#SoaringToSuccess: Paige Cotton’s Journey To The Royal Courts Of Justice

Paige Cotton '27, Pre-Law and Sociology & Anthropology double major, traveled more than 3,500 miles to London, England this past summer to participate in the Lex Fellowship Pre-Law program. The intense study abroad sparked new thinking about how to be successful as a lawyer and boosted her confidence to chase her career dream.

“The internship certainly gave me the confidence that I can become a lawyer,” confided Cotton.

Before the trip began, Cotton had to apply for the competitive program and demonstrate her interest in law.

“England is one of the most sought-after experiences so the application process is intense. I expressed my interest in civil law and how I review civil cases and lectures. That’s what got me my place.”

Once she earned a spot, Cotton, who had only been as far as Canada before, flew to London and met with the other Lex Fellows. The group met in a little park under the shadow of London’s famous clock, Big Ben. At first, Cotton was nervous to meet the other participants and wondered how she would compare to them.

“Growing up in a rural town you have this impression that everyone knows more than you. But we’re all just people and I realized that I deserved this spot just like anyone else.”

Each day, the interns began with lectures and lessons before traveling to a law firm to speak with a lawyer and discuss a legal case. The lawyers gave the students critical feedback in real-time.

“They didn’t go easy, but if you articulated your points well, they let you know.”

The interns went on special trips, visiting a law firm near the beach at Southend-on-Sea, a three-hour train ride from London; Cambridge University; The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom; and The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, a legal landmark that originated sometime in the 13th or 14th Century.

“Lincoln’s Inn was so cool. It is a hub for solicitors and barristers with a massive legal library. Some people take their legal classes there. Originally, only the richest male landowners could be representatives but now it's an inclusive hub.”

In the city of Westminster, at the Royal Courts of Justice that houses the High Court of England and Wales, Cotton participated in a mock trial.

“It was phenomenal!”

“We were randomly assigned positions in the mock trial. I was a witness, a police officer.”

Cotton described how the students spent two hours in tight quarters in the historical building that often creaked from age. The interns wore the white wigs that barristers (lawyers) have to wear in the United Kingdom, and they called the judge “lord.” The case was based on a real case from the 1800s where a young man was sentenced to death after killing a police officer.

“Our modern moral compasses did not choose the same outcome and it was interesting to compare.”

One of the highlights for Cotton was the advice a lawyer shared about framing her arguments with a human touch.

“That really hit me. It made me think about the way I do things. I may have a really good argument, and it makes sense, but human beings are human and you have to portray the humanity for the jury. They need to know how the situation came to be and why it matters to them.”

For Cotton, this lesson put into perspective the importance of her Sociology & Anthropology major, which investigates the impact of social institutions on individuals.

“It’s so easy to put up divisions and to strip out the individual within the legal system. It’s a slippery slope and people going into law need to keep it in mind to prevent that.”

Yet even more important to Cotton was how much of what she’s learned in her Pre-Law courses at EC applied to her experiences in London. She’s excited to know that, with the Lex program experiences behind her, and with everything she’s learning at EC, she will be ready to do well in graduate school.

“I look at my future in law school and feel so prepared and ready for that next step in my life.”