Work Experience for Law Students
Introducing Clinical Legal Education at Buckingham
Buckingham Law School recognises the importance of enhancing student’s professional development opportunities to complement the academic learning process. Practical Legal Education has been shown to improve a student’s grades across all modules. It puts what you are learning into context.
Benefits of work experience for Law students
Some ways in which students have benefitted from the clinical legal education service include:
- Discovering legal qualification pathways: A career at the Bar or qualifying as a solicitor.
- Exploring legal practice areas: private practice / corporate legal services.
- Gaining an understanding of contentious and non-contentious work practices.
- Considering career pathways outside of traditional legal practice in governance/project management.
- Developing soft skills including organisation, communication and teamwork.
- Enhancing professional skills such as interviewing, personal statement & CV planning tailored to the legal sector.
- Connecting with the legal and commercial sectors.
Projects and schemes
We offer a range of projects and modules through the dedicated Clinical Legal Education service, including:
Street Legal, open to all law students, offers placement opportunities with law firms, barrister chambers and judicial shadowing at court.
The Citizens Advice Clinic module is a partnership between the University of Buckingham Law School and Citizens Advice, Milton Keynes, CA MK.
Get the opportunity to network with legal practitioners and professionals from the UK and international corporate world.
The LLB Sandwich Work Placement Programme provides students with a direct experience of law in practice.
Mock trials
Law students from across the Foundation, full-time LLB, part-time LLB, and LLM programmes are eligible to participate in our Mock Trial events.
Clinical Legal Education Manager, Julie O’Shea coordinates the event, leading a series of preparatory workshops and practice run throughs with Dr Jessica Walsh and the student team.
Find out about Buckingham Law School’s inaugural mock trial.
Support
What support is provided for Clinical Legal Projects?
These schemes provide really valuable experience opportunities and are managed by a dedicated Clinical Legal Education Manager, Julie O’Shea. Qualifying as a solicitor in 1993, Julie practiced for a number of years with regional law firms in commercial litigation and insolvency law before joining the Law School.
Julie has the practice expertise to help you develop vital skills; guiding you in taking that all-important next step in your chosen career pathway.
The Clinical Legal Education service includes professional and academic leads for each scheme:
Clinical Legal Education Manager: Julie O’Shea
Street Legal Director: Dr James Slater
Citizens Advice Clinic Director: Dr Jocelynne Scutt
Legal Skills & Mooting Coach: Dr Jessica Walsh
The Clinical Legal Education service will help you to develop professional skills; building essential practical legal skills, commercial awareness, together with communication and teamwork skills to enhance employability prospects and post-graduate opportunities.
Workshops
What can I expect from attending a Clinical Legal Workshop?
The Law School offers a range of informal extra curricular workshops each term. You will hear from a variety of guest speakers including alumni, practitioners from the legal, commercial and volunteering sectors.
Examples of clinical legal workshops include:
International Legal Experiences Guest Speaker Workshops
- The Influence of AI within the Commercial Sector: Murdoch Thomson, LLB/LLM Alumnus
- Holistic Client Engagement: Professor Aliza Organick, University of New Mexico
- Working as a Lawyer in Toronto: Alexander Katznelson, Corporate Partner, Cozens & Co.
- Practising at the Nigerian Bar: Nkechi Ugwu
Legal Qualification Workshops
- SQE Graduate Insights: Maria Faisal, The University of Buckingham Part-Time LLB Alumna
- Trainee Solicitor Application Process: Shoosmiths LLP
- Securing a Training Contract: Kirill Khassine, The University of Buckingham Full-Time LLB Alumnus
- Building Up Resilience Skills for Legal Practice: Julie O’Shea
Careers at the Bar
- Family Law Practice & the Bar: Andrew Fox, Barrister & Partner, Jones Myers, The University of Buckingham LLB Alumnus
- What does it take to become a Barrister: Christopher Kessling, Vice Dean, ICCA
- Introduction to Government Legal Services: People Development Team
- Her Bar: Nasreen Shah, Great James Street Chambers, The University of Buckingham Full-Time LLB Alumna
Working in the Legal Services Sector
- Work of the Magistracy: Milton Keynes Magistrates Court
- SQE & US Bar Qualification Preparation Courses: BARBRI
- Public Law Focus: Chief Inspector Hadley, Thames Valley Police
- Virtual Work Experience Programme: Crown Prosecution Service
- Volunteering in the Criminal Justice Sector: Lucy Ball, CEO, New Bridge Foundation
- Rape & Injustice: Stephen Parker, Friends of the University Guest Speaker / Former Detective Superintendent, Scotland Yard
Law graduate destinations
Where can your Buckingham law degree take you?
Our talented law graduates have found a multitude of opportunities throughout the UK and various international destinations.
UK destinations
UK Government departments
- Crown Prosecution Service
- Home Office
The Bar
- 3 Paper Buildings
- 4-5 Grays Inn Square
- Northampton Chambers
- St James Street Chambers
Solicitor practices and law firms
- Ansons Solicitors
- Beale & Co Solicitors
- Dentons
- DWF Group
- Fieldfisher
- Freshfields
- Fullers Family Law
- Hawkins Family Law
- Herbert Smith Freehills
- Jones Myers Family Law Solicitors
- Laceys Solicitors LLP
- Linklaters LLP
- McDermott Will & Emery
- Moorcrofts LLP
- Osbournes Law
- Shepherd & Co
- Woodfines
Alternative opportunities
- Amadeus Capital Partners
- Anergi Group
- BNP Paribas
- Chartergate Legal Services Ltd
- Legal Services Board
- London Borough of Hounslow
- Oxford City Council
- Oxford Royale Academy
- Samsung
- Zendesk
International destinations
Canada
- Armel Corporation, Toronto, ON
- Cozen O’Connor LLP, Toronto, ON
- Dentons, Edmonton
- EY, Vancouver, BC
- Friedman Law Professional Corporation, Toronto, ON
- Harper Grey LLP, Vancouver, BC
- League INC, Toronto, ON
- Legacy Tax & Trust Lawyers, Vancouver, BC
- Moodys Tax, Edmonton
- Prisha Law Corporation, Toronto, ON
- Yanko & Popovic Barristers & Solicitors, Calgary, AB
New Zealand
- CyberCX, Auckland, New Zealand
US
- Kutak Rock, Omaha, Nebraska
Nigeria
- Banwo Ighodalo, Nigeria
- CardinalStone, Abjua, Nigeria
- Templars, Lagos, Nigeria
UAE
- Al Tamimi & Co, Dubai