What did you enjoy most about your time at Birmingham?
I studied at Birmingham for my LLB from 2016-2019 and immediately afterwards embarked upon the LLM, choosing to study it part time over two years.
One of the main reasons I chose to remain at Birmingham was the structure and flexibility of the LLM. Unlike competitor institutions which offer pre-set syllabi, Birmingham gives you genuine autonomy over what you study, including the ability to take modules outside your main pathway while still graduating with a recognised specialism. That freedom allowed me to build a course that genuinely reflected how I think and learn, rather than forcing me into a narrow academic box.
Academically, Birmingham trusted you to think for yourself. Particularly at postgraduate level, you were expected to engage critically with the law rather than simply absorb it. You were encouraged to question orthodox positions, challenge authority and develop your own view. That approach has translated directly into practice, where much of my work involves navigating complex statutory regimes and historic documentation and turning that into advice clients can actually use.
Outside the classroom, I valued how accessible staff were and how many opportunities there were to get involved. Birmingham gave me the space to grow intellectually, professionally and personally. This combination is what made my time here so enjoyable and so formative.
How has your Masters degree influenced your career journey?
My LLM was pivotal in shaping my career journey. When I started the degree, I was very much leaning towards academia and was seriously considering a PhD. The LLM gave me the opportunity to explore that ambition properly, rather than idealising it from a distance, and in doing so helped me gain a much clearer understanding of where my strengths and interests truly lay.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed the course, I struggled to identify a PhD topic I felt confident committing to. Given the scale of the commitment, both in terms of time and energy, I went back to the drawing board to assess what else I could do with my skills and experience. It was at this point that I began to explore legal practice in earnest.
Applying for training contracts as an LLM student gave me a real advantage. Depending on the pathway you pursue, the LLM exposes you to specialist modules that simply aren’t available at undergraduate level and, in many cases, are taught by former practitioners. This meant that when I spoke to lawyers in interviews, I could engage in conversations with genuine substance rather than surface-level enthusiasm. I understood what a cross-border transaction involved, how it was financed and structured, and why those details mattered. That allowed me to ask informed questions and approach tasks with confidence rooted in understanding rather than guesswork. This genuinely helped me stand out.
The LLM also helped me demonstrate a clear commitment to a particular area of law. Firms invest heavily in training and want reassurance that candidates have thought carefully about the career they are choosing. The decision to undertake an academic LLM, as opposed to moving straight onto the LPC or SQE, is not one that everyone takes. Being able to point to a period of advanced study in that field allowed me to evidence that commitment in a straightforward and credible way.
Finally, applying as a postgraduate meant applying with greater perspective. While it is possible to apply for a training contract during your undergraduate degree, at that stage, many candidates are still finding their feet. By contrast, I had already completed a degree and had a better understanding of how I work best and what motivates me. For firms like Eversheds Sutherland that use strengths-based recruitment processes, this was particularly valuable, as I had a strong bank of formative life experiences to draw on, rather than having to rely on older examples from school or college. Having had more time to reflect on myself, I also felt more comfortable, confident and assured throughout the process.
What skills did you gain from your course and studying at Birmingham that you still use today?
At its core, the LLM trains you to take a messy, technical problem and impose order on it. That is, in many ways, central to my work in pensions law. When a client query lands in my inbox, I approach it in a similar way to how I would approach a problem question as a postgraduate student. I start by breaking down the issue, establishing the facts, identifying what the client is trying to achieve and then identifying the legal risk, before attempting to reach a conclusion.
From there, it’s the same disciplined method I developed at Birmingham: research, structure and clarity. In practice, that means reviewing the pension scheme’s governing documentation, understanding what the scheme actually says and then overlaying the relevant legal framework. Depending on the issue, that may involve analysing Pensions Ombudsman decisions or cross-referencing guidance from the Pensions Regulator. Helpfully, I still rely on the same core legal research resources, such as Lexis and Westlaw, that I used throughout the LLM.
However, the most important skill Birmingham taught me is communication. Pensions law often gives you a legal answer that is technically correct, but not useful. Clients do not want a detailed, footnoted explanation of why something is complicated. They want a solution. This means turning dense legal analysis into a clear yes-or-no answer where possible. It also means explaining risks in plain English and setting out practical next steps: what can be done, what should be avoided and how to move forward.
Finally, postgraduate study instilled a level of independence and self-confidence that has been invaluable in practice. Managing your own workload, juggling competing deadlines and taking responsibility for the quality of your work builds confidence. This is something I've carried into practice.
What careers support did you get while you were at Birmingham and how did it help you?
The careers support at Birmingham was both practical and realistic. Rather than simply pointing towards vacancies, there was a strong emphasis on helping you understand how recruitment works and what firms are actually looking for at each stage of the process.
In particular, the support offered through the Law School’s careers and employability arm, CEPLER, was excellent. Being able to meet firms face-to-face and hear directly from the people doing the job gave me a level of insight that isn’t available from law firm websites. You begin to understand the texture of a firm. This includes things like how teams work, what trainees actually do and what a firm really means when it talks about culture or client focus.
Crucially, those interactions gave me practical details and “factoids” that I could weave into applications and interviews. As a result, my answers were specific and informed rather than generic and vague. Looking back, that insight made a tangible difference in helping me stand out during the application process.
What do you wish you’d known before starting your Masters degree?
I wish I’d known how transformative the LLM could be. It isn’t something you need to rush through with one eye on the finish line.
It’s easy to feel pressure when you see undergraduates securing training contracts or “moving faster”. That comparison can create doubts and the quiet question, “will I ever make it?” What I now realise is that the LLM isn’t about speed; it’s about depth. You’re not behind. You’re building expertise, confidence and perspective, all of which help later.
I also wish I’d known that it’s completely normal not to have a fixed plan at the start. The LLM is about self-discovery as much as legal knowledge. If you focus on doing the work well, engaging with the course and trusting your ability, the next steps tend to reveal themselves. They often appear in ways you couldn’t have planned, but which turn out to be exactly right.
