Eleven Colfe’s Sixth Form students were thrilled to attend a lecture, panel discussion and networking event at the Old Bailey this week. Held in the historic No.1 Court, the event was chaired by Alderman and Sheriff Gregory Jones KC (OC 1986), himself an Old Colfeian, and was attended by Colfe’s Chair of Governors Matthew Pellereau, Headmaster Richard Russell and Assistant Director of Sixth Form Holly Batten.
The City and Legal Lecture Series talk was given by solicitor Joshua Rozenberg KC, one of the UK’s leading legal commentators. The lecture and subsequent discussion centred on transparency in the courts, exploring whether, and how much of what takes place in court should be in the public domain. This included discussion of how far the media can be trusted to report accurately, who constitutes the media in a world of bloggers/influencers, the pros and cons of anonymity and the challenges and benefits of making traditionally secretive family courts more transparent.
The panel comprised senior members of the legal profession including Sanchia Berg, BBC Senior Correspondent, Lucy Reed KC and Chair of The Transparency Project, HH Wendy Joseph KC, former Old Bailey Judge and best-selling author, and Melissa Davis of MD Communications.
The lecture and panel discussion was followed by a networking event in the Grand Hall, where the students enjoyed the opportunity to talk to members of the panel.
Ms Batten said: “This was an invaluable event for our students from Years 12 and 13, all of whom are studying pertinent A-levels and considering further studies in associated subjects. They found it a stimulating debate and thoroughly engaged in the panel discussion as well as the networking event. When the discussion opened up to the floor, Chisom (Year 12) even asked the first question!”
Lana (Y12) said: “Both the lecture and the discussion from the expert panel were extremely interesting and detailed. It was particularly interesting to consider that privacy in the Courts can be viewed as secrecy, especially to those who are already sceptical about the court process. As I am currently doing my EPQ on legal precedent, it was interesting to consider how for the sake of open justice and transparency in the courts, that legal precedent perhaps should aim to be clear and apparent to maintain public trust in the judicial process.”
Ned (Y13) said: “I found the talk interesting as it covered an issue faced by both family and criminal courts, bringing together two different sides of law. It was especially relevant considering the current push for more transparency within the family courts, and I found the arguments on both sides convincing. I also enjoyed the opportunity to network and meet some of the speakers after the talk as I was able to ask questions and go into even more depth.”
