Stoke-On-Trent, England, United Kingdom
I am an avid law enthusiast currently reading the LLB at the University of Staffordshire. I am a mature student, who is making the most of the opportunity of being taught the law by an impressive cohort of legal academics; many of whom have first-hand experience of working in the legal profession, including solicitors and barristers. I particularly enjoy being a member of the Law Society at the university. I chose to study law at the age of thirty, after reading ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee. It made me realise that if there was anybody I aspired to be in life, then that person is Atticus Finch. A particular quote from the novel that I have carried with me throughout my legal studies is “…you never really understand a person until you consider things from [their]point of view”. Before embarking in law, I was working in customer-facing roles (including retail, hospitality and sales) for twelve years. I will always appreciate the skills and the friendships that I gained throughout my customer service journey. I was a timid, socially awkward teenager with a stammer, and I was apprehensive about starting my first job as a warehouse assistant at Matalan in the Longton store. However, it did not take long for me to feel like I was part of the team, and I discovered that I was actually a natural people person. I was slightly surprised when I was offered the opportunity to be transferred from the warehouse to the customer service desk. I enjoyed three years at Matalan and I will always reflect on my employment there with admiration and fondness. It was the perfect training ground and made me realise that I had a passion for working with people. It also gave me confidence and communication skills and I was able to implement these effectively in my subsequent employment. However, I always knew that I wanted to go to university at some point, and 2022 was the year I finally decided to take the plunge and study an undergraduate degree. I am in the second year of my LLB and I am enthralled at the extent of black letter law I have learned so far throughout my studies. My three favourite modules to study so far have been Property Law, Criminal Law and EU Law. I have recently started volunteering with the Witness Service as a Court-Based/Outreach Worker, and I appreciate the opportunity it gives me to provide help and support to people, as well as giving back to society. Although I am enjoying volunteering at the courts, I am hoping to secure a training contract where I’ll be able to offer services to individuals.