Every year I look forward to the opportunity to step away from my desk and partake in my annual volunteering day – championed by Minster Law.
In the past I have worked on community projects and landscaping public areas. This year I had the opportunity to work with school children to give them a glimpse into the type of work we do at Minster and how we try and achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients.
Ahead of the day, the school children were provided with a scenario, sadly an all-too-common case of a road traffic collision involving a cyclist and a driver of a car. The children were invited to consider various topics in advance including who they thought was to blame for the accident; how much compensation should be awarded and any other financial losses that may have been incurred.
Myself and my colleagues divided into groups, representing either side and a group acting as Judges, all preparing our thoughts on how we would run the case and the questions we’d would pose. The children were incredibly engaged and interested in discussing how we might prove the other party was to blame for the accident and how much compensation their ‘client’ should be awarded. We discussed not only damages for the injuries sustained, but also compensation for other common heads of loss, such as lost earnings, care provided by family members and damaged items.
After a healthy period of group discussion, a Court room was laid out and the children acted for both sides with one group being the Judges.
The cross-examination of witnesses and interaction with the Judges from both sides was polite, yet persuasive. The Judges retired after hearing all the evidence and with some assistance deliberated how they were going to approach the case.
At the conclusion of the trial, a finding of 70/30 was made against the driver of the car and a healthy £10,000.00 awarded to the cyclist in compensation.
The day provided the children with an opportunity to experience the day-to-day work we all undertake here at Minster Law, to not only properly investigate and gather evidence, but to also negotiate and present strong arguments to secure the best possible outcomes for our clients.
Several children stated they found the day interesting and would like to do something similar again. I would like to think we may have also sparked an interest in law in some pupils who may go on to be the next generation of budding solicitors.
