hiya bucks in Bourne End, Flackwell Heath, Marlow, Wycombe, Wooburn November 2014 | Page 28

5 minutes with...Francis Payne
High Wycombe resident Francis (22) recently became
one of the youngest students in the country to complete
the Legal Bar Professional Training Course, at just 21.
He explains why Law was an unexpected career path
for him.
Tell us about your background. I was
born and raised in Tower Hamlets, East
London, and both of my parents originate
from council estates in the East End. Up until
I was 16, the only thing I cared about was my
amateur boxing career. Although I obtained
11 GCSEs, I didn’t perform to the best of
my abilities academically, until I took it upon
myself to take a short break from boxing
to focus on my A levels. Since then, I have
surpassed all expectations. I was advised by
a Judge to change my name from Franky to
Francis in order to be taken seriously within
the Legal profession.
What courses of study have you
taken to date? In May 2014, I completed
the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)
at City Law School in London. The BPTC
is a compulsory year of vocational training
undertaken by aspiring Barristers. Prior to
starting this, I completed my Law degree at
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