On 10 October, a group of Sixth Form students were invited to attend the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire’s 2023 lecture at the University of Oxford’s Examination Halls.
The lecture, which takes place annually, encourages students across the county to pursue the study and practise of law by inviting distinguished speakers to share their experiences in the industry. This year’s lecture was presented by the Attorney General of the United Kingdom, Victoria Prentis. Prentis focused her speech on lawyers in politics, particularly the decline in the number of solicitors and barristers in the UK Parliament, partially due to the lack of legal education needed to undertake key cabinet roles such as Minister for Justice which was previously a position filled solely by those with legal experience. She then went on to discuss the increased politicised nature of lawyers in recent legal proceedings which opened up an interesting area of discussion for students and legal professionals, most notably high court judges and members of the House of Lords, in the mixer afterwards.
I found the lecture incredibly insightful as it showcased the different career paths on offer to students considering studying both law and politics, as well as providing an opportunity to meet prominent political figures.
