Graduate Diploma in Law, 2022
“For a career in law, you need to get first-hand experience while you're at university. Oxford Brookes is really good at giving you those opportunities”
It hasn’t always been my ambition to be a lawyer – in fact, I did a Philosophy degree first. But it appeals to me, because you can help people at very difficult times in their lives.
Getting experience is really important for law students. The department at Brookes goes above and beyond in what it offers. I've done a mooting competition here, and I’ve done client interviewing. I’m also involved in the CLOCK Programme. This is a volunteering programme where you help people who’re going to court without a solicitor, because they haven’t qualified for Legal Aid. You can assist them, and explain the court process.
‘Take advantage of everything on offer’
My advice to new students is: take advantage of everything on offer. Go to the law fairs, where you can meet lawyers and talk to them. You can find out what a firm does, and what opportunities they offer to graduates.
At one event, we had someone from Linklaters, a global law firm. They prepped us on job applications, which was really useful. It was also nice to see that this large corporate firm wasn’t as scary and impersonal as you might expect.