Edinburgh Law School participates in the 2024 Sutton Trust Summer School programmes

Secondary school pupils from across the UK came to Edinburgh Law School to learn more about the law, experience life in Edinburgh as a student, and hear about the range of career opportunities after graduation.  

The Sutton Trust Summer School gives S5 (Scotland), Year 12 (England & Wales), and Year 13 (Northern Ireland) pupils an opportunity to find out what it is like to be a student at the UK’s top universities. Cyber Sutton extends the opportunity for pupils to experience studying at a university-level by offering online academic taster sessions. 

Edinburgh Law School participates in both programmes, in person and online. The academic taster sessions are led by the School’s teaching staff, who are not only experts in their fields but whose passion for teaching and their subject gives the pupils a true taster of the legal academic experience. 

This year’s programme included lectures on Contract Law with Lorna Richardson and Laura McBrien, Global Law with Dr Gail Lythgoe, International Human Rights Law with Dr Kasey McCall-Smith, and Legislation and Interpretation with Scott Wortley. Dr Murray Earle led a full-day session on Medical Law and Ethics with a lecture followed by a mooting session on a case related to Medical Law. Mooting gave pupils a chance to research relevant laws, prepare submissions, and deliver their arguments, testing their advocacy skills along the way.

About this experience, one pupil said: “It gave me an insight into what it’s like to study law at university and also gave me the opportunity to meet people from all over the country and make lots of new friends”. Another pupil added: “It’s hard to put it down to one, but I think getting to experience realistic lectures and uni life with amazing people that I met”.

In addition to academic sessions, the pupils also had a chance to learn about life after university from a panel of law and non-law graduates, which included Edinburgh Law School alumni. Organised and led by Lorna Richardson and Laura McBrien, professionals from the legal profession and those with an LLB who have not gone into practice answered questions from the pupils. The panellists shared their journeys, gave insight to the range of careers within the legal profession, and explained how the skills gained from a law degree are transferable to careers outside of the law. 

Thank you to all of those who supported this year’s Sutton Trust Summer School. 

Read more about the University of Edinburgh’s Sutton Trust Summer School programme