My first day at Matrix began with meeting the front of house team consisting of Olivia and Abbie. Abbie then guided us up the stairs into the main office area, where we met Charlotte (marketing assistant) who we would be spending a lot of our time with. We sat down at computers, and we began a marketing task in which we compared the website design of Matrix with other competitor’s designs. We then read a skeleton argument, ahead of a court case which we would have the privilege to witness the next day. Reading the skeleton argument was eye-opening into the structure of skeleton arguments, and the standards a barrister must meet leading up to a court case. After lunch, we then went around to multiple different teams within the office and talked with Lloyd (Practice manager in Team T), Elliot (Assistant Practice Manager in Team X), Elaine (billing co-ordinator who works in fees and finance) and many others. After this series of inductions, we then went on to do some research into legal aid, what CFA is and the types of funding available for legal cases, which was very useful and insightful into how barristers are paid, and Matrix’s role in the legal process.

On days two and three we spent our time in the Royal Courts of Justice, in which we listened to the defendants and claimants argue about the regulation of PBOs, and how a minister made a regulation without the appropriate contextual information so the regulation should be changed. It was captivating watching David Wolfe and Jim Robottom perform and present their research, and it was impressive how much information they were able to use to support their argument without any notes, or cue cards. This experience inside court was incredibly useful to help us get a taste of a barrister’s life and I feel very lucky to have received this very valuable opportunity from Matrix Law.

On Day four we talked with Alice who led us upstairs to talk with Donella, who is part of the LSS. It was fascinating listening to her talk about how the LSS supports barristers through research, about her career path and the steps it takes to become a barrister. She was incredibly helpful and answered any questions we had in a lot of depth. We then went for a coffee with Manatt and Florence (two trainees at Matrix), who answered a lot of questions about the law, their careers and how Matrix has helped them develop. After lunch we were then given 45-minutes to prepare a presentation which then presented during the Future Lawyers interview. The interview was very helpful for understanding interview structure, thinking about what the employer is looking for and practising my communication skills.

Overall, my time at Matrix was invaluable for deepening my understanding of the law, and preparing for my future career.