Before reading this, many of you may not know what the Ladder to Law programme is. In a nutshell, it could be described as a social mobility programme launched in 2010 with the purpose of providing an insight into law for school students. Initially, only operating in London, Hogan Lovells and Rare have decided to expand their programme to schools in Birmingham, Cambridgeshire and Leicester. Hogan Lovells International LLP is an acknowledged law firm which has received recognition such as the 7th best law firm in the UK and 14th best in the world. Luckily for me, Handsworth Grammar School has partnered with Hogan Lovells to allow students like me to further career prospects.
In total, 22 students had been selected to benefit from mentoring, workshops run on behalf of Rare Recruitment, educational trips, insight days and work experience placements at Hogan Lovells. The course usually runs from the start of Year 9 to the first year at university, providing holistic support during this period of participants’ development; however, further vacation schemes and training contract applications will occur in the latter stages of the student’s degree. In Year 9 and 10 the Ladder to Law team will visit schools to deliver an interactive workshop continued in Year 11 during which a select number of students will have the opportunity to visit Hogan Lovells London office to get information on the Ladder to Law application process. If interested, students would complete an online application form which includes any achieved GCSE grades and any relevant work experience or positions of responsibility. As part of the programme I will also take part in development activities, corporate case studies, receive interview practice and get both advice and support for my CV and university applications.
An overview of my day
Whilst students and teachers across the school were sleeping in their comfortable, warm beds I was awake before the crack of dawn to arrive at London on time. At 04:00, ecstatic for the day ahead, I leapt out of bed and got dressed in a new smart suit trying to look my best and as professional as I could. I left my house at 05:30 to get a taxi to Birmingham New Street Station and then a train to London Euston. Having arrived early I was greeted by the receptionist who told me to take the lift to the 11th floor in which I was then welcomed kindly by a Legal PA who offered me use of their cloakroom and free Wi-Fi. Whilst waiting I was fascinated by the décor and interior design of the building along with the spectacular view of London. Absolutely amazed, I knew that this was exactly where I wanted to be and that I would grasp every future opportunity with both hands.
The jam-packed day began at 10:00. We were registered, welcomed and attended a presentation by two partners. I met the 21 other participants through the help of an ice-breaker conducted by employees of Rare who also went into much more detail about the Ladder to Law programme. This was shortly followed by an introduction to Law at University from a Cambridge University Professor who also works at Hogan Lovells.
As part of the programme, we must create presentations relating to a topic of law which we will present in July of 2017. These presentations will be presented in groups we were assigned to and led by mentors who are associates at the firm. After an overwhelming morning, we were then provided with lunch shortly followed by a professionalism workshop run by Rare. The professionalism workshop was amazing due to it teaching us key skills needed to be proficient, for example how to correctly write emails. My favourite part of the day occurred next, this is when we visited London’s Royal Courts of Justice. Once we had passed through the airport-style security that all visitors to court must complete, we were met by an experienced magistrate for a tour of the court building followed by a presentation and discussion in one of the courtrooms. In fact, the courtroom we were in was directly opposite the one which had recently seen the Brexit case. This was a special and unique opportunity allowing me to gain a very personal and in depth understanding of the work of magistrates and an insight into how people are dealt with by the courts and what kind of penalties and sentences can be given out. After our discussion, we split into two groups in which we acted as barristers and solicitors debating and presenting cases to one another. The saying ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ is certainly correct as the day had and it was time to return to Birmingham after our trip to the Royal Courts of Justice.
Mohammed Zoheb Mobeen
