Simcocks Advocates ran its annual Partnership with Schools initiative for the fifth time this year, featuring an essay competition for A level and International Baccalaureate students interested in a career in law. Advocates at the company visited high schools on the Island earlier this year to launch the competition.
Students from Ramsey Grammar, Castle Rushen, Ballakermeen and King William’s College entered the writing competition, responding to one of the following questions:
1. Does Manx law need amendment to recognise the sentience or intelligence of some animals or not? If so, what should legal recognition actually amount to – is octopus off the menu?
2. ‘The criminal law is right to treat acts differently to omissions.’ Discuss.
The essays have been read and marked and we are pleased to announce that the winning entry was written by Castle Rushen High School student Amber Gresswell-Wilkins, who wrote a sophisticated essay on animal rights. Amber has been presented with a £500 voucher prize, and is keen to take a work experience placement at the company later this year. Here she is pictured with Lisa Smith of Simcocks, who organises the competition and, as a former English teacher, marks the essays along with an advocate.
Head of Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Chris Brooks, who presented at the schools and marked the essays, spoke about his involvement in the Partnership with Schools initiative:
“I greatly enjoyed being involved in this initiative, meeting the students and reading their essays. The competition enabled them to explore some exciting philosophical subjects within the law, which were really interesting for us too, as we don’t often advise on octopus law! Getting this glimpse of the next generation of advocates, it is so encouraging to see what a high standard of students we have on the Island. Congratulations to Amber on her fantastic essay, and look forward to having you spend some time at Simcocks.”