A couple of graduates share legal internship at UWL

A couple are standing on a boat with a view of a city skyline behind them. They are both wearing white and both have dark hair.

A couple of graduates share legal internship at UWL

Luana Medalha and Maciej Scislowski studied Law at UWL’s School of Law, graduating in 2021. Together, they are now working on research projects for their former lecturers, as part of UWL’s graduate internship scheme.

15 December 2022

The scheme began in 2016 to help new graduates build on their skills and strengthen their employability as they look to enter the world of work. There have 190 interns to date, with 25 still working at UWL.

Law students holding a mock trial in UWL's mock court room

For Luana and Maciej, who met and married while at UWL, this is an opportunity to work together, build on their research skills and learn more about how the School of Law works.

We met in our first year when I organised revision sessions and he would come along,” Luana recalls. “We got married in November 2019 on the anniversary of our first meeting.”

They work well together, she adds:

We are good at dividing up our workload, and we understand each other’s perspective.”

The UWL law course offers placement opportunities for students

Everyone in the department is supportive and the scheme gives us flexibility and insight into a range of areas,” Maciej says. “It allows us to do other things while looking to take the next step in our careers.”

Luana hopes to become a barrister and while looking for a pupillage, she is supporting a local group that provides free legal support for people on low incomes. Maciej, who wants to become a solicitor, is looking to work as a paralegal, to practical experience.

The internship involved a research assignment looking at the changes to law degrees being made by universities in response to the introduction of the Solicitors Qualification Examination (SQE).

Luana and Maciej have done a great job researching areas that we would not normally have time to look into so closely,” said Philip Ells, Head of the School of Law. “They are part of our team meetings and I’m sure now have a new perspective on how the department works and the administration that underpins a busy Law school. I am confident that this experience will help them in their future careers.”