Your QM Law For All Society Newsletter
Wow - just 2 months ago we were screaming "Happy New Year!" and now we are halfway into Semester B. How quickly time flies! The LFAS really got the ball rolling and we have hosted so many awesome events! We thank you guys for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend- it has been fantastic meeting you guys! Check out the pictures below we took at our Welcome Back event!
We also have very exciting news- we have had two new additions to the committee- Ruby as our additional newsletter creator and Shiven as our First Year Representative! Additionally, this newsletter edition includes an interview with Beth Williams, the outreach coordinator for the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn on "Career in the Bar: All you need to need to know from Financing to Inns of Courts". Let's get into it!Some highlights from the Welcome Back Social Event at Morty & Bob's!
CRIMINAL LAW EVENT RECAP
Missed our Criminal Law Event? Here are some of our favourite pieces of advice from our two speakers Sean McConville and Kate Temple-Mabe! QUALITIES NEEDED FOR WORKING IN CRIMINAL LAW FAIRNESS A strong sense of fairness and rectitude is vital in any type of law, but especially Criminal. EMPATHY To be empathetic is vital for this area of law and you should strive to see the humanity in as many people as you can as not everyone has someone to stand up for them. SETTING BOUNDARIES In law, it can be very difficult to say ‘no’ and feel as though the world is on your shoulders. Don’t be afraid to ask for help prioritising your to-do lists! It is important to set boundaries and give yourself time to rest and recuperate to enhance all of your other qualities needed for the job. We were told words of wisdom during the event where it is imperative to ‘strive for the best you can do, not the impossible’. STAMINA Our speakers did not offer up the sugar coated version of criminal law that we may all be used to from legally blonde where the pool is on the to-do list. It is an exhausting field to work in, but with the right balance it is an extremely rewarding career where you will end up living and breathing the cases you are up against. Many of these useful tips and qualities are useful in any field of law, so keep them in mind! STUDY VS. PRACTISE Our speakers stressed the importance that what you enjoy in study is not necessarily what you will enjoy in practise.
Just because you score high in your criminal law module doesn't mean you will enjoy or 'be cut out' for criminal law so it is important to dip your toes into as many areas as you can! FACT OF THE EVENT Rate of acquittal is higher in jury courts than in magistrates courts. Our speaker's gave us the interesting statistic of how the rate of conviction is 80% in magistrates' courts and only around 60% in case that requires a jury.
BUSINESS EVENT
Thank you to all who attended our last event in collaboration with the Law and Business society! It was great to hear from Senior Partner, David Wilkinson and various solicitor trainees of Fieldfisher, alongside an insight into studying Corporate Law from our very own Dr Min Yan of Queen Mary!
PLEASE KEEPAN EYE OUT ON OUR WHATSAPP GROUP FOR SIGN-UP FORMS AND CONFIRMED DATES...
STUDYING LAW EVENT SERIES CONTINUES...
We have two final events left! The events will be based in lecture halls where we will hear from a professor of the field and one professional. It will then be opened up to a quick Q&A, followed by a case study workshop! We love to see you guys there!
FAMILY LAW X OPEN LAW SOCIETY (16th March 2022 6-8pm) We have the privilege to announce our speakers as Yasmin Hughes-Pugh, a family barrister from 29 Bedford Row and our second as PHD student Erin Frith. This will a valuable event to gain more insight into the field of family law and the day-to-day of those within the field. We can't wait to see you there!
HUMAN RIGHTS LAW X LAWYERS WITHOUT BORDERS (23rd March 6-8pm)
The details on our speakers for this event will be announced very soon! This event will be valuable to not only those wanting to pursue their career in this area, but will be also be an opportunity to gain insight into how fundamental freedoms are protected, internationally. We can't wait to see you there!
INTERVIEW: FINANCING TO THE INNS OF COURTS
The Inns of Court and all they entail are quite daunting prospects, so we are delighted to share Beth Williams' valuable insight from her role within one! What does your role as an Outreach Coordinator at Lincoln Inn's entail?
Essentially, as outreach Co-Ordinator at Lincoln’s Inn I work with aspiring barristers, both students and career changers, to help them understand the process of training for the Bar, how the Inn’s of Court fit into that, and what they can expect if they become a member of Lincoln’s Inn. What I can be found doing on a daily basis varies and might be giving tours of the Inn, speaking at events and law fairs hosted by Universities around the country, administering various awards a prizes that the Inn offers to students pursuing the Bar and offering general advice and guidance to those who are considered becoming a Barrister.
Can you explain what kind of scholarships the Inns offer for future barristers and why they are useful?
There are four Inns of court (Lincoln’s Inn, Gray’s Inn, Middle Temple, and Inner Temple) and we all offer scholarships for student pursuing the Bar Course and the GDL (Graduate Diploma in Law). Students who have not done a law degree have to complete a GDL, so getting a scholarship to assist with course fees can make a huge difference financially. The Bar course, which is the training you will go onto after the GDL, costs between £11,750-£19,500 so getting a scholarship is a practical necessity for man pursuing the Bar. All of the Inns means test our scholarships, meaning that the amount of funding you receive is based on the amount you need so it’s difficult to give a ballpark figure of how much you might expect to get but the highest award Lincoln’ Inn offers is £25,000. You can only apply to one Inn of court for a scholarship so do you homework first and decide which Inn is right for you.
At which stages can we apply for scholarships?
For students doing the GDL scholarship applications are ordinarily open from the last Friday in March to the first Friday in May; If you are starting you GDL in September of 2022 you have from 1pm, Friday 18th March until 5pm Friday 6th May to make your application. You have to apply for a Bar course scholarships earlier in the year as the application process takes a little bit longer. Applications for these are normally open from the last Friday in September through to the first Friday in November and will be for students starting the Bar course in the following September or January of the next year. For example, if you were hoping to start your Bar course in September 2024 or January 2025 you would apply for a scholarship from an Inn of Court in September-November 2023.
Is there any other financial help we can get for the Bar?
Some GDL and bar course programmes are offered as a joint Masters degree which qualifies for student finance support up to £10,906. Apart from that various universities and Bar Course providers offer their own scholarships, bursaries, and grants so it’s worth doing a little digging to see what is available. If you are lucky enough to secure pupillage before starting your Bar Course you might be able to get your chambers to finance the course for you but this is fairly rare. Finally there are some companies that specialise in loans for higher education such as finance first and lendwise.
How can aspiring barristers decide between the Inns of Court?
That’s a question I get asked a lot and I have to confess to being slightly bias (after all Lincoln’s Inn pay my salary) but I will try to be fair to the other Inns. Most people make the decision on practical grounds based on which Inn they think is most likely to give them a scholarship. Other than that is very much personal preference; getting a chance to visit us is a good start as it’ll give you a sense of what the organisation is like and whether you think you could feel at home there. We all have our little quirks and eccentricities. Lincoln’s Inn is the biggest Inn of Court whilst Gray’s is the smallest. Inner Temple and Gray’s Inn both have active theatrical societies so any budding thespians might be swayed by that. At Lincoln’s we have a very active international community including a European and human right law programme. At the end of the day whichever Inn you pick, you can’t really make a bad choice!
As non-law students, how can we use our degree to our advantage in our applications?
Excellent questions; don’t think that when it come to pursuing the bar that only your law related work experience is relevant. Of course, you will want to get some law experience and some barrister specific work if you can but don’t discount all the things you’ve done outside of that. You will have been developing transferable skills throughout your life, and your degree without necessarily realising it. Think about any public speaking you have had to do, or the way that you have had to structure an argument in essays; whether you’ve realised it or not that is developing your spoken and written advocacy skills which will be invaluable for the future.
How can we become a member of an Inn and at what stage should we do this?
You can find instructions of how to join each of the Inns on our websites: Lincoln's Inn, Gray’s Inn, Middle Temple, and Inner Temple. You have to join an Inn at least 12 week before you start your Bar Course. You do not have to be a member of an Inn to make a scholarship application and we generally advice you wait to join until a decision has been made about your scholarship application; If you don’t get offered a scholarship you may want to defer a year and apply to a different Inn the following September. Most of what the Inns’ offer won’t be of use to students until they are on the Bar Course, although some things like our Mooting and debating clubs are open to GDL students.
Finally, what do the Inns offer if we were to join them?
Well the big one is that we are the only organisations that have the right to call people to the Bar in England and Wales; this means that in order to become a barrister you have to join one of the fours Inns and we are the organisations which declare you qualified to enter the profession. As part of that we have a role in helping to educate you and offer support and professional development to you throughout your career. Once you are a member of an Inn of Court you are a member for life and your Inn can offer a professional community to you, help pursuing pupillage, training and development when you are a junior practitioner and practical resources such as our libraries not to mentions lots of opportunities to enjoy excellent food with your fellow members!
WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE WORLD?
1) SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA
4 MINS READ
In response to Putin's war on Ukraine, the West has implemented a number of detrimental economic sanctions on Russia. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
The West’s financial warfare with Russia is aimed at "encouraging an end to actions destabilising Ukraine or undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine,' according to the UK government. There have been various sanctions inflicted upon the country, but let's cover the most important:Russian banks' exclusion from SWIFT (the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications). SWIFT transfers trillions of dollar’s worth every day and is the primary secure messaging system that banks use across the globe and is imperative for international trade.
Recently, Johnson has begun to impose further sanctions upon wealthy Russian individuals in a bid to resolve the conflict. We have seen this most recently with Igor Shuvalov, former Russian deputy prime minister and current chairman of the management board of a Russian bank, who has been banned from travelling to the UK and had their assets frozen. Russia's energy sector has also been hit particularly hard. The US has effectively banned Gazprom, the oil company Transneft and the power company RusHydro. Germany has also halted progress on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, a critical link between Europe and Russia that was set to double the flow of Russian gas direct to Germany.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? SWIFT delivers secure messages among more than 11,000 financial institutions and companies. As a vital part of global finance, it is reasonable to say that a removal from it will cause significant disruption. The US, UK and EU among others, stated that the move is to ‘ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial system and harm their ability to operate globally’. The exclusion from SWIFT will add delays and extra costs to transfers between banks, slashing revenues for the Russian government. Vital transfers in Russia's agricultural and energy industries will also be severely disrupted. The sanctioning of High-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) who hold large assets in the UK could prove effective in the resolution of conflict as sanctions may undermine internal Russian support for Putin. However, this sanctioning could also trigger a loss of capital from the UK with Russian investors leaving London and holding their money in alternative economic hotspots. The halting of the Nord Stream 2 has led to Russian warnings that the cost for gas in Europe will rise dramatically higher. Since 21st February 2022, gas prices have already risen by more than 70% in the European Union. (Although one contributing factor towards this rise is the increased demand as world economies begin to open after the pandemic). However, with the sanctioning of this vital pipeline, gas prices will be even more difficult to curb. Analysis shows that approximately 41% of the EU's imports of natural gas are imported from Russia, meaning further sanctions on the Russian gas industry will only worsen the situation.
COMMERCIAL AWARENESS RESOURCES
In each newsletter, we will provide you with two commercial awareness resources that are useful!
Here are our TOP 2 PICKS this week:
FT News Briefing - Every single weekday, increase your commercial awareness with daily podcasts with simple breakdowns of what is going on in the world! This is hosted by Marc Filippino from the Financial Times. This is available on Spotify also! CLICK HERE Financial Times Podcast List
LawCareers.Net - This is an extensive and great one-stop resource for future lawyers. This is perfect for non-law students as complex law terms are often explained simply. You have access to the upcoming training contract deadlines and interviews with solicitors. There is an opportunity to also sign up to their commercial awareness newsletter that gives a simple summary of what is going on in the world! CLICK HERE LawCareers.Net to find out more!
KEY TERM
The key term of the newsletter is 'INNS OF COURT'... In keeping with Beth's brilliant insight on the processes of the Inns of Court, we saw it fit to outline exactly what the Inns of Court are. They can be a tricky thing to understand so the more information you have, the better equipped you will be! The Inns of Court are the sole professional associations for barristers (not your typical Inn!) in England and Wales, located in London. In order to progress to the bar, you must be a member of one of the four Inns of Court: LINCOLN'S INN INNER TEMPLE GRAY'S INN MIDDLE TEMPLE The four Inns of Court provide funding, community and mentorship on your journey to the bar. You can only become a member of one of the Inns of Court and you are a member for life- therefore thorough research before becoming a member is essential!
CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES
30/03/2022- Lincoln's Inn InnSight Day - This is aimed at students who are considering applying for scholarships for the BPTC and GDL! It is also perfect for those who want to learn about the roles at the Inn's of Court!
04/04/2022- The Legal Cheek Spring 2022 Virtual Vacation Scheme - The Legal Cheek is hosting a 2-day Spring Vacation Scheme with the University of Law that is open to all students from any discipline! It features a series of short talks, workshops, and Q&As with lawyers from leading firms, corresponding written exercises set by ULaw, as well as an Employability Expo and various socials. This is running from the 4th of April to the 6th of April. Apply as soon as possible! FORAGE ONLINE WORK EXPERIENCE OPPORTUNITIES: Linklaters UK Commercial Law Virtual Programme - Forage (theforage.com) Forage is a great way to build up your skills to add to your CV. Many Law Firms offer mini 'work experience' sessions through Forage. You can work through the eModules at your own pace, and even gain a certificate at the end of it!
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