A level Law students among 40 young Londoners taking part in Big Voice 2011

Hackney students appeared at the UK’s Supreme Court this week – but for all the right reasons.

The A level Law students from Hackney Community College were among 40 young people from the capital selected to take part in Big Voice 2011, a year-long project exploring the legal systems in this country and in post-apartheid South Africa.

The budding barristers, aged between 16 and 18, went to a special launch event at the court, which hears cases of the greatest public or constitutional importance affecting the British population, in Parliament Square on Thursday (20 January).

Ian Ashman, principal of HCC, based in Falkirk Street, Shoreditch, said: “It’s excellent that some HCC students have the opportunity to take part in this exciting project. It will help them to make an informed choice about law as a career, as well as helping them develop skills in team working and independent research.”

William Arnold, director of corporate services at the Supreme Court, said: “We have been impressed with the effort and initiative that the young lawyers have put into setting up this innovative project. We are pleased to be able to offer some practical support to enable students from across the capital to engage with different perspectives on how the legal system is viewed by people in different parts of the world.”