During a visit to Kent Law School last month, the President of the UK Supreme Court, The Right Hon The Lord Reed of Allermuir, met with law students, toured the Wigoder Law Building, visited the Law Clinic, attended a seminar, heard about the latest research being undertaken by academics, judged a speed moot, and delivered a talk to a packed audience in Woolf Lecture Theatre.
Final year law students, Evangeline Taylor and George Fay, took over Kent Law School’s Instagram account for the day (see the Instagram Story highlights here) and wrote the following account of Lord Reed’s visit…
‘On 15 November 2021, Lord Reed, President of the Supreme Court, visited Kent Law School. He experienced an exciting schedule of talks, presentations and even had the opportunity to attend a seminar.
‘To start the day, Lord Reed met with Professor Lydia Hayes (Head of Kent Law School), Professor Toni Williams (Director of the Division for the study of Law, Society and Social Justice), and Professor Karen Cox (University Vice-Chancellor). This was followed by a tour of Kent Law School’s impressive Wigoder Law Building. He was stunned by the moot court, noting that it is just like a real courtroom. The Law Clinic never fails to impress, and when Lord Reed saw it, this was no exception. He spoke to students working on real cases and gained a detailed understanding of what the Clinic does, how it supports our local community and the types of work that students are involved in.
‘Lord Reed later attended an audience with the Presidents and representatives of student law societies at Kent. He learned about their aims, achievements, and their individually unique focuses. The Kent Art Law Society evoked particular fascination. The students heard about the art in the Supreme Court, the Court’s aim to diversify its artwork and the link between art and law. Lord Reed also discussed numerous initiatives in which the Supreme Court aims to diversify its members. This included more access and equal opportunity for BAME applicants.
‘After a private lunch with KLS staff, Lord Reed attended a seminar (led by Dr Hayley Gibson) with students on the Law and Literature and Film optional module. Afterwards, he listened to KLS academics Dr Flora Renz, Dr Simone Glanert, Dr Luis Eslava, Professor Diamond Ashibagor and Dr Suhraiya Jivraj, present and discuss their findings on their current research.
‘Later, Lord Reed was invited to help judge a speed moot, where participants have a shorter amount of time to persuasively put their arguments forward on a matter of law. The final event of the day was Lord Reed’s own presentation. He was asked questions about his time as a judge, cases he had worked on and his career journey. He spoke to a packed lecture theatre and many more students tuned in online to hear his insights. This was finally followed by networking with students and academics to round off what was truly an insightful and engaging day.’
