The generation game

Lichfield firm Keely Beedham has unearthed some potentially impressive recruits to the legal profession by running a competition for local children to make one new law.

Partner Sharon Lawrence came up with the idea to encourage youngsters to think about how laws affectpeoples' lives, and received an impressive 259 entries.

The winner of the 11-16 age group,14-year-old Kate Hollinshead (pictured left), proposed allowing the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

But it was runner-up Kelly Yardley (second left) who impressed Obiter most.

After her family lost the house they were buying when the vendors pulled out, theno-nonsense14-year-old came up with a law that once people have put their houses on the market, they cannot back out.

'A deal is a deal and there should be no turning back,' she said.

In the five to ten category, seven-year-old Daniel Bird won for his law that everyone should say something nice to someone every day.

Clearly he has never been in a solicitors' office before.Ten-year-old Sophie Mason-Woods, the runner-up, showed her tough side by proposing that people who have killed others as a result ofdrink-driving should be fined, sent to prison and be obliged to have plates announcing the fact on their cars.

Managing partner Daniel Keane handed out the WH Smith vouchers to the winners.