Letter from the Presiding Judge of the North-Eastern Circuit

The Honourable Mrs Justice Lambert DBE

I wish that SPRUCE had been available to me when I was a sixth-former in Wakefield in the 1980s.  Like the majority of sixth-formers, I did not have family connections with the legal profession.  The law and the courts were unfamiliar territory, yet the decision whether or not to study law was an important one.  I would certainly have welcomed the chance to spend three days with judges and lawyers explaining what they do and how the law works.

I know from my own children that the last 15 months have been a very worrying time for all sixth-formers, with the problems of remote learning and so much uncertainty about exams.  SPRUCE will help to reduce any uncertainty you may have about what is involved in a career in the law.  I hope that you make the most of the opportunities offered to you by SPRUCE and that it helps you to make the right decisions in relation to your degree and your future career. 

If the law is the right profession for you, then you can look forward to a fascinating and rewarding career.  There is no end to the diversity of the problems which the law and lawyers have to solve, whether you work in criminal, civil or family law and whether you are an advocate, a litigator or a transactional lawyer.  Addressing a judge or a jury, examining a witness and analysing a complex legal or factual issue are just some of the many things which lawyers do which can be rewarding in themselves, but which often involve the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of your clients.

Finally, I wish you good luck with your A levels, your degrees and your future careers.

Mr Justice Lavender

Presiding Judge of the North-Eastern Circuit