Inner Temple Library Classifieds
The excellent Current Awareness blog from the Inner Temple Library has just incorporated a new Classifieds service: offering adverts for the latest Chambers' vacancies.
You can subscribe via email or RSS to be kept updated. This is currently a trial service - so make use of it!
Final moots of the year! – Emily Allbon
Laura and Harriet (on left)
Two days of mooting madness to finish off the season...
On Tuesday 24th April GDL students Laura Inglis and Harriet Tolkien competed in the final stages of the UKLSA (UK Law Students Association) moot. Previous rounds have seen them face BPP and Sussex. This final stage included the quarter (against Lincoln) and semi-finals (against Plymouth) as well as the final all in one day.
The final (against Oxford) was judged by Lord Sumption at the Supreme Court.
Here's what Harriet had to say about the day:
We made it through to the final of the UKLSA Mooting Competition in the Supreme Court, after beating Lincoln in the quarterfinal, judged by the charming but very interventionist Andrew Caldecott QC, and Plymouth in the semifinal in front of a two judge panel of Vaughan Jacob and Robert Howe QC.
Despite some rather testing questions from Lord Sumption, who was judging they managed to beat Oxford, winning the competition.
Big congratulations to both Laura and Harriet, who stepped in to cover this moot in December. They are now in possession of a very shiny trophy thanks to the UKLSA. If you'd like to see more photographs of the event check out the UKLSA Facebook page.
Wednesday 25th City students were back at the Supreme Court for the final of our GDL Internal Moot Competition. This intense competition began back in late November with over 130 competitors and after getting through the subsequent two rounds, the four finalists making their appearance were Madeline Dixon, Jack Murphy, Andrew Feld and John Schmitt.
Andrew, Madeline, Lord Mance, John and Jack
Kindly judged by Lord Mance for the third year running, the final problem pivoted around the topical issue of school places and whether they can amount to property under the Theft Act 1968. All four mooted superbly with the eventual winner declared as John Schmitt, with runner up Madeline Dixon. John was picked out for the quality of his argument, particularly those around policy and for his skill in going beyond the law, Madeline for her clear, structured submissions and her capability in dealing with the judge's questions.
Lord Mance in his summing up said that of all the mooters he saw each year - City GDL students were always the most accomplished - a fantastic testament to the hard work our students put into this activity, on top of all their other commitments.
Life as a successful solicitor, post-GDL: Interview with Giles Peaker – Marie Tay
Giles Peaker
Ever wondered what furry walls or fungus have to do with the GDL? Well, it can certainly be part of your future career. And if you think that’s a tall tale, wait till you meet Giles Peaker - successful housing lawyer, Chair of the Housing Law Practitioners' Association, founder and editor of the Nearly Legal: Housing Law News and Comment site and… former GDL student at City University. The Legal 500 2011 describes Giles as "one of the most impressive housing solicitors working today".
As a law student, it’s always gratifying and certainly reassuring to meet GDL alumni who survived the course, been there, done that and went on to reap the rewards of all that hard work. Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel after all.
So how did Giles achieve all of this? And more importantly, any tips for us juniors on life as a solicitor and the practice areas of housing and public law in general?
Giles was previously a senior lecturer in History of Art and after a thirteen-year career; he turned to law in pursuit of new challenges and intellectual stimulus. By now, you must be thinking, “Wow, a teacher who went back to school” and wondering what made him take the plunge into law. Giles shared that it was the unique combination of intellectual challenge together with the practical context of real-life facts that attracted him. Likewise, he was drawn to City University’s academic model of the GDL programme as opposed to other GDL providers, which were more formulaic-driven.
After all, isn’t it the academically challenging environment of City that ups the game a notch by allowing us to hone our analytical skills even further? For there’s a heightened sense of satisfaction when you’re able to distinguish yourself from your peers. Hands up, everyone who loves a good intellectual spar.
Web Legal Education International Summer Schools
I had some publicity about these law summer schools recently - locations include: India, Switzerland and New York, USA. Please be aware there is a significant cost involved.
Several City students were based at Cardozo Law School last year here's what one of them had to say:
"I did the summer intensive programme on US Law at Cardozo last year in July. I'd highly recommend it to anyone willing to experience something different. We got to learn about the US constitutional law as well as other areas of law as it works in the US system. The classes used to be very interactive and it was enjoyable learning and exchanging views on different areas of law with the excellent and friendly tutors in a comfortable environment.
Thinking summer is a long way off? Credit: Matteo Angelino
We used to have activities outside the classes on the weekends and on the tuesday evenings. In those trips we were taken to witness a court hearing, visited a law firm, went to the UN headquarters, had an audio tour at the Ground Zero where the Twin Towers used to be situated, went to the Statue of Liberty Island & the Ellis Island, went for a baseball match and also watched a theatre at the Broadway. Most evenings used to be free so we could do whatever we wanted to, rest, shop, eat(food there was delicious), go for a movie, visit some known places including the Empire State building or just roam around at the Times Square.
In the last two days, we did a mini intensive trial advocacy programme. I personally got to learn a lot from that and also thoroughly enjoyed it. At the end we were all certified following a closing dinner. Overall, it has been an incredible experience being there doing a law related programme in an amazing city like New York at a lovely Law school right on 5th Avenue. It has truly been an experience of a lifetime."
Priya Chowdhury, LLB student
For more information take a look at their website or contact Elliot Hammer, Course Director.
Interested in a career in Human Rights?
Credit: ex_libris_gul
The Human Rights Lawyers' Association (HRLA) is holding a Careers Day for those interested in pursuing a career in Human Rights Law. You'll hear from a variety of speakers and get involved in group discussions. Most importantly you'll have lots of options to gain advice on internships and applications.
Speakers include academics, barristers, solicitors, government lawyers and those who work for NGO's.
Location: The Law Society, London
Date: 31st May 2012
Time: 1.00pm - 5pm
To find out more or make a booking use the Law Society website.
For those of you who are being held back from undertaking an internship or placement for financial reasons, the HRLA offer bursary awards to assist (and has done since 2006).Here's the blurb from them about this important opportunity.
The HRLA recognises that those without independent financial backing may not be able to undertake unpaid or poorly paid work in human rights law and might be disadvantaged when applying for jobs in the human rights field as a result. Each year the HRLA provides around 5 awards from a maximum annual bursary fund of £5000 to help successful applicants undertake work related to human rights law that they would otherwise be unable to afford to do. For the first time this year, one successful applicant will be awarded the Peter Duffy Bursary Award, in honour of the human rights lawyer who contributed so much to the field.
Over the past few years, the HRLA has helped students undertake internships at the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre in Hungary, the AIRE Centre in London, the Centre for Capital Punishment Studies in Jamaica and the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Northern Ireland.
Reports from previous HRLA bursary recipients can be found on the HRLA website, along with the application form and selection criteria.
The closing date for applications for the 2012 HRLA bursary scheme is 6th May 2012. Candidates will be informed of the outcome of the competition by 15th June 2012.
Summer work placements at HSBC up for grabs – Emily Allbon
If you are interested in pursuing a legal career within the context of financial services, then an opportunity to join one of HSBC Canary Wharf offices for a summer placement might be worth a gander?
Find out more about the opportunities and download that application form via their website. Deadline for applications 6th May 2012.
Money, Money, Money! – Elizabeth Cruickshank and Penny Cooper
One of the main differences between being at Law School and working in a law firm is money. Not just the money that you earn for yourself but the money that you earn for the firm. One of the most difficult adjustments you will have to make is assessing how well you are working. It will no longer be calculated by the number of hours spent studying your law books but by the number of hours spent earning hard cash for the firm.
The external valuation of your work at Law School (as at university) is done in terms of percentage marks and final grades, where high numbers are good, low numbers are bad and nobody expects you to get 100% -- well, not too often anyway. Law firms are different. The result that is aimed for is 100% accuracy -- anything less could result in your client making the wrong decisions and your firm being sued.
Fill it for your firm Credit: kenteegardin
Law firms are businesses
Law firms don’t make chocolate bars or designer suits or even fill teeth, all of which are visible end-products. Their end-products are mainly legal advice, representation and negotiation.
At one level trainees are simply part of the tool kit used to provide these law firm products, so your firms needs to know what you are doing. Older lawyers may reminisce about the days when partners used to weigh files in their hands before plucking a figure out of the air which represented the amount of time spent on a matter and its “complexity” although it could be simply an estimate of what the client would bear. Those arcane practices have long since disappeared, along with would be solicitors paying substantial amounts of money to their principals and receiving little or no salary until they qualify.
BILETA Conference – Law and technology rule OK! – Emily Allbon
As someone who gets most fired up about law, technology and learning, the annual BILETA conference (29-30 March 2012) seemed like an ideal match for me, and I was suitably chuffed when my paper was accepted. Sod's law dictated of course that our GDL programme was undergoing revalidation Day Two so I'd just be able to attend the first day, but what a day nonetheless. We heard about e-reader and iPad pilots, alongside law apps and teaching with film and twitter.
Here's a quick-fire roundup:
Patricia McKellar & Steven Warburton - Flexible learning with e-readers
The speakers spoke of their e-reader pilot at the University of London - issuing kobo e-readers to their students, pre-loaded with content from OUP and Palgrave, alongside their own materials. The pilot included students from 5 different geographic regions - 2 from regions in the UK, and one from Germany, Kenya and Singapore. Drivers for this include the vast boxes of print material that they need to send out to their students all over the world - incurring massive costs around postage, storage in warehouses and the inevitable need to over-purchase as numbers of students uncertain. The publishers involved were keen to work with the university once they could be sure their materials were secured to the individual reader. Student reactions were reported as positive, with the expected comments around portability, battery life and functionality. The speakers also noted some negative comments around the same issues.
An interesting pilot particularly considering the scale of operation involved, interesting to hear that this is not considered by either the university or those students piloted as a replacement for hard copy, but a complement.
Sandy Meredith raised an important point at the end of the session around referencing - asking if the page numbers differ in the e-version to hard copy. It was confirmed that this was the case and that handouts had to be adjusted to refer to chapters and sections. This could cause major disruption to law programmes.
We’re open!
After 2 weeks the law library collections re-opened at 8.30am this morning in its new location of The Pool, College Building. If you've not found us yet, it's accessed from the St John St entrance, off to the left just before you reach the spiral staircase.
Our new space
900+ shelves were emptied and transferred between buildings in this time. The Pool posed several challenges for a library collection, mainly on account of the presence of a rather large void underneath the floor. As a listed building the actual swimming pool remains under the flooring (minus the water of course), so shelving could only be accommodated round the edges. Further trickiness included the rather lovely swimming pool changing cubicles which remain on both sides of the room, these encompass bookshelves but are of varying widths making it a precise operation to work out what would fit.
The Collections held within The Pool are split; those on the ground floor and further materials held upstairs on the Gallery. The Gallery is not accessible to students, as there are weight restrictions - there are a lot of hefty materials stored up there. Requests for materials held in the Gallery should be made to the desk.
Remember that there are lots of other study space possibilities in addition to The Pool: the Library, Grays Inn Place library is open to you all, the Law Common Room, Myddleton Building top floor reserved for law students, and for GELLB and GDL students, the Library Graduate Centre. There are also various spaces dotted about the university, including the room on College Building walkway.
RIP Level 4
I hope you enjoy the new law space, you'll be seeing a number of new faces as the issue desk here will be manned by new starters Francesca and Billie for the majority of the week, with Amy and Chris on Thursdays. I'll still be very much around though (you'll find my office behind the spiral staircase in the Pool)!
I was sad to see Level 4 being stripped of its contents, particularly as I have spent almost 12 years of my working life there. Very sombre to say goodbye to my lovely office with its view of the square, but very much looking forward to our eventual new home in the City Innovation Centre, between Gloucester Building and the School of Social Sciences (January 2013).
Our Opening Hours in The Pool will be 8.30-9pm weekdays, with weekend opening hours to be confirmed shortly. The main library will be open 24 hours from 23rd April until Friday 1st June.
Law and Mortar: Temple Church – Susan Doe
Welcome to a new column for Future Lawyer!
Susan Doe, City of London tour guide, will be writing a regular column for us all about buildings with links to the law: Law and Mortar. Hope you enjoy...
It may seem a bit odd to start a series of pieces about buildings relating to the law and the legal profession with a church. But Temple Church earns its place – not just by being the only building that is shared by the Inner and Middle Temples, but also by giving an insight into the ways buildings were used by lawyers in the days before formalised places of work.
Why even are the ‘temples’ here? Their location relates to Fleet Street – the major route between the two London cities – the City of London and Westminster. The street is recorded as early as 1002 and was named after the River Fleet which crossed the east end of it and still runs beneath. In the 14th century the Inns of Court were established here because it was convenient for the lawyers who had to constantly move between ‘the City’ and Westminster, the merchant City and centre of trade, and the seat of government.
The Middle and Inner Temples operate as two separate precincts (and yes, there was an Outer temple originally, but it is long gone) but the one building they both use – shared since 1608 - is Temple Church (and for our purposes here we will ignore its recent fame as one of the major sites of The Da Vinci Code!)
The name Temple came from the Knights Templar – military monks, a group of nobles established in Jerusalem to protect pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land. They gained great power and influence – and riches. Including land here in 1160. Their wealth and influence induced envy in both Popes and monarchs and they were suppressed in 1312, and their land given to a much less threatening group – the Order of St John – the Knights Hospitaller (the origins of the current day St Johns Ambulance, but that is another story). They didn’t need the land at Temple and in 1346 they leased it to law students. The Inns were developed as hostels to house the lawyers, and so it all began. By the 1440s the land was divided into the three Inns – Inner, Outer and Middle (defined by their proximity to the City of London).
Brought to you by
Categories
- Alumni Interviews (18)
- Barristers (22)
- Events (42)
- Getting Ahead In Law (15)
- I want to do something different! (7)
- Law and Mortar (1)
- Mooting (4)
- News (97)
- Practice Area (2)
- Pro-Bono (30)
- Solicitors (42)
- Study (8)
Random Post
Tags
advocacy alternative alumni applications barrister blog business careers commercial awareness competition cv death penalty e-research events GDL GELLB human rights Inns of Court international internship interview law fair law firm law firms llm mentor mini pupillage mooting networking organisation phd pro bono pupillage research social media solicitor tips trainee training contract twitter usa vacation schemes video volunteering work experienceMy Twitter
Blogs I read
Pupillage and How to Get It
Baby Barista
Law Actually
Charon QC
Halsbury's Law Exchange
law think
Pupillage Blog
UK Human Rights Blog
The Bizzle
Legal Brat Blawg
Sites I like
- All About Law Good all-rounder for careers info
- Chambers & Partners Student Guide Excellent student guide to law firms and chambers
- Lawbore Our main site – don’t miss it!
- Learnmore Learn legal skills here
- RollOnFriday Fabulous law firm gossip