Olivia has just finished her first year at Birmingham University where she is studying for an LL.B in Law. She recently spent two weeks with Mooneerams on a work experience placement, albeit like the rest of us, she worked from home. We were delighted to have Olivia with us and hope that her time with us helped cement her desire to become a solicitor and who knows perhaps a personal injury solicitor!
My interest in considering law as a career, was sparked during my A levels, when I became a member of the Seren Network, a nation-wide network designed to support the most successful Welsh students to achieve their academic potential. This enabled me to attend sessions based on careers in law, held by qualified solicitors. I was able to listen to various law students who shared their experience of the subject at University level or as a career. After hearing these talks, I began to consider law as I became fascinated about what sounded to be a challenging yet rewarding career to pursue.
I subsequently attended an all-day law workshop at Cardiff University. This provided a greater insight into the world of law and the various career paths that it can lead to.
This workshop comprised various talks and activities, including delivering a short presentation to my peers. I enjoyed the experience of listening to other people’s ideas and communicating my own opinion which are fundamental aspects of being a successful lawyer. At this point, I also began to discover the wider link that the law shared with my choice of A level subjects. I realized just how much of an influence has had and still has on so many aspects of society. For example, whilst studying for my history A level, I discovered the impact that the law had on African Americans during the civil rights struggle and was impressed by the positive effects legislation had on the civil rights cause, most notably in the form of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
In order to confirm my career choice, I spent two weeks in Hugh James law firm in Cardiff to gain insight into the workings of the profession. This was an extremely informative two weeks which comprised of shadowing a solicitor in court, attending various meetings and drafting documents. I highly enjoyed the work involved in this placement which prompted me to apply for an LLB Law at the University of Birmingham
I am now about to embark on my second year of LLB Law. My first-year experience as a law student has further affirmed my career choice and I am now aspiring to become a solicitor. I made this decision after joining the Holdsworth Law Society which held numerous conferences on career paths, providing me with a deeper understanding of the compassion and dedication required to be a successful solicitor. These are qualities that I value strongly, and I would therefore like to pursue a career which entails them.
During the course of my first year, I took part in various modules which were both challenging and intellectually stimulating. Most notably, I was interested in the evolving nature of public law and its ability to change in accordance with political climates such as Brexit, and the scope of Human Rights. Moreover, the number of law modules available has raised my awareness of the diverse nature of law and the range of areas which can be specialised in. The skills which I obtain over the next two years can be applied, and have a positive impact, on the areas that I feel passionate about. Overall, it is a versatile career which promotes justice and one which I believe I could really thrive in.
Why I wanted to come to Mooneerams to gain experience
After my first year, I was keen to gain more experience within the legal profession and apply the skills I had acquired through the year to a real-life work experience. I subsequently decided to apply for work experience with Mooneerams personal injury solicitors firm in Cardiff. I wanted to secure this opportunity to obtain a deeper insight into the field of personal injury to assess whether it is a potential area of law I would like to specialise in. I wanted to gain a better understanding of what personal injury claims are all about and what the life of a trainee solicitor within this area, would be like.
I specifically applied to Mooneerams as, currently, they are the only purely claimant personal injury solicitors in Wales. Also, I believe Mooneerams is a firm that has a great reputation, with clients approaching them through word of mouth rather than having to pay for them. Therefore, it was a firm which I was eager to gain experience in. I was particularly impressed with the firms ‘No Win No Fee’ initiative which frees clients of the burden of having to pay legal fees if their claim is not successful, highlighting the firm’s remarkable dedication to achieve compensation for their clients. This dedication has clearly been recognised by the industry as Mooneerams have recently been announced as finalists in the Wales Legal 2020 Awards in the category of Personal Injury Team of the Year, and the firm has been rated with 5 stars by Solicitor.info, the solicitors firm, review website.
I was therefore extremely grateful to be accepted on a work placement with such a respected firm. Although I could not attend the office due to covid-19, the firm put together a virtual experience which has developed my research skills, provided me with a greater understanding of personal injury claims and, as a result, I am now considering specialising in personal injury.
Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed the invaluable experience of working alongside such a diligent team during my two-week placement and would like to thank everyone involved.
