Lord Edmund Davies Legal Education Trust

Thomas Jones

Each year, ten students from Wales spend a week at the Inn where they shadow barristers and solicitors, marshal judges and take part in moots and debates. It is an opportunity for students who would not otherwise have the opportunity to gain a unique insight into legal London. The week is funded by the Lord Edmund Davies Legal Education Trust and supported by Gray’s Inn.

The week began with the students taking part in a workshop hosted by the Inn’s Griffin mentors. After a few hours of perfecting their arguments, the students took part in a debate, presided over by Sir Nicholas Francis. The motion was that Wales should become an independent country. Those in attendance were not convinced by the proposition, the majority voting for Wales to remain part of the UK!

On the Tuesday, each student spent a day with a solicitor, followed by a talk from Lord Justice Clive Lewis, who himself grew up in South Wales, about life in the Court of Appeal. On the Wednesday, the students each spent a day with a barrister, where they were able to sample life at the Bar. In the evening, they had a talk at 29 Bedford Row about practising at the Bar. On the Thursday, the students spent time at the Old Bailey, followed by a tour of the Supreme Court. Lord Lloyd-Jones spoke to the students about his own journey from Pontypridd Grammar School to the Supreme Court. On the Friday, the students spent the morning at the Law Commission in Westminster where they had talks on university applications and legal careers. The Inn’s education department spoke to the students about the route to qualifying as a barrister. In the evenings, the students attended dinners at City law firms where they could speak to guests about legal careers.

Lord Edmund Davies was Treasurer of Gray’s Inn in 1965. He attended Mountain Ash Grammar School and went onto to study at King’s College, London and Exeter College, Oxford. He was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1929 and practised at the common law bar in Swansea. Shortly after his appointment to the Court of Appeal in 1966, he was chosen as chairman of the Aberfan inquiry. His condemnation of the National Coal Board was unqualified. He was appointed to the House of Lords in 1974 and continued to live in Gray’s Inn until his health deteriorated. He was President of the London Welsh Trust between 1982 and 1988.

The Trustees of LEDLET would like to thank all of the speakers who took part in the week, and the Inn for its continued generosity. We look forward to welcoming the next cohort of LEDLET students into the Inn again this summer.

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