Re: Winter 2014/15 | Page 61

Inspiring tomorrow’s lawyers A team of MWB solicitors recently visited Sussex University Law School, not only to revisit our student days but to meet with their student members to talk about different aspects of the law and give an insight into the work of a lawyer. The visit was organised by Kloe Halls, the Careers Officer for the University of Sussex Law Society. Many of our solicitors were once students at Sussex University, and so we were interested to meet their current students and provide an insight into the role of a solicitor at a leading local firm. The campus had changed since many of us had last visited, with added buildings and additional places to get lost in! The students attending ranged from the first to fourth year. Such a variety of academic experience meant that the students had a range of perspectives as to what they wanted to do and how they viewed their future careers. Some students in the first year were getting to grips with the structure of England’s legal system, while others in their third (or fourth if they went for a year abroad) year were studying more specific areas such as tort and EU law, as well as thinking about their next steps outside of university. A law degree itself is hard work and challenging enough, but these capable students were also looking to their futures and considering the many options that greets a law graduate, not only in the legal profession but also many other careers. We were therefore keen to talk to them about our experiences and careers, and answer any questions they had about the work we do, the cases we had worked on and other aspects of the law. Robin Churchill headed our team, and introduced the students to Mayo Wynne Baxter by way of the MWB video which depicts the history of the firm through to the current social enterprises and sponsorship which the firm is involved in. We then introduced ourselves to the room and broke into smaller groups to discuss various topics. Robin, a Partner in our Litigation team, discussed occupiers’ liability and explained a fascinating and important case which he had taken to the Court of Appeal. Robin had acted for the local authority and had won the case on appeal, providing an important and relevant precedent for other similar claims relating to occupiers liability and personal injury in schools. He also thrilled the studen G2'