It is a great honour to be this year’s President of the UBLC which was officially recognised by the Law Society as one of the very best in the country in 2014/15. This academic year, thanks to alumni assistance, we are very pleased that Lord Toulson has agreed to be our UBLC Patron and give a lecture to the Law School. 

It has also been a great honour to be in a position to deepen further the very strong relationship between the UBLC, the Law School and the alumni community.  Over the past year, as a student and member of the Law Club, I can confirm that support from past graduates has made a tangible difference to law students’ lives. We now have a representative on the UBLC committee dedicated to strengthening our relationship with alumni. We have many ideas and we are committed to seeing them come to fruition.

For all students it is critical to graduate from the Law School with the skills that employers are looking for. Gaining access to alumni that have stood in our shoes and gone on to achieve in their careers (in law or outside law) for real time guidance is immeasurably important. We are immensely grateful to the time and dedication that you the alumni give so enthusiastically.

How Alumni has supported UBLC

• Skilling up: Throughout the year the UBLC puts on workshops with the help of alumni to build skills and provide advice to students – the most recent was a mooting masterclass.
• Mentoring: Our mentoring programme created by alumnus and academic Dr Ardy Ardavan connects twenty top performing first year students with a mentor to help career development, advice and study tips. The alumni plays a major role in supporting this initiative.
• Judging: Many alumni support us as judges and with training for the annual UBLC / Herbert Smith Freehills Mooting Competition, an annual Intervarsity competition and various other debating events.
• Networking: Alumni are key in putting on networking events for students. These have included law firm presentation evenings, dinners and sporting events, such as the bi-annual cricket match against alumni which is always a fantastic occasion. The year classes of 2014 and 2015 are planning with the UBLC a reunion dinner in Bristol next summer (date to be announced)