HERBERT SMITH / THE TIMES: Advocacy Competition 2009

Advocacy (def) "the act of arguing on behalf of a particular issue, idea or person"...

Are you good at getting your point across?

The Times/Herbert Smith LLP 2009 student advocacy competition: "Is the class ceiling breakable or there for good?"

We are pleased to invite entries to The Times/Herbert Smith LLP student advocacy competition, now in its second year, with prizes worth a total of £7,500.

Legal careers have historically been the preserve of the privileged classes. Is there a good reason for this? Can it be changed? These are the issues at the core of this year’s competition.

Entrants (who must be students registered at a UK higher or further education institution or a college of law) are invited to present their arguments - initially on paper and by video clip and then, if shortlisted, in person - around the topic “the class ceiling: is it breakable or there for good?”.

This debate coincides with the work of The Panel on Fair Access to the Professions, led by Alan Milburn, the former Health Secretary, which is investigating how leading professional bodies such as the Law Society of England and Wales, and the Bar Council, can improve access to professional careers.

More information is available on The Times website here.

Entrants must be students registered at a UK higher or further educational institution or a college of law.  You do not need to be studying law in order to enter this competition.

You should prepare both a written submission and a video presentation and send these by midday on Monday 6 July to advocacy.competition@herbertsmith.com or by post to:

Herbert Smith Advocacy Competition
c/o Carolyn Lee
Herbert Smith LLP
Exchange House
Primrose Street
London, EC2A 2HS
 
The written submission should consist of a skeleton argument, with a maximum length of 400 words.  It should also include your full contact details, including address, landline and mobile phone numbers, and also confirmation of your student status.

Details on how to enter can be found at www.timesonline.co.uk/studentlaw. Students with enquiries can leave a message on Herbert Smith's competition helpline:  +44 20 7466 3893.

MS