Profile:

As a first generation graduate and lawyer coming from a low-income, state school educated background, I made the decision to pursue a career in commercial law at a later stage than many.

Upon starting university at a non-Russell group institution, my uninformed outlook was quickly replaced with the daunting realisation of just how many obstacles stood in the way. To make matters worse, I was too busy to attend open days or apply for vacation schemes, as I worked 30-hours per week as a lifeguard throughout education to fund my studies, and volunteered at the Citizen’s Advice Bureau once a week. Initially, this put me off even considering a career in the City, despite having good A-Levels and attaining a first class in my degree.

I attended an Aspiring Solicitors event after completing my LLB, not knowing what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised to hear success stories from individuals who had similar backgrounds to me, as well as see how interested a MC firm was in increasing diversity in the profession. This inspired me to look into a City career. After a lot of research and attending many more events, like CityLawLive, I had the confidence and was adamant to secure a training contract. I continued working while completing an LLM at the University of Birmingham on scholarship (attaining a distinction) to demonstrate my resilience and time-management.

With application help from AS, I secured interviews with Allen & Overy, Hogan Lovells and Linklaters. I completed a vacation scheme at Linklaters and was extremely proud to accept a training contract with the firm beginning March 2018. I will be doing the LPC MSc in Law, Business and Management from July 2017.

I’m keen to share my experiences and advice with any person looking to start a career in commercial law.

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