Research interesting cases - read the verdict, newspapers etc.

Remember, it is not all criminal - look at other types of law - employment, tort etc.

Look at the news for changes in the law.

My pupils often look at human rights stuff too.

And be prepared to discuss topical debates which may change Law such as the Assisted Dying bill and its potential issues. Many companies have their own in-house Legal team which might be easier to access for work experience.

Read around the subject, listen to podcasts. Worth doing this anyway as law is often a new subject at degree level.

Consider a law based EPQ if that's a possibility?

I'd also point her towards social history cases ie R v R (marital rape, 1992 - 1992!!!!) and other infamous numbers like R v Brown. Even Wagatha Christie and defamation laws shape our society but framed in an accessible way. Not everything has to be dull black letter.

Be able to talk about what’s going on currently, I imagine. Interesting cases, changes to laws and suchlike?

There are some good podcasts - try Double Jeopardy, really interesting and they've had some excellent guests.

Not sure what you mean by this but loads of chambers offer work experience which is open to any students to apply irregardless of their background - or some like Matrix offer 50% of placements to students from underrepresented backgrounds and 50% are open application. If you want to say whereabouts in the country you are I can recommend some to try.

I listen to podcasts /law in action by bbc

And subscribe to blogs like Joshua Rosenberg. Who did law jn action.

Reading books like letters to a law student or do they eat cannibals. Or secret barrister. Or lady hales biographies.

Is eating people wrong! Not the cannibals one.

books, the secret barrister, helena kennedy, Phillips sands, there are hundreds. Live court reports, reading tribunal tweets and attending hearings (online). Also on twitter or blue sky follow barristers what are they talking about. Read around it. Joshua Rosenberg or Michael Foran Substacks. Again there are others. Newspaper reports. The assisted dying bill, also echr should we leave it, brexit debates, are judges the enemy of the people. Also is it crime, family, or corporate law. What about tax? There are lawyers talking about the budget. Or sanctions law, or human rights, or the covid enquiry. Passion is passion so what area of law is it in. I practice in one area of law but am really interested even 30 years later in lots of others and it grabs my attention everywhere, books, to, drama, news, podcasts etc etc.

@elizzza oh thanks maybe it's just the London ones I googled there is charity and it's attached to all the chambers I googled we are in the south East near Windsor and can get to London.

I think it's a brilliant initiative but as I said it cuts out people like my dd who isn't privaledge and lives on a busy main road and we've seen a stabbing, the other day she was up at 1am being questioned as a witness to a violent crime opposite and many other incidents but when I put our postcode in its privaledge.

We have flats at the bottom, classic terrace in the middle where we are and the main thrusting of violence and larger posher houses as you go up

My dd has us my dp are deceased and we don't see dh family. We are just cupping 60 grand combined income. (I mentioned all this because it's all stuff mentioned by the chambers)

@whereonthestair

That's a brilliant list thank you so much!!

BTW (it's right there on the stair) ❤️

@burnoutbabe this is excellent she's not sure yet so she can try some of this stuff!
I know it's UK law but I think oj v the people was excellent and also film 12 angry men.

She needs to get writing. Work experience doesn't just fall into your lap.

Agree with going to see some court cases. Does she know about bailii (website with many UK court decisions on it).

You can also follow sone good cases in detail.

Ie wagatha Christie! Or the Johnny Depo trial. Both defamation.

Or some family law cases on say pre-nups. Basically cases on what interests her. Very easy to get details on most law forms who write blogs. Employment law and things that go wrong at Xmas parties. Trademark infringement and top shop v Rihanna. I did a module on video game law and another on music and film making law.

Go and watch Jodie Comer in Prime Facie then read the Secret Barrister. Debate with her friends whether the UK criminal justice system is equipped to deal with sexual assault cases.

Attend an Inquest (open to the public). Read about NHS maternity scandals, Or how cuts to mental health services have increased suicide rates.

Read the Law Society Gazette (free online), Legal Futures and Legal Cheek.

Join the local Junior Lawyers Division or Young Resolution.

Ask local chambers if they are holding any free webinars.

Lots of chambers also run their own work experience schemes. Is there any type of law she’s interested in?

Just from 5 minutes googling I found these London chambers which all don’t mention criteria in their work experience application info:

Matrix (50% open application as I said above)
Landmark
Old Square (applications currently closed but will reopen next year)
25 Bedford Row

I’m sure there are more - if she wants to be a lawyer she needs to start learning how to do research! She also might find it easier to get work experience at a local solicitors firm - as someone said above, she needs to start writing some emails.

There’s a great interview with Baroness Hale from 2022 on BBC sounds where she talks about her career etc, but particularly on Roe v Wade legal overturn in US. Would also recommend her book ‘Spider Woman’.

Times used to do great law reports in the paper, and luckily I’d read an éditorial on Conjoined twins before my interviews that I could talk about.

Also recommend you discussing légal concepts like intent, causation etc at home, not in their strict légal definition but in natural language sense and what that might look like in practice.

Alistair Campbell’s politics books for teenagers are also super accessible and give a good grounding in the constitution.