Taking teenager to observe court to see what barristers do

[CosyMintFish]

looking for some advice. I have a child studying for GCSEs who is considering a career in law, primarily because she enjoys debating and is academic, on track for all 9s.

Being a barrister appeals to her, but we have absolutely no lawyers in the family to ask about this. I’m thinking of taking her to the public gallery in a court, but want some advice on what sort of court (crown court, magistrates) and how to find a hearing where she will see barristers in action but not if it’s a horrible crime like rape or murder. But if there are other ways to show her what being a barrister might look like I’m happy to take advice.

Go to a real court, rather than trying to watch things online – it’s far more interesting to see how people move around, interact, what other staff do, etc. in real life. You could try calling ahead to explain what you’d like to see and why, and see if someone helpful answers.

Try to find something which you can watch from the start – ask court staff what’s on, and what might be worth watching. It doesn’t much matter what it is, so long as you can follow what’s going on. Small-time crime is probably the best as you could see witnesses, speeches and a verdict if you get a trial, and it could be over & done with reasonably quickly.

If there’s nothing obvious to watch, just pick a courtroom and sit quietly at the back. Procedural or legal arguments can be interesting, or they can be obscure. If you’re struggling to follow, leave and try another room – it’s unlikely to suddenly all become clear. Just don’t make a fuss or disturb anyone while the court is ‘on’.

If the judge isn’t yet on the bench, don’t be afraid to ask court staff or even the lawyers for a steer on what’s going on or what to expect. They might be too busy to talk, but they might be surprisingly helpful and pleased that someone is showing an interest. They will speak only in very general terms though – nobody will give any of their clients’ business away.

At the Old Bailey (Central Criminal Court) they ask that you stay a minimum of 30 mins in any one gallery, to keep disturbance to a minimum.

Once in you must not talk( including whispering) or point, but sit quiet and still. Stand up when the judge enters or stands. Dress neutrally: no flags or slogans. Also discussing a case in the public areas is not allowed. And be aware that other people in the queue and gallery may well be relatives of the defendant or victim . Though sometimes victim relatives are allowed to sit in the body of the court, with the Press.

Family hearings are private so you should be able to see most others.

One vital thing to consider is, regardless of how academic they are, are they a loner or are they quite a sociable person. If they’re quite sociable, they might prefer litigation within a law firm context rather than being a barrister where you are effectively self-employed. Lots of the barristers I know say it can be a lonely life as you are self-employed, even when you’re in a chambers. They should also look at summer placements in law firms.

If you go to the Old Bailey, there is a list up in the lobby of which cases are being tried in which court. Make sure a case is a couple of days in, so it is already being reported in the news, and you will be able to work out whether it is suitable or not, then you can go into the public gallery. The clerks in the lobby might also be able to help you pick a case that isn't too harrowing.

It's a long process - and expensive - to become a barrister. https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/barrister

See if her school have any contacts where she might get some work experience.

I would contact a local Chambers, we take mini-pupils from 16years old. The clerks will ensure they only see age appropriate cases & you get to chat to Barristers about their case, and how they prepare. You can also apply shadow a Judge for the day too. I think the Bar Council website has the information.
please feel free to DM

Thank you - this is very useful information. I’ve looked at the crown court nearest to us and the cases on Monday are listed. Can you turn up at any time? Should we be there from 10am when things start? And are there any dress code restrictions?

Thank you @Woody096 i haven’t got dms switched on in my settings but will look at how I do this.

You couldn’t have a dress code at a court, there’d be no accused!

I’d just go in middling-smart clothes, so you don’t get eyed suspiciously by court staff, but not so smart that you get mistaken for a lawyer.

While I’d usually say be there to see the start so you know what’s going on, there will be lots of busy things going on in the building like winnowing out cases which won’t be calling, or jury selection. I’m sure someone else will know more than me.

I looked at doing this for mine. Then I considered the reality of sitting next to people’s families whose whole worlds had been changed or were about to be. And I felt slightly uneasy about treating it like a spectator sport. That’s not a judgement on going just a consideration I had.
talking to the ushers is a great idea they will definitely steer you in the right direction to something more suitable.

Check 6th form colleges. Some here have a “law” track where aspiring lawyers spend time with courts and in the legal profession as part of their a’level course.

not unlike the “oxbridge” track many colleges have where they give support to those with the ability to achieve the required standards, especially those who may not have a background or family that can assist.

I don’t see it like that, @FatherFrosty… Justice needs to be seen, to be done; and it’s important that people understand that real life court procedure is not like cops and robbers on a soap. And we’re all citizens, who might as adults be called for jury service. So I’d say it’s a personal responsibility, as a citizen, to inform oneself of how the justice system is run.

I do agree with that as well and was lucky enough to do jury service, which was why I thought it was important to see. I was definitely conflicted about it.

Courts are meant to be public though, and for good reason.
There's been a big campaign to open up family courts a bit precisely because when cases are heard behind doors terrible judges etc can get away with repeated bad behaviour.

So of course only take children you can trust to behave and act respectfully but otherwise please know the public observing cases is an important safeguard.

you will need a civil court for this and they are pretty rare outside the large business and property courts in london, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester etc

OP, barrister here and going to court to watch cases is precisely what I advise anyone to do who is under 18 and wants to get an idea of what barristers do. I note a PP has mentioned that her Chambers offers work experience from 16 but many, including mine, only do so from 18 so this is the next best option. A couple of years ago I even had someone turn up for work experience but it happened to be a week with no court hearings going on so I sent her off to the Royal Courts of Justice, asked at the info desk what was interesting and found it was the day Laurence Fox was being cross-examined in the libel claim brought against him.

I hope you and DD have a good experience when you go to court. You have had plenty of advice of what to do when you get there eg ask the staff what is going on, what to take etc. I don’t need to add to. However, a few posters have mentioned you can watch Supreme Court and Court of Appeal hearings online. These will cover a wider range of cases than just criminal ones. It is currently legal vacation so there aren’t many cases being heard at the moment but here is a link to the Court of Appeal Civil Division livestream page which is updated at the end of each week with details of the hearings to be live-streamed the following week. There is usually a short summary of the case as well. https://www.judiciary.uk/the-court-of-appeal-civil-division-live-streaming-of-court-hearings/

We just turned up at the Crown Court. Yes it was dark a baby murder case but was absolutely gripping watching the witnesses including the granny of the baby and the doctors who dealt with the family being cross examined by KCs. The most serious cases have the best KCs. We were only going to go one day but went for 3.

I did my work experience week at that age going to the old Bailey to watch cases. It was really interesting.

yes court sits from 10am, but they don't always go in order of the list. Is it the Crown Court? I would opt for the Crown Court over the Magistrates. The court list should indicate on the list what the case is listed for e'g Trial - if so ask the Usher what point they are in the trial - if its the first day you may hear some legal argument, the prosecutor opening the case & the first witness. If the jury are being sent out to deliberate you won't see much.

Look for any courts with sentences listed - you will hear the prosecutor opening the case facts, identify the relevant sentencing guidelines & any previous convictions, then the defence will mitigate & the Judge will pass sentence setting out how he reached the sentence to be passed.

The Secret Barrister is a great read for a brutally honest take on the UKs legal system.

You can watch civil cases in your local county court.

Yes but they won’t generally hear sort of probate cases the pp spoke of, those will generally be in the high ct business and property courts

No, it was a more general suggestion for watching civil cases.

For non-criminal law and if you re based close to London, your best bet is the Royal Courts of Justice in The Strand or the Business & Property Court in Fetter Lane. They are both open to members of the public (there is airport style security at the entrances) and you can sit at the back of any courtroom and watch the action. People come and go all day and it’s fine to enter while a hearing is in progress. It is customary to bow towards the Judge when you enter/leave but a quick nod of the head is fine.

The High Court only hears urgent business in August and September (there are no trials) so you’d be better off waiting until October half term when there will be big trials running.

https://www.judiciary.uk/courts-and-tribunals/high-court/

If you are based outside London there are High Court District Registries around the country:

https://www.judiciary.uk/courts-and-tribunals/business-and-property-courts/chancery-division/chancery-division-regional-centres/

I’ve been working in these Courts for nearly 30 years and I still get a shiver of excitement every time I go to Court.

That’s nice @HolidayHappy123 ! counsel or another capacity?

I second this re barristers in the magistrates court. It’s where barristers cut their teeth and may keep coming back later in their career for various reasons eg many in house barristers at the CPS will be in the mags every day if they’re on a mags court advocacy team.