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Jaime-Louise Penaluna

LLB (Hons) Law

Law student Jaime-Louise

The part of being an Edge Hill Law student that has surprised me is the amount of opportunities there are to get hands-on experience.

My whole family are big football fans and it has always been a part of my life while growing up. When you support a football club like Accrington Stanley FC, and you study Law, you can’t help but be drawn toward Sports Law. It was this association with football that made me want to study Law, as there are so many legal implications associated with being a struggling team.

I have found there is much more to the degree than you would think. It has made me aware of a lot of niche areas within Law that I could go into when I graduate, there’s so much out there to discover.

Standing up in the mooting room for the first time is scary. It’s so realistic, right down to the intimidating echo and the wig and gown the judge is wearing. But I’m so glad we were challenged to do it from the first year because you get over your fear early on. The part of being an Edge Hill Law student that has surprised me is the amount of opportunities there are to get hands-on experience.

I’ve gained a lot from working in the Department’s Law Clinic. This is a service run by Law practitioners on campus, supported by Law students on the optional Law Clinic module, that provides pro bono legal advice to students, staff and the public. It’s a great way to get practical experience of working with real clients while being supervised by a professional.

The Department also puts on a lot of events to give students the opportunity to meet practitioners. These are great for finding out about different careers related to Law, Criminology and Policing. We’ve had question and answer panels, employer presentations, guest lectures and careers fairs. The alumni events are particularly good because you can see the achievements of people who were once in your position. If they can do it, you feel like you can too.

These kinds of opportunities can lead to achieve anything you put your mind to. You just need to get yourself out there, talk to people and get involved. Keep looking and you’ll be spoilt for choice.