Catching up
I am slowly transcribing the journal entries I kept in a notebook in Istanbul onto here, so new backdated entries should be popping up daily. However, I gave up on the notebook halfway through the trip, in Bodrum, so at some point I'll have to do a catch-up entry of the last week of my holiday. I also have pictures on the camera I haven't put on the computer yet. Hopefully I'll have time at the weekend. This week is looking kind of packed already.
I left at 7.15 in case of bad traffic and arrived at chambers at 8.10 -- only admin staff were in and a few barristers racing around preparing for court, so I was sent to sit in the waiting room where I waited and read The Economist until 09.30!
One of the barristers (T) on the pupillage team came in then and took me under her wing ("Don't tell me you were here at 8.10?" "Yes..." "Whatever for?!" "Well, I didn't know how long the bus would take..." "Oh well, if you're not in court, 9.30's fine.") She sent an email to the person in charge of the grant (and another barrister did the same later in the day) but as I wasn't introduced to him, and was told by one of last year's pupils that he works part-time, I think he wasn't in today. The pupil, K, told me she and M, last year's other pupil, got their grants within ten days of starting. Richard is taking care of the council tax until I can stump up my share and I shall call the landlord and grovel tomorrow.
My pupil supervisor was in Croydon, so I was handed over to a barrister (S) who needed help putting together bundles for a case in the Court of Appeal on Friday. First she sent me to photocopy an article at Lincoln's Inn's library, then she had me read through it and tell her what the gist of it was (sadly it didn't say what she hoped it would say!), then once I'd done that I photocopied reams and reams of authorities in order to make five bundles -- three for the court, one for opposing counsel, and one for her. She was very impressed after I caught a couple of authorities that had pages missing and brought them to her attention, and she rang my pupil supervisor to ask if she could have me for the week as I wouldn't often get the opportunity to see a CA case. She also bought my lunch for me -- thankfully, I was having a real low blood sugar rush around 12.30 from all the running around and stooping (we'd laid the bundles out on the floor for lack of desk space)! I asked her how much my EAT falafel sandwich was but she said "Don't be silly" and announced "I bought you some other things as well, I can give them to someone else if you don't like them," placing a bottle of juice and a fruit yoghurt in front of me. I ate it all (and said thank you!), because the sandwich had yoghurt in it too, and I'd only told her I was vegetarian when she went out. Maybe at some point I'll explain that I'm vegan but make exceptions for food kindly provided by people who don't know!
At around 2.15 I met with my pupil supervisor, G, who seemed very matter-of-fact but kind enough. She says she has a very run-of-the-mill Local Authority children practice (that is, all cases to do with taking children into care) and whenever anyone has anything more interesting than her going on she'll happily send me off with them to get experience. She also said if I'm ever in financial difficulties with train fares to court to let her know at once and has set me the homework of watching a new drama on BBC1 called Criminal Justice, as well as getting my pupillage registered ASAP and, once that's done, applying for vocational training courses with my Inn ASAP. With regards to Christmas, she has a five day case which finishes 22 December and then she's out of town from 23 December to 4 January. She says on no account am I to leave before the five day case is finished ("Oh, no, I want to see that!" I hastened), but I can come back a few days later than 4 January if I like. I will take a look at flights after this to see what prices are like on different days.
After that, S had finished all the bundles except hers, which she had me put together (it wasn't as complicated as the others because she didn't need to follow all the formalities for herself!) and then she left me to read the case papers while she went to the gym. I read and took notes until she got back around quarter to six, then we chatted about the case and she says tomorrow "we" need to get her arguments down on paper. (I was taken aback by the "we"!) I'm to go in at half nine.
I left at 7.15 in case of bad traffic and arrived at chambers at 8.10 -- only admin staff were in and a few barristers racing around preparing for court, so I was sent to sit in the waiting room where I waited and read The Economist until 09.30!
One of the barristers (T) on the pupillage team came in then and took me under her wing ("Don't tell me you were here at 8.10?" "Yes..." "Whatever for?!" "Well, I didn't know how long the bus would take..." "Oh well, if you're not in court, 9.30's fine.") She sent an email to the person in charge of the grant (and another barrister did the same later in the day) but as I wasn't introduced to him, and was told by one of last year's pupils that he works part-time, I think he wasn't in today. The pupil, K, told me she and M, last year's other pupil, got their grants within ten days of starting. Richard is taking care of the council tax until I can stump up my share and I shall call the landlord and grovel tomorrow.
My pupil supervisor was in Croydon, so I was handed over to a barrister (S) who needed help putting together bundles for a case in the Court of Appeal on Friday. First she sent me to photocopy an article at Lincoln's Inn's library, then she had me read through it and tell her what the gist of it was (sadly it didn't say what she hoped it would say!), then once I'd done that I photocopied reams and reams of authorities in order to make five bundles -- three for the court, one for opposing counsel, and one for her. She was very impressed after I caught a couple of authorities that had pages missing and brought them to her attention, and she rang my pupil supervisor to ask if she could have me for the week as I wouldn't often get the opportunity to see a CA case. She also bought my lunch for me -- thankfully, I was having a real low blood sugar rush around 12.30 from all the running around and stooping (we'd laid the bundles out on the floor for lack of desk space)! I asked her how much my EAT falafel sandwich was but she said "Don't be silly" and announced "I bought you some other things as well, I can give them to someone else if you don't like them," placing a bottle of juice and a fruit yoghurt in front of me. I ate it all (and said thank you!), because the sandwich had yoghurt in it too, and I'd only told her I was vegetarian when she went out. Maybe at some point I'll explain that I'm vegan but make exceptions for food kindly provided by people who don't know!
At around 2.15 I met with my pupil supervisor, G, who seemed very matter-of-fact but kind enough. She says she has a very run-of-the-mill Local Authority children practice (that is, all cases to do with taking children into care) and whenever anyone has anything more interesting than her going on she'll happily send me off with them to get experience. She also said if I'm ever in financial difficulties with train fares to court to let her know at once and has set me the homework of watching a new drama on BBC1 called Criminal Justice, as well as getting my pupillage registered ASAP and, once that's done, applying for vocational training courses with my Inn ASAP. With regards to Christmas, she has a five day case which finishes 22 December and then she's out of town from 23 December to 4 January. She says on no account am I to leave before the five day case is finished ("Oh, no, I want to see that!" I hastened), but I can come back a few days later than 4 January if I like. I will take a look at flights after this to see what prices are like on different days.
After that, S had finished all the bundles except hers, which she had me put together (it wasn't as complicated as the others because she didn't need to follow all the formalities for herself!) and then she left me to read the case papers while she went to the gym. I read and took notes until she got back around quarter to six, then we chatted about the case and she says tomorrow "we" need to get her arguments down on paper. (I was taken aback by the "we"!) I'm to go in at half nine.