YOUNG legal eagles are flying high after winning over judges.

Sixth-formers Matthew Kingsley and Charlotte Smith, who have their sights set on a law career, came in the top 10 per cent in the prestigious Kingsley Napley/Times Legal Apprenticeship competition, which attracted 900 teams from 300 schools and colleges.

The two law students who attend The Sixth Form, Bolton, took part in a series of tasks, including drafting a witness statement and filming themselves doing a three minute pitch for a very anxious client.

The students also had to answer questions demonstrating their knowledge of law.

Their success stands them into good stead to achieve their career goals in the legal field. Matthew wants to undertake a legal Apprenticeship after completing his A-level students with Charlotte wanting to become a barrister after her studies.

Matthew said: "I enjoyed the problem solving nature of the tasks and also the ability to look at law and apply that I may have never looked at for a couple of years.

"As the third task required a video that also required a speech, the task developed my presentation skills as it gave another opportunity to practice speaking aloud as if I was directly trying to persuade a client. My knowledge in law has improved through the different areas of legislation I have been required to cover across each task and understand in order to apply the knowledge."

Charlotte added: "I really enjoyed being a part of this competition and feel it massively helped me develop my knowledge of law in areas not already covered by my syllabus."

Helena Taylor, law lecturer, said: "I am really proud of Charlotte and Matthew who deserve this recognition for their hard work. They enthusiastically dedicated time and effort over a few months into completing all the tasks. They approached these in a creative manner and demonstrated excellent skills in communication, problem-solving and team-work.

"Charlotte and Matthew are both bright students who have a natural ability in Law. They show much potential for a career in Law which was demonstrated during this competition. They rose to the challenge and developed skills and gained knowledge during this virtual work experience which is an excellent preparation for their future plans."