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Memories of Justice

A couple of years ago I organised “A Wake for Justice”  and gathered some anecdotes from the legal professions in Yorkshire to show what legal aid lawyers really do.  Please add your own and share or gather your local stories and publish them where they may be more widely read:

Memory #16

We had a client who was charged with death by dangerous driving. He was a refuse collector and in poor weather he had reversed his lorry into a telegraph pole causing it to break and fall.  His co-worker and best friend had been on the street supposedly guiding the lorry.  He had gone out of sight and the telegraph pole fell on him and sadly killed him.  The client denied that he was driving dangerously and after a great deal of preparation, numerous experts reports and a trial (all publicly funded) he was acquitted.  An unfortunate case but justice prevailed!

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Becoming A Judge – Judicial Workshops

 I will be donating 10% of the proceeds from my workshop to the CLSA/LCCSA Fund for the Judicial Review of the Ministry of Justice.

However, please also contribute: http://www.lccsa.org.uk/donate-towards-the-cost-of-judicial-review/

Where, when & why should you attend?

Leeds Wednesday 30 April 2014 – please do come and join us and you will:

– gain insights and advice about competency based recruitment;

– learn how to make your application forms standout;

– discover how you can prepare to succeed at interviews.

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The Sound of Silence – Learning to Enjoy Interviews

Good interviewers will use a pause or silence to see how candidates respond. In my experience it is one of the most powerful interview techniques. In some situations silence is golden yet in others it can make you feel very uncomfortable. Interviews can be highly stressful situations and time either seems to fly, or grinds towards a halt at the worst possible moment.

So how do you manage silences in interviews?

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The Next Tango in Halifax – Luxury Skimming Stones

Artist, inventor and designer Dominic Wilcox came to Creative Calderdale and presented some of his unique work. He gave us an insight into how he develops his ideas and his creative work. He opened with the classic truism from Leonard Cohen “If I knew where ideas came from I’d go there more often”.

At the bottom I’ll share a link to his website as it is simply brilliant.

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JAC Application Forms – Stand Out from the Crowd

From many years of experience and working with numerous candidates you may find something useful below.

Allow sufficient time and schedule your writing of the form in bite size chunks. Typically, from scratch, a good form can take up to 16 hours of your time.

Seek advice from successful candidates from previous competitions and ask to look at their forms. Review your previous forms. Check out tips and advice on websites.

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Staple Stories

Say It With Flowers

Leeds City Council approached me to gauge whether No.6 would be interested in sponsoring hanging baskets in the city centre. Initially, I was very dubious but requested some details on costs and possible locations.

I couldn’t believe our luck when I saw the map. I realised how cost effectively we could position ourselves audaciously within the physical centre of the legal market. This would allow us to create impact, promote brand awareness and position us as a chambers with a cutting edge.

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