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Sexual Exploitation Of The Police Station

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I have been involved in a number of activities in my placement at Wright Chambers, mostly to do with criminal matters rather than civil. I have accompanied Nick and a client to the Hindley Street Police Station. We met with Nick’s client and the client’s wife outside of the station and Nick gave him some brief directions about not saying anything, even if he believed it would help his situation. At the time, I did not know what the client was being accused of, and it turned out that it was persistent sexual exploitation of his niece. I felt confident but somewhat wary that I had to maintain my friendly (if that is the right word) – but professional – manner towards the client. This was not difficult for me, although I am unable to reflect …show more content…

Before I end my placement, I would like to have more to do with clients before their matters reach trial. From my perspective as a CLE student, I have found that doing my placement with a criminal barrister has its limitations. The main one being that the ‘groundwork’, such as the initial interview, has already been done prior to the matter before it reaches Nick because he is briefed by solicitors, and sometimes by the Commonwealth or State DPP. Of course I understand the issues surrounding liability so I cannot conduct the interviews myself, but I was disappointed to have so little do with the clients prior to reaching trial. The extent of the client contact that I have had is the police interview, and another occasion at the District Court in an area where the accused stayed and spoke with Nick, not at any great length. This is something that I should have considered before deciding to do my placement at Wright Chambers, and it’s something that I regret. While I haven’t had the pressure of dealing with emotional clients, and making sure that I’ve provided the correct legal advice to those clients, I have missed out on a great opportunity for my professional development, specifically regarding client contact. This is something that I hope to address before the end of my placement, and it is something that I regret not having considered at any earlier

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