Cardiff MP congratulates legal high achievers

Jo Stevens, Labour MP for Cardiff Central was guest of honour this month at a leaving ceremony for students of the Legal Practice Course (LPC) – the solicitors’ vocational training - offered by Cardiff Law School’s Centre for Professional Legal Studies (CPLS). This year’s cohort included over 120 students, a number of whom attended the “graduation” with their guests.

Speaking at the event Jo Stevens said, “Thank you for doing your LPC at Cardiff University. This is a brilliant University that is the beating heart of my constituency. I also hope many of you will stay and build your careers here (as) it is essential that we have a strong legal community in Cardiff and in Wales. Cardiff and Wales need you.” Her choice as guest was particularly relevant as, prior to her election to Westminster in May, Jo Stevens was a solicitor and director of Thompsons Solicitors, a UK wide law firm dedicated to representing trade union members and others injured or mistreated at work. She was well placed to address students in the ceremony, held on 14 November, having had first-hand experience of the Solicitors’ Finals Examinations, the course which the LPC replaced, which she studied in Manchester. She spoke with envy of the vast improvement in training offered by the Legal Practice Course and how much better prepared for practice the students she was addressing were by comparison with how she had been.

Ms. Stevens was joined at the ceremony by a number of high profile guests from the legal world including three members of the judiciary: His Honour Judge (HHJ) Milwyn Jarman; retired judge HHJ Graham Jones and retired judge Sir Malcolm Pill, who as Lord Justice Pill was, before his retirement, the most senior member of the Court of Appeal. Representing the School and CPLS was CPLS Director Professor Angela Devereux who made the welcoming address, and LPC leader, Byron Jones who presented the students to the guest.

Each graduating student was congratulated personally by Ms Stevens at the ceremony, at which the winners of four awards were announced. The awards are made by law firms Hugh James for Litigation, Blake Morgan for Property Law and Geldards for Business Law and Practice. Additionally a Prize for the best overall performance on the Legal Practice Course is donated by the Jane Hodge Foundation and given in memory of Edgar Buck.

In an exceptional turn of events the winner of all four prizes was Harry Moyle. Harry was named as the winner of the Hugh James Prize for the best performance in Litigation alongside his classmate Lauren Powell, however all other prizes were awarded to Harry alone. This was a huge achievement- of which Professor Devereux said, “His obvious diffidence at this achievement does him great credit. He is both talented and well-grounded, which will both be equally valuable attributes in what we are sure will be a glittering career ahead.”