By Saarah Karolia

I spent the last week undertaking work experience at Moosa-Duke Solicitors (MDS), who specialise in medical negligence work.

I found this experience really valuable as it gave me greater insight into the reality of working in the law, which is a career sector that I have been growing increasingly interested in.

I came into MDS hoping that I could gain more of an insight into the everyday life of a solicitor by putting myself in the shoes of an assistant and observing what other solicitors did in their day-to-day routine.  I am pleased to say that left with an enormous amount of experience and had a week that I will never forget. I can say for certain that this week has been successful in enlightening me not just about clinical negligence, but also about law in general and what a professional working environment is like, having not worked in one before.

The highlights of the week for me, were being able to attend client meetings and conferences.  Before each meeting I was given witness statements and other documents such as medical reports, giving me the background to the case.  I found reading about the cases extremely interesting, and this helped me during the meetings to understand what it was about and the issues to resolve.

It was fascinating, being able to observe and listen to the medical experts discussing their views on the medical evidence and then listening to the barristers and solicitors interpret those opinions, to assess the merits of the client’s case.

During the week, I also had the opportunity to do some fee earning tasks myself and learn many new skills, which I enjoyed as well. I undertook research on treatments and particular health conditions relating to certain cases I had previously read about, which gave me further context and a greater understanding about the cases and whether the Defendant had made mistakes that had an impact on the client’s health. It allowed me to think critically and carefully as a solicitor would, in a way.

Everyone at MDS supported me in having an enjoyable and informative week. I was given the opportunity to learn about many cases, sit in numerous conferences and gain experience I would not have gotten anywhere else.  For these reasons, I can definitely say my interest in law has strengthened immensely after this experience.