I am a final year law LLB student at the University of Leicester.  I have nearly finished my degree, which I have found academically challenging.  Medical law is one of the optional modules which I chose to study and I have been keen to expand my knowledge in this area of law and understand what the practical job entails.

At the start of my third year, I was made aware of a mentoring scheme run by Professor Steve Evans at my university, which worked by matching up students with local solicitors in the Leicester area, specialising in your preferred area of law. I was fortunate enough to be paired with Dan O’Keeffe, who is a Director at Moosa-Duke Solicitors, but who was also the President of the Leicestershire Medico-Legal Society. Dan O’Keeffe has been mentoring me throughout my final year and has been extremely helpful in assisting me with any help in terms of advice on my CV and future career. I have also attended Leicestershire Medico-Legal Society events including the AGM, when the rules were amended and the next President elected.

I have been lucky enough to spend the last week undertaking work experience with Moosa Duke Solicitors, who are a niche medical negligence law firm.

During the week, I have assisted the solicitors with many different tasks including quantum research, preparing timelines of medical histories, and making detailed notes of client meetings as well as many other tasks. It has been great to immerse myself in the practical sides of the medical legal sector, to experience what the work is really like. I was able to sit in on a client meeting, taking a detailed note. This was a fantastic experience as I was able to see how Navdeep Kainth, Associate Director and senior solicitor conducted the meeting and thoroughly explained all the complex information to the client, in a way they could understand. I extended my knowledge on how a clinical negligence claim is brought and learnt how a claim can be funded. I was able to watch how the solicitor communicated with the client who had suffered a traumatic experience and a potential life-changing injury. It was very helpful for me to witness how the solicitors at Moosa Duke assist their clients, being concise and clear when communicating with the client, helping them to understand technical legal terms. They also make sure that all of the relevant information is obtained from the client whilst being sympathetic to their difficult circumstances.

My time spent at Moosa-Duke Solicitors has been a truly positive experience and has reaffirmed my interest in the medical negligence sector. The last week has also given me greater confidence in working in the legal field, after completing several fee earning tasks and learning about what the job will entail when I start. I am eager to keep building my knowledge and experience in medical law.

I am beyond grateful to the Moosa-Duke team for their support and insight into the legal profession and I will try to apply what I have learnt in my future career. It has been a wonderful start to my legal journey, and I am excited about my next steps.

Chloe Matlaszek

University of Leicester

Third Year LLB Law Student