Tuckers visits Folkestone Academy

Gemma Adams, a Paralegal based at our Margate office, was invited to attend Folkestone Academy this week to give two career talks to secondary school students.

The first session was with a select group of students from Years 7, 8 and 9, who had expressed an interest in studying Law. The second session was with students from Year 12 who were studying Law at A Level.

Gemma told the students about her career path to date, explaining that she first became passionate about Law when she started working as a Legal Secretary. Following a return to work after maternity leave, she began working in criminal law. She was later promoted and was lucky enough to be accepted at University to study a part-time Law Degree. She graduated in 2017 and is now studying with the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx).

She told the students not to underestimate how hard obtaining a Law degree is, but with hard work and passion, they will succeed. She told them that in order to study and practice Law, they would need to have an aptitude to learning, work hard and believe in themselves. University is hard work, but it is not the only option when choosing a career path. Students no longer require a Law Degree and can study with CILEx as an alternative. The students were informed of all manner of career paths.

There were lots of questions from students about what happens at the police station and later at court. Gemma explained each stage of a criminal case, including the consequences of not answering police questions in an interview and why not having legal representation, which is completely free of charge for all, can negatively impact a case. Gemma discussed why it is so important to have a legal representation at the police station and addressed some of the myths surrounding why someone people opt not to received free legal advice. Having a legal representative does not delay your case, it does not matter whether you think you have done something wrong or not, it is important to ensure your rights are protected and that you have support if appropriate, such as an appropriate adult or any medical treatment.

Gemma told the students that their generation have the real possibility to make a real change in law and politics. She gave the example of her colleague, Charlotte Henry. Charlotte also works for Tuckers Solicitors. Charlotte is a campaigning champion and member of Joint Enterprise Not Guilty by Association (JENGbA) following the conviction of her brother in 2013 under Joint Enterprise. Gemma also told the students about Gina Martin, who successfully campaigned to make ‘up-skirting’ illegal in 2019.

Gemma told the students that, whatever they decide to do in their working life, to work hard, find something they enjoy and follow their dreams.

Thank you to Folkestone Academy for inviting Gemma to speak to your students. They were a credit to your school.