The law factor

23 February 2010

The students came from across Greater Merseyside and eleven schools from five boroughs were represented at the event. The day began with a theoretical introduction to 'The Law & Beyond' led by Stuart Taylor and Ester Ragonese, both Senior Lecturers within the School of Law at LJMU. The remainder of the day was based around discussions and activities covering topics such as: 'Principles of Law', 'Crime, Criminality and Criminal Justice' and 'Punishment and Sentencing'.

The second day began with a visit to the QE2 Liverpool Crown Courts, where students were able to sit-in and observe cases in action. Lots of sentencing was taking place on the Friday morning, so the students witnessed a range of outcomes, from drug offences to assault and theft. It was obvious to see the surprise of some students when they heard what sentence had been passed, proving for an interesting discussion over a lunch in the Students' Union.

Having learned about the theory and then seeing the practice of law first-hand, for the final afternoon students were given the opportunity to argue their own cases in the grandeur of LJMU's Moot Room. Having been given pre-sentence reports, outlining actual cases that had come before the courts, the students then had to either argue in defence or prosecution or be part of the jury which would pass the final sentencing. When the true sentencing was revealed there were some shocked faces around the room!

The feedback from staff and students was very positive, with one student commenting;  “It has made me definitely decide to pursue law as a career and I'm now more interested in Criminal Law.”

Anothe student commented: “You should do this every half term and for longer!”

The two-day programme was funded by Aimhigher Greater Merseyside as part of their Innovation Fund which supports projects aimed at providing exciting and engaging experiences for young people across the region.

Paul Ireland, one of the Aimhigher Account Managers at LJMU, commented "The event weas an excellent opportunity for students to work alongside university academic staff and undergraduates to learn more about a range of subjects and topics. The trip to the courts was an eye-opening experience for the group of students and having already heard the theory and background it really cemented their understanding of how that particular aspect of how the legal system work. Everybody agreed it was worth sacrificing two days of their half term holiday for all of the knowledge and experience which they gained."

A special thank you must be made to Stuart and Ester from the School of Law for providing such a great experience and for taking on the roles of Judge and Convict with such passion. Thanks also to the team of LJMU Student Advocates who helped to make the day run so smoothly.