LLB Law, 2017
“I feel the Oxford Brookes course will definitely help me in my future career; they are part of the Alliance University Group, which has meant that they have connections and links with law firms, and have set up mentoring schemes to benefit their students”
It was a work experience placement in the legal department of Universal Music that sparked Naoise’s enthusiasm to study law, now she hopes to train as a solicitor and work in entertainment law.
Before I came to Brookes I attended school and lived in Belfast. Throughout school, ballet dancing and modelling were a big part of my life. After finishing school I spent a summer in Thailand and then moved to London to model full- time, with the intention of going to Brookes once my year was up. My year out was actually going brilliantly, and I planned to stay on and work full-time, but three weeks before term was due to start I visited Brookes, loved it and decided to go!
Originally I didn’t know what I wanted to study; I always enjoyed the sciences and come from a family of doctors so I had never really considered Law before. However, I did some work experience with a family friend in the legal department of Universal Music and from then on I wanted to study law! Entertainment law in particular really interests me, and I would love to specialise in music law someday.
Since starting the course I have particularly enjoyed the Foundational Legal Skills module in first year; I think it pushed me to develop my skills in reading and in understanding cases. I also liked the Advanced Legal Method module from semester 1 of second year; it gave me an insight into what working as a lawyer could be like, and it pushed me to centre my work around building a case for my client.
I love that Oxford is a small, student-based city. It’s so historical and beautiful, so there are always places to see and sweet little cafés to find at the weekends. I also like the chilled pub scene, and the fact that the student housing area is close to both the law buildings and the city centre!
I feel the Oxford Brookes course will definitely help me in my future career; they are part of the Alliance University Group, which has meant that they have connections and links with law firms, and have set up mentoring schemes to benefit their students. I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of four Brookes’ students to attend an open day in December with Clifford Chance, one of the world’s top law firms. Not only was the day incredibly helpful, but we were given guidance on writing applications for placements, taken through practice case studies and given talks from partners in the firm on commercial law. My law lecturer also took the time to help me prepare for it, in order to ensure that I made the most out of the day.
I have found a lot of my lecturers inspiring and helpful, and Marc Howe has been particularly helpful in guiding me on routes to take once I graduate. At the moment, I plan on travelling for a year and then applying for training contracts at firms that have an entertainment section, in the hope of getting sponsored for my LPTC.