A&O partners with Young Citizens for Justice Week 2021

The Big Legal Lesson is a national campaign which provides children and young people with the opportunity to learn about justice and the rule of law. Led by The Law Society, The Bar Council and CILEx, the key theme of Justice Week 2021 (1 – 5 March) is the impact of the Covid-19 on justice.

This year, with Covid-19 disrupting so many aspects of student’s daily lives, Young Citizens believes that it’s vital for young people to also learn about the impact the pandemic has had on the legal justice system and the rule of law. Teachers are being asked to pledge to deliver a legal lesson to as many students in their school as possible during the course of the week. To date 700 schools are already signed up to the programme which means the programme estimates to reach over 60,000 young people across England and Wales. 

Every primary school that pledges to get involved will be provided with access to a high-quality ‘Introduction to the Law’ legal lesson – with different versions for key stages 1 and 2. For key stages 3 & 4 the resources reflect how the rule of law and the justice system have been impacted by Covid-19.

Tom Franklin, CEO of Young Citizens said:

“With Covid-19 having dominated young people’s lives in the past year, we’ve adapted the resources to encourage young people to consider how the law has been used to respond to the pandemic. We’ve also made them so that they can be used by teachers whether in the classroom or via home learning. We’re delighted that despite the pandemic restrictions, even more schools are taking part this year."

Franz Ranero, Partner and Co-Head of Pro Bono and Community Investment added: “Engaging and teaching young children about justice is so vital and we are really proud to be able to assist Young Citizens to deliver The Big Legal Lesson. The pandemic has had an impact on everyone and it’s important that young students get a chance to understand the role that the law has played during this time.”