Pegasus Scholars: USA

I attended SCOTUS to hear oral argument challenging President Biden’s student debt relief plan. According to the most recent figures, the typical undergraduate student now graduates with nearly $25,000 in debt, which rises to approximately $165,000 in a profession necessitating post-graduate study, like ours.

Observing the exchange between the Solicitor General and the Justices from my mahogany pew was fascinating – albeit far more interventionist than anticipated. It reminded me why lawyers in the States place such emphasis on mooting: it is excellent preparation for the real job. Attending court that day was truly a highlight of the trip.

I also took a tour with several of the other Justices’ clerks. We were able to touch on the differences between our two legal systems and, perhaps predictably, discussed the merits of wearing wigs and gowns. Needless to say, they were somewhat taken aback when I robustly defended our (perhaps rather unusual) uniform and I hastened to point out that the Solicitor General, Elizabeth Prelogar, had just made her arguments in morning dress!

I also had the privilege of meeting with lawyers at the Department of Justice and took a tour of the main building on Pennsylvania Avenue. Its interior was steeped in history and filled with specially-commissioned artwork focused on themes pertaining to the administration of justice. The lobbies, corridors and library boast original murals from the 1930s and ‘al-u-minium’ adorns the fixtures and fittings, including in the library where I was impressed to see a Pegasus make an appearance.

I also had the privilege of meeting with lawyers at the Department of Justice and took a tour of the main building on Pennsylvania Avenue. Its interior was steeped in history and filled with specially-commissioned artwork focused on themes pertaining to the administration of justice.

There were also more sobering experiences in DC. At the Superior Court I met with federal prosecutors and public defenders specialising in child homicide, and observed the work of the police force involved in the trial of six men charged with the murder of ten-year-old Makiyah Wilson and related offences. This trial exposed the similar challenges our American colleagues face when investigating serious crimes, including how to prevent young men from succumbing to the influence of sophisticated criminals and, practically, how best to present voluminous cell site data to a jury.

Another ambition of mine whilst here had been to see Congress in action, and I spent the day at the Office of US Rrepresentative for Wisconsin, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, who serves a whip of the Congressional Black Caucus and sits on the House Committee on Ways and Means.

I observed debate addressing the fraudulent overpayments of a benefit during the pandemic which was poorly administered and legitimate beneficiaries of the scheme accruing moneys to which they were not entitled.

I observed debate addressing the fraudulent overpayments of a benefit during the pandemic which was poorly administered and legitimate beneficiaries of the scheme accruing moneys to which they were not entitled.

I also observed a vote in the House and had a tour of the Capitol Building, the seat of Congress. A replica of the Magna Carta as created by Louis Osman and gifted by the British government to celebrate the bicentennial of American independence, offered a brief reminder of home in the crypt.

I was also fortunate to dip my toes in academic waters and attend Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic and Jesuit institution in the country. While there, I attended a class examining the death penalty as a violation of fundamental human rights ahead of an upcoming moot.

I also spent a day at Howard University School of Law and sat in on Professor Sha-Shana Crichton’s legal writing class, aimed at producing a brief in a dispute over whether a Senator who blocked a constituent from her Facebook profile (which had been created to communicate with constituents) had violated her First Amendment rights. I was struck by the focus on written advocacy compared with our own system, which so often concentrates on oral advocacy.

I also met with Professor Kacey Mordecai, a specialist in Juvenile Law and discussed her work on foster care policy and practice, and attended the Thurgood Marshall Center, which provides mentoring for student civil and human rights advocates through its Movement Lawyering Clinic.

Next, I visited New York, where I was able to connect with dual-qualified lawyer Jonathan Schaffer-Goddard. We reminisced over our experiences in pupillage which seemed a distant memory as we looked out over the Manhattan skyline.

Although law was at the heart of the Scholarship, there was time to explore all that Washington has to offer, from the neo-Gothic stained glass of the National Cathedral to the annual cherry blossom festival, and spending Sunday mornings at the beloved Eastern Market sampling the famous blueberry pancakes. The same was true of New York, where I became a perfect cliché, eating cheesecake in Central Park.

My Pegasus Scholarship was an exceptional experience. It provided me with a unique insight into the American legal system and an important opportunity to pause and reflect on my career.

My Pegasus Scholarship was an exceptional experience. It provided me with a unique insight into the American legal system.

I would like to thank The Inner Temple and the Pegasus Trust for their generosity. Special thanks also to Cindy Dennis at the American Inns of Court and all those who put together an excellent program for me.