Royal Courts of Justice Tour

Whilst studying with ILSPA, you have the opportunity to attend a tour of the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, commonly known as the ‘Law Courts’.

The building houses the Court of Appeal and the High Court. You will have learnt from the English Legal System unit of the course that the Court of Appeal has two divisions – the Civil division, which hears appeals from the High Court, and the Criminal division, which hears appeals from the Crown Court. The High Court has three divisions – the Queen’s Bench division, the Chancery division and the Family division – and it also accommodates the Administrative Court. Breathtaking with its Gothic style and lavish interior, the building was opened by Queen Victoria in 1882.

Our tour offers a great chance to see how the courts operate and learn some historical facts.  It really helps to put your learning material into perspective. 

ILSPA's tour takes place once a month from 11 am - 4 pm. Here are some upcoming dates: 

Monday 4th July (FULL, waiting list available)

Tuesday 2nd August (FULL, waiting list available)

After August, we will no longer be running tours of the Royal Courts of Justice as our tour leader, Amanda Hamilton, is retiring. If you would like to attend, make sure that you book a place by then. 

Our tour leader is Amanda Hamilton, who taught our Legal Secretaries Diploma course for over 15 years. She is the Chief Executive of the National Association of Licensed Paralegals and has a wealth of legal knowledge. Please email Amanda at amanda@nationalparalegals.co.uk if you want to book a place on the tour. You will need to mention that you are an ILSPA Student and it is not possible to bring partners or family members along as there is a limited number of places available. The tour is part of your course and free of charge.

We have received great feedback from Students who have attended:

"I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the Royal Courts of Justice tour! It was very interesting as well as beneficial to our studies, and I am glad students studying the Legal Secretary course have the opportunity to experience the Royal Courts of Justice. I want to say that Amanda Hamilton, the tour leader is such a lovely person who has exceptional knowledge of the law and is very friendly and approachable!"Baljit Sian, Kent

"The tour was absolutely fabulous and a real eye opener into the working life and history of the RCJ and the legal world in that part of London. As a Londoner born and bred I was shocked and ashamed to have not discovered and visited this part of London in such detail before! Amanda's guidance and construction of the tour was fascinating, inspiring and packed with history. Delivered with such knowledge and passion for the subject, Amanda imparted an informed sense of the importance and brilliance of what it means to work as a Legal Secretary whilst still keeping our feet firmly on the ground with the practical tools and skills that we will need to know and learn. I really appreciated that the tour did not just focus on the Royal Courts of Justice but encompassed an exploration of the surrounding area and its connection with law and having the opportunity to see some court cases in the afternoon was an invaluable insight into the running of the court system giving me a snap shot of the reality working in the legal profession. Having now had time to reflect on my experience of the tour, I feel Amanda and the tour has informed my training and learning as a Legal Secretary where I have more ownership and purpose in my studies and future career." Jody Watson, London

"I have just completed the Royal Courts of Justice tour and wanted to say thanks to Amanda and yourselves for organising such a thorough and relevant accompaniment to the course. The tour was fantastic and complimented what was within the content perfectly. It added a lot of depth being able to apply what we had learnt with the experience of the heart center of the UK. Amanda was knowledgeable, charismatic and thorough. It was really well presented and great to have such a good host. I feel a lot more confident with my knowledge and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity." Susan Chalmers, Canterbury NZ