Lara Ali Law LLB

I knew that the Law School had an excellent reputation academically, and I felt that I would benefit from the vast amount of networking and extra-curricular opportunities available. Upon coming here, I've found that while these things are true, there are so many more reasons why Southampton is a wonderful place to study! Overall, I found that Southampton has given me the perfect combination of excellent academics and a busy social life.

The staff at the Law School are experts in their fields, meaning that you're always getting the highest quality of education

The Law Society's Christmas Balls and Summer Boat Parties are integral parts of our social calendar, and are always memorable nights! The Law School is a small community, and interacting with both students and staff has definitely been the best part of being here. I've also loved working as a student helper for the University open days. Speaking to prospective students and telling them about my experiences is lots of fun, and it has been so rewarding to see some of them actually come here as students the following year!

I've held various positions of responsibility throughout my degree. I was on the Inns of Court Society committee one year, and the Law Society committee the next. As they are totally student-run, there is a fair amount of work to be done in order to run things smoothly. I've particularly enjoyed being the Law Course Rep (essentially being the bridge between staff and students) both in my second year and my third year. This has enabled me to tackle issues that I care about and initiate changes for the benefit of the whole year group.

Law is a brilliant subject to study at university because it gives you a solid base that allows you to move onto a wide range of career options.

The best part of doing a law degree is the immense variety of topics. The course covers everything from murder to mortgages. Apart from the compulsory modules, there is a large selection of optional modules to choose from. My personal interests are in technology and business, and I have been able to tailor my degree to learn about these areas in depth.

On top of that, the staff at the Law School are experts in their fields, meaning that you're always getting the highest quality of education. Interacting with so many leading academics provides such an inspirational and stimulating environment, and the staff are always willing to go above and beyond to support their students. I could not have had a better experience at another law school.

One of the best things about being at Southampton Law School is that there is a plethora of networking opportunities available to us. Indeed, the ‘team building’ day that new students do in their first week is sponsored by a large City law firm, and students are able to network with them from day one. There are also very frequent talks and workshops hosted by various members of the legal profession.

I have taken part in many of the networking opportunities provided, and have made some strong connections as a result. I am still in contact with many of the professionals that I have met at the talks and workshops that we host, or the Open Days that we are invited to.

In terms of employment, I have been a volunteer at the Citizens Advice Bureau for nearly a year now. I work as an Information Assistant, and my role is to assist clients in navigating and understanding any information or advice they are given. University can sometimes feel a bit like being in a bubble, and working at the CAB has opened my eyes to the issues facing the general public. This has been an extremely rewarding experience as I have been able to place many of the things I learn as part of my degree into the context of the real world.