Jade James
Jade James

Future You: Memories of final year

Intro

Your final year at university can be an emotional time. There’s lots of work to be done, there’s your future to think about, and there’s also making sure you enjoy everything UWL has to offer before you leave.  

We asked Jade James, recent 2021 graduate from the School of Law, to share her thoughts on these exciting last months and give you some sense of what the future holds.

Main body

What was your final year at UWL like?

I completed a Master of Laws (LLM) in Legal Practice (LPC) at the University of West London and graduated in 2021.  As I undertook a combined course, my final year at UWL was quite intense in relation to workload.

However, I am grateful for this experience as I enjoyed my course which allowed me to learn a lot about my chosen field and acquire essential transferrable skills for the workplace such as the ability to multi-task and manage my time effectively.

I am also grateful for the support of my professors during my time at UWL, as they were very approachable and it is clear that they genuinely care about their students.  This made the process easier for me as I always felt as though I was able to ask for help when I needed guidance.

How did it feel to finally complete your degree?

I felt incredibly accomplished when I finally completed my degree.  I enjoyed the journey and along the way, I was able to learn more about myself as a person in addition to my chosen field of interest.

School of Law

Our School of Law offers a distinctive focus on law in action, delivering courses to prepare you for a successful career in the field.

A smiling lawyer outside a courtroom
Law students holding a mock trial in UWL's mock court room

What have you been doing since?

Since graduating from UWL in 2021, I have worked within a variety of different legal areas to obtain work experience and build on my transferrable skills.  I have undertaken numerous legal internships, worked as a litigation paralegal at a commercial law firm and worked as a contracts manager for a media and entertainment company.  

I am currently volunteering as a caseworker at a legal charity, and I am also working as a monitoring and evaluation officer for the organisation's hate crime project which aims to support victims of hate crimes within Ealing and neighbouring boroughs.   

I am passionate about using my law degrees to make a positive impact on the lives of individuals and society as a whole.  I aspire to become an energy and infrastructure finance lawyer and work on cross-border projects such as the construction of safe roads, buildings which run on clean energy and desalination plants to ensure a clean water supply for individuals in the Caribbean region and other third world countries.

Three students smiling, working and discussing work with laptops open.

What is your advice for getting through final year?

My advice for getting through the final year would be to try and book regular appointments to meet with your lecturers.  This will allow you to discuss any queries that you may have about the assigned work, to obtain feedback about your performance and progress in their classes and to obtain guidance on how you can keep improving.

Find out more

Related news