30 second year SHU Law Court Practice students attended the Sheffield Combined Court Centre on Wednesday for discussions with HHJ Sadiq and HHJ Robinson. They were also given the opportunity to observe a number of hearings.
The day was very well received, with students saying:
“My visit to court was incredibly insightful and interesting. This hands-on experience has given me insight into how the court system really works when put into a practical environment. The most interesting part of my visit to the court was questioning his Honour Judge Tariq Sadiq because of the detail he went into about his experience and difficulties of becoming a judge”.
“I thought yesterday was thrilling, I loved listening to His Honour Judge Sadiq tell us about his story and his background, but my favourite part was definitely hearing the wide variety of cases in court room 4 with His Honour Judge Robinson”.
“I found court a lot more intriguing than I believed I was going to. I was always excited to visit and see how they work but when you read articles and cases online you almost don’t believe them in a way, you know they’re real but you can’t imagine it. When I saw cases happening in front of me it was surreal and I was shocked by how much it impacted me, I really did enjoy it. I also really enjoyed speaking with judges and realising how similar they actually are to me and everyone else as when I see them online or on the TV I feel as if they’re someone I could never be like, as they are in a way ‘too good’ in comparison to me, but seeing how normal they are really motivated me to understand that with the right mindset I can achieve anything.”
“I found the court visit and the opportunity to speak to a judge extremely inspiring and insightful as it was my first time visiting a court, it helped with solidifying my drive to become a barrister as seeing them work in practice was extremely fascinating.”
We are indebted to the Judges for the warm welcome and for their time and efforts.