Beth from United Kingdom
Law with French BA Honours
Choosing Newcastle
I had heard that law was a good discipline if you wanted to pursue a career in business, and as I wasn’t entirely sure of what career path to follow in the future, I thought a law degree would be a strong foundation to build on. I decided to combine law with French as I am a keen linguist and thought that it would keep options to work/travel open, as well as providing a bit of variety to my studies. I also liked the idea of spending a year abroad.
The course itself seemed like one of the best on offer; I particularly liked the options available for the year abroad. I visited the law school on an open day; I warmed to the University and the city immediately.
The course
The law society was very active and offered many opportunities to take part in law related activities (mooting etc). The lecturers and support staff were friendly and very approachable and the size and spirit of the School made it feel part of a close knit community.
The seminars were well run with interesting topics for discussion and the material covered in the lectures was always interesting and well presented. The Language Centre and library facilities were good and the Law School offered a friendly and good working environment. The Law Library was excellent and the staff there were always very helpful and informed.
The students' Union always did their utmost to offer different events and were good at encouraging student involvement. Both Freshers and Rag week exemplified the student spirit at the university. The sports and societies were well organised and much fun and there were always plenty of activities on offer.
Living in Newcastle
Newcastle is absolutely fantastic – everyone is extremely friendly and welcoming and the strong student presence made a permanently ‘buzzing’ atmosphere. The city centre is fabulous with plenty to see and do and a wide variety of locations to visit which are all very accessible.
My future
I am currently living and working in London, training to be a solicitor. Aside from the legal knowledge which I learnt as part of my degree and continue to use in the workplace, I have also continued using and learning French and hope to work abroad at some point as a result. I have been doing some pro bono work as French GCSE mentor with the firm, which is both challenging and rewarding. The highlights thus far have been working very closely with clients including a client day at Ascot, as well as playing an integral part in some high profile deals and projects.
Studying at Newcastle Law School enabled me to become much more analytical and focused; skills which I have been able to transfer to the workplace. Activities such as mooting and client interviewing were useful for the LPC course and also helped to improve my ability to process information and react to it quickly which has proved important in responding to clients.