How the School of Law helped me develop my employability connections and skills

When I was at college, and applying for university, I struggled to picture what I wanted to do in the future; I wanted to study something that I would enjoy but also allow me to keep as many doors open with regards to career pathways. I thankfully got accepted onto the University of Sheffield’s Discover Law Programme that showed me how Law is the course that can help me achieve all of that! There is so much breadth to the subject of Law, meaning there is something for everyone’s interests. And with Sheffield’s School of Law in particular, I have really enjoyed having the freedom to be able to choose what modules I would like to pursue, as this has helped me explore different areas of interest, which in turn has helped me have a clearer picture as to which career areas I would like to go into. 

There is a genuine passion for providing students with a wide variety of employability opportunities.

Katie Shuttleworth

LLB Law (with a year abroad) student

I really enjoy having our own School of Law building. Everything you need is all under one roof. I like that after I have attended a tutorial, or met up with a lecturer for feedback, I can head down to the Bartolome Café to grab a drink and a snack and use the study spaces in the basement to get some reading done or meet with peers to do some group work. I often also see careers, employability or wellbeing events advertised on the notice boards around the School of Law. Plus, these events (and more) get emailed to you in a newsletter weekly. It feels like there is a genuine passion for providing students with a wide variety of employability opportunities. Through these events I have been able to network with prospective employers and build up skills and tips on how to be successful during interviews and assessments. The School is always developing new external partnerships with organisations to facilitate our connections with employers.

During my time at the School of Law, I have been involved in a variety of things that have helped to enhance my CV and allowed me to gain skills that I can take into the working world. I have been part of the law societies here at the School of Law, which has led me to getting involved in mooting. This helped me build my confidence with public speaking and also helped me better understand how to read case law and judgements, which had a direct positive impact on helping me better understand the cases I was reading in my modules. I later became Activities Secretary for the Bar Society (now the Edward Bramley Law Society’s Bar Division), where I ran the School of Law’s mooting competitions. From this, we won the ‘Best Mooting Activities’ award at the 2020 LawCareers. Net Student Society Awards, which really does showcase how impactful and beneficial the student societies are here at Sheffield. Overall, I am grateful for the evolving opportunities that I have experienced thanks to everything that has been on offer at the School of Law.

I have thoroughly enjoyed living and studying in Sheffield. Since starting here in 2018, it has been wonderful to see how the city is continuously growing, with new entertainment and amenities opening every year. It is a beautiful city; I love how you get to experience both the bustling and fast-paced environment of the city centre, but then you can also enjoy the calmness and peacefulness of the lovely green spaces around the city. My favourites are the Botanical Gardens and Endcliffe Park. Sheffield is a place I could definitely see myself relocating to post-university.