Southampton Alumnus in UK Top 10 Law Graduates
Southampton law school graduate, Spencer Allen was shortlisted into the top 10 Law graduates in the UK, during the 2010 British Graduate 100 Awards Initiative which aimed to celebrate the skills and achievements of Britain’s most outstanding recent graduates and their universities.
With 10 different award categories, the Law category sponsored by Eversheds Law Firm, recognises outstanding individuals who have demonstrated academic excellence and who are tipped to be tomorrow's leading Law professionals.
Over 13,000 graduates and 70 universities nationwide entered this year's British Graduate 100 Awards; The top 10 in each category from all over the UK including Spencer Allen from Southampton Law School, were invited to the award ceremony in London Marriot Governor Square on September 15th, where James Caan from Dragon's Den was a key-note speaker.
Spencer emailed his Head of School, Professor Natalie Lee to say "This is fantastic news and I am proud to represent both myself and the University of Southampton. Many thanks for nominating me and I will endeavour to represent Southampton in the best light possible".
My Journey...So Far
"Initially, I choose to study law because of the way in which it interacts with external modalities and can act as a catalyst for changing norms within society. It is this inextricable link with society that students and practitioners alike experience which formed the very foundation of my passion; to this end, it is a passion which is continually growing with my masters study at UCL and thereafter when practicing in a leading London law firm.
Southampton Law School as an institution has been nothing short of stimulating. I owe my sincere gratitude to many of the law school staff for devoting their time and interest in my individual journey while on the LLB course. I would like to thank Dr Caroline Jones for her continued interest and support over the last three years with particular reference to my dissertation which falls in one of her specialist fields. The lecturers at Southampton deliver enthusiastic tutorials and encourage dynamic views in class; this is something which I truly valued during my LLB and I think transpired into the ability to critically discuss recent legal developments.
My advice to all prospective students is to make the most of every opportunity given. It is, of course, extremely important you work hard and complete all the required reading for each class; but, this alone will not make you directly employable. I gained a lot of confidence and transferable skills in my role as Law Representative, which put me at the forefront of the law school and student-staff liaison. Second to this, I was the University Research Manager in my final year in affiliation with ‘The Times'. Both roles demonstrated my commitment to the University of Southampton and time-organisational abilities which proved invaluable when applying for training contracts since they demonstrated many of the skills the law firms were looking for. Also, it is important to network and you have the opportunity to do this at Southampton's Law Fair. Be warned: do your preparation and dress smart! Turning up and knowing recent deals, what the law firm specialise in and more importantly why you want to work for them will be the difference between picking up a contact number and leaving empty handed. I actually secured two vacation schemes off the back of the law fair. It is a fantastic event put on especially for you, so make sure you attend.
In the summer of 2010 I was offered a training contract in London and am looking forward to starting in 2012. I feel I have reached a milestone in my career as I have achieved my First Class LLB (Hons) together with the Winston Churchill Prize for Best Academic Performance on the course and have been fortunate enough to land my dream job during this time of economic instability. This is, however, only the start of the journey and I hope to build upon my academic success thus far. Life is full of opportunities and challenges and I believe success is measured as to how much you make of them. I have come away from Southampton feeling proud and part of a community that I know wish me all the success in the world and I plan to keep a close affiliation with the law school in the future".
Written by Spencer Allen, September 2010.