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David Preston
returns to encourage pupils at his former school.
Hillhead High School in Glasgow, which was nominated
for the Schools Law Project by
Tods Murray LLP, recently welcomed
back a successful former pupil when David Preston
returned for a Question & Answer session with
pupils.
David is a former President of the Law Society of
Scotland who feels that young people should be
encouraged to understand and respect the law, and
was therefore happy to answer the questions of
youngsters from his former school.
During the session with a group of 13-14 year-olds
he dealt with a wide range of topics including his
own experiences as a pupil and his work as a
solicitor, as well as general questions on young
people and their place in the Scottish legal system.
David then enjoyed a relaxed chat over coffee with a
small group of senior pupils who are planning to
study law at university. His practical, friendly
advice was felt to be of immense value to the young
people at a crucial time in their decision-making.
Speaking after the visit David said, “This
initiative is a highly imaginative and successful
way of encouraging young people at an important
stage in their life. I thoroughly enjoyed the event
and both sets of pupils seemed to take a lot from
the session.”
On behalf of Hillhead High, Irene Milligan who heads
up Enterprise Education at the school said, “We are
very grateful to David. He is an excellent example
to our current pupils of how talented, hard-working
individuals can achieve great success in a field
they care deeply about.”
“We are also very grateful to the Law Society of
Scotland for establishing such a practical and
efficient way of helping schools. Everything about
this event was designed to make it easy for busy
school staff, which we greatly appreciate. This type
of hands-on practical help achieves so much in a
very short time, particularly if the lawyer is a
former pupil who the youngsters can identify with.”
David’s Preston’s return to Hillhead High was the
latest in a series of similar visits to schools
across Scotland. Participants have included young
recently-qualified individuals through to some of
the most senior solicitors in the country.
The programme is just one element of the Schools Law
Project which the Law Society of Scotland has backed
over the past few years. The scheme is not a
government initiative. Instead, its success is due
entirely to the support of the Law Society as well
as hundreds of individual law firms throughout the
country who have nominated local schools for the
project.
Many law firms are now involved. They partner
schools of their choice by sponsoring classroom
materials and pupil prizes.
The Schools Law Project is run by former
teacher, Patrick Gaffney. In 2004, the Law Society
of Scotland presented Patrick with what he proudly
refers to as his ‘Lawscar’ for the great success of
the project.
Patrick says, “From the outset, the success of the
Schools Law Project has been due to the
remarkable support of the Law Society as well
as more than 200 law firms throughout the country.
I have been extremely impressed by the response of
the legal community.”
Any firm which would like further information on the
Schools Law Project or may wish to nominate a
school can contact Patrick Gaffney at:
Patrick Gaffney
Director
The Schools Project
61 Old Abbey Road
North Berwick
EH39 4BP
T: 01620 894928
E:
patrick@theschoolsproject.co.uk
W:
www.schoolsproject.co.uk
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