This year, Rayden Solicitors were very excited to bring our Work Experience Competition across the four consortium schools in Harpenden – Katherine Warington School, Roundwood Park, Sir John Lawes School and St Georges.

This is the second year the competition has run, but the first year across the consortium schools.

Rayden Solicitors is an award-winning specialist family law firm with 10 offices, including an office in Harpenden High Street. Rayden Solicitors specialise in all aspects of family law and are experts in financial and issues concerning children.

In December, year 11 and 12 students were invited to submit written entries setting out how they would determine a family law scenario. We were delighted by the number of entries received and the calibre of those entries, which made choosing the 8 finalists very difficult! After very careful consideration, our eight finalists consisted of two students from each school. Shakhram S and Charles F of Katherine Warington, Honrick C and Kira M of St George’s, Erin H and Laura L of St John Lawes and Lauren R and Priyanka D of Roundwood Park were chosen to participate in an all-day Mock Trial on 13 May 2025.

Katie Skinner (Senior Associate Chartered Legal Executive, Rayden Solicitors), Kendra Jeffries (Solicitor, Rayden Solicitors), John Chapman (Barrister, Pump Court Chambers), Victoria Ellis (Barrister, Pump Court Chambers), Albert Gibbon (Barrister, Pump Court Chambers), Paige Gibbons (Solicitor, Rayden Solicitors) and Claire Johnson (Trainee Solicitor, Rayden Solicitors) attended with trial papers in hand ready to meet the students, and to prepare and deliver cross-examination and closing submissions on a case scenario, which was based on an application by one parent to be able to send their children to a privately funded school, which was opposed by the other parent, who wished for the children to attend a non-fee paying school.

We started the day by splitting up into two teams, one team for the applicant and one team for the respondent and then spent some time going through the case papers, getting top tips from the barristers on the skill of advocacy and agreeing a strategy for how we would conduct the case. We were all thoroughly impressed by how quickly all of the students got to grips with the nuances of the case and with the challenging techniques of cross examination. The students then had the opportunity to deliver cross-examination, the questioning of the other side’s witnesses – they really held their own against the curveballs thrown at them by the parties who were being questioned, played by Paige Gibbons and Claire Johnson. They did this in front of their ‘Judge’ for the day, John Chapman – Barrister of Pump Court Chambers. It was no doubt intimidating to have a go at this in a room full of legal professionals but the students did an amazing job – confidently delivering their questions and thinking on their feet. We then enjoyed lunch together before spending time preparing closing submissions in our teams – this a summary of your case for the Judge. The students then delivered these and all persuasively and robustly put forward their clients’ respective cases. The Judge then delivered her decision. It is safe to say our Judge was very impressed by the skill and care in which both cases were presented and, regardless of the outcome, all eight students should be incredibly proud of how they conducted themselves in the Mock Trial!

A very big congratulations to Shakhram, Charles, Honrick, Kira, Erin, Laura, Lauren and Priyanka for your fantastic work throughout the day. It was a pleasure meeting and working with you all. We wish all of you the very best in whatever you choose to do, and have no doubt you will have a successful future ahead!

Thank you to everyone from all four schools for working with us to make the competition such a success!