My blog this month is about my political experiences at Mason Hayes. Mason Hayes takes its social responsibility very seriously which is clear from the fantastic work carried out by the Mason Hayes Charitable Trust. However, in addition to that, Mason Hayes is actively involved politically with regard to issues which are relevant to the firm or those which members of the firm feel passionately about.
I personally have been involved in research papers with regard to changes to the Civil Procedure Rules and Civil Litigation generally, providing input on draft legislation and attending meetings with members of Parliament. Being somebody who once considered a political career, I found these experiences enlightening.
The most recent contribution that I have made was to a research paper with regard to reform of the civil justice system to improve its efficiency as a whole. Our submission included proposed reforms to the use of mediation, the introduction of compulsory mediation, the introduction of small claims adjudication, changes to the use of technology by HMCTS and changes to how litigants in person are dealt with. I have recently been informed by the firm’s Managing Director that the proposals we submitted are being considered and may well form the basis of further research. I therefore hope that I will get to undertake further work regarding this research paper moving forward. Even if our proposals are not the subject of further research, I do anticipate having further involvement in the research project which I look forward to. It would however be fantastic if one of the changes which we proposed made its way into government policy and was then introduced.
Our involvement has not however been restricted to legislative matters which directly relate to the legal profession or the practice areas within which the firm operates. For example, I was invited to attend a meeting with Edward Timpson MP with regard to the Children and Families Bill earlier this year. The purpose of the meeting was to outline the issues with the current regime and the flaws with the Bill. This was not just to highlight the difficulties legally but also the detriment that would be caused to children, both in terms of their education but also in terms of the wider social and economic implications.
I have found that the skill set that you acquire and develop as a lawyer is a set of transferrable skills which would stand you in good stead for a career in politics. The adversarial and confrontational environment that exists in Parliament and Government is akin to that in the litigation arena. I can see why there are so many lawyers who move into politics.
Until my next blog
Jessica
