Fiona’s placement at the Family Court Project

• 16 May, '19
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When you graduate, work experience will set you apart from the competition while you’re applying for jobs. We caught up with Fiona, from [The Ascent](https://www.iconinc.co.uk/locations/liverpool-the-ascent), about her involvement in the Family Court Project and why she studies law in Liverpool.

Q: Firstly, can you tell us a bit about the Family Court Project?

Fiona: The Family Court Project provides free legal advice to litigants (people who have no representation) in person, at first hearing in child arrangement cases. The project is run by specialist family law solicitors with support from law students.

Q: How did you get involved in the project?

Fiona: When the opportunity to get involved in the Family Court Project came up from the Liverpool Law Clinic at the University of Liverpool, I was immediately interested. After rigorous training and passing a test, I was selected as part of a group of 20 students who help out at the Family Court every Thursday. There were quite a lot of people trying to get a place so I was over the moon!

Q: How long have you been working on the project for?

Fiona: I started in October 2018 and will continue until mid-July this year, whilst we train up the new students through the summer.

Q: What does a day in your role entail?

Fiona: A typical day would start with a quick morning briefing. Then when the court starts to get busy, at about 10am, we offer our services to clients who have no legal representation. Once I’ve got a client, I will go through a triage form with them and find out why they are in court today. Next I take them to see our solicitor, Lucy, and she goes through the notes and gets a more detailed understanding of the case. She then gives legal advice and pointers on what the client should raise in court. Whilst this is happening, I will be in the room taking notes. When my case is called, I go into court with my client and take notes of everything that’s said. The most important part of this is noting what the judge decides and how the case will proceed. Sometimes this varies but, in most cases, directions (next steps) will be ordered by the judge. This can involve writing statements, getting a drug sample and making arrangements for the children until the next case. After the case, I’m responsible for writing a short summary of the directions, which I give to the client to take home. I have to go into the Law Clinic the next day too, to complete my follow up work. I upload all my notes onto a case management system so it’s easy for any solicitor within the Law Clinic to understand what the case is about if the client ever contacts us for further advice. I’ll also write a letter confirming all the advice that was given, which is posted to the client.

Q: What have you learnt from your work experience?

Fiona: I've learnt so many new skills which I know will prove invaluable as I hope to qualify as a solicitor in the future. Some specific skills I’ve gained include dealing with client interactions, effective note taking, letter writing and using a case management system.

Q: Have you taken anything else away from the project?

Fiona: It’s been a truly rewarding experience. The satisfaction I get from seeing the difference the service makes to our clients, makes all of the time I dedicate to the Family Court Project so worthwhile for me.

Q: What course are you on and why did you choose to study Law in Liverpool?

Fiona: The course I’m studying is [Law with a Year Abroad LLB](https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/law-with-a-year-abroad-llb-hons/overview/) at the University of Liverpool. I chose to study Law at Liverpool as I really enjoy the city! Being able to live in the city centre and walking everywhere is a nice contrast to back home where I live in the semi-rural countryside. I always knew I wanted to attend a Russell Group university and having such a large Law Clinic at the University of Liverpool attracted me to the course because it provides so many opportunities to get involved in real life cases and this isn’t actually possible at all universities.

Q: Would you recommend your course to other students looking to study law?

Fiona: Absolutely! It’s the best decision I've ever made and has provided me with endless opportunities, like the Family Court Project and my year abroad – I’m going to study in Hong Kong this September! We’re inspired by Fiona’s dedication to her work. The IconInc community is full of motivated and enthusiastic students like Fiona. Find out more about excelling at university with IconInc, [here](https://www.iconinc.co.uk/).