Meet Charles Buckman

The first reason I chose Salford was because of MediaCityUK. It’s the best place to be, there’s lots of industry links there, and seminars and talks. The second was because of the course specialism, with lots of relevant career opportunities in Manchester.

As well as this, as part of my course we are able to take part in the CLOCK scheme. CLOCK gives you both legal experience and training, with the goal of helping local people with their benefits and appeals. We argue and provide support for individuals who cannot always get the representation that they need. I joined this year and I have already completed a case, it’s a great way of putting yourself out into the real world. You may only see your client for a short amount of time, but the whole duration of that time they’re depending on you. It’s slightly different to the mooting as that is a fictional case; with the CLOCK scheme it is all real world problems that you are dealing with.

So.. What is mooting?

Mooting is the oral presentation of a legal case against an opposing counsel (or in my case, peer student), and before a judge. It’s the closest experience that a student can have whilst at university to appearing in court. Second year as part of the Human Rights module, there is an assessment involving mooting which is mandatory which is usually on a case by case basis held in the Salford Business School. As we managed to get to the finals, we visited a real court for the mooting which of course was a great opportunity!

Mooting helps you to appreciate the seriousness of studying law, and it’s very challenging, especially in terms of preparation. The judges and practitioners at the mooting stressed how much it helps with building your professionalism and organisation for the future. Everything you say must be justified, and the mooting prepares you for that.