Year 11 Ladder to Law

On Friday, nine Year 11 students visited Hogan Lovells, a law firm St Martin’s is fortunate to partner with. As we all have an interest in law, this trip was beneficial and mind-opening because the Ladder to Law programme will provide us with another induction opportunity in Year 12, and a three day work experience in Year 13 for some students, if our applications are successful. However, in preparation for that, we believe that it would be really great if the school organised a debate club to enhance pupils’ confidence and debating skills.

During the day, most students agreed that talking to corporate lawyers at the firm was very useful regarding how to gain employment and addressing the myths and misconceptions about who can become a lawyer. For instance, “you do not necessarily need a law degree to do law”, as a Maths Oxford graduate informed us. What we enjoyed the most was the negotiation task, where two lawyers representing famous clients had to haggle in order to gain the best outcome for them. It took a lot of convincing, but we managed to make a successful deal, which was the main objective. “It was fun yet insightful, understanding the concepts of compromising into the real world of work”. – Bomi Akarakiri.

“Understanding the different types of law gave me further knowledge about what I would like to do in the future. It was a great opportunity to have first-hand information from trainees coming from a similar background to mine. This trip has taught me to push myself, fight and prevail!” - Shanarra Nicholas.

We are very appreciative of Ms Bajer and our school for this opportunity. The Ladder to Law programme teaches those who may not think they can reach the top end of their profession to aspire for greatness. Regardless of your background, success is in reach, and one important advice we received is to “learn to embrace your discomforts”- in other words, try to build on your weaknesses. In order for an ethnic minority school to be well represented in the world, it is our responsibility as tomorrow’s generation to take the first step and open doors for our peers.

Bomi Akarakiri