As a student who is deciding which university they want to attend or even if they want to go to university, all the information that is thrown at you in open days can be daunting. As someone who works at the open days as a Student Ambassador. I see first-hand that SHU Law is something that students are drawn to. This is because the opportunities that it offers for students who choose to study Law at Sheffield Hallam University which will be discussed in this article.
The number one question that is asked time and time again in open days is ‘what do you do in SHU Law’. This is a wide question. There are four modules you can choose with SHU Law, one of which is New Enquiries.
This module offers students an opportunity to look at any new enquiries that come into the firm and assess whether they can take the case on. This is done with the knowledge that is taught to them at the first few weeks in the module. With this, students develop skills in creating documents such as Research Records, Memo’s, Attendance Notes, Letters both to the potential client and the opposing side. Even though this sounds very intimidating, it is something that you work through with your tutor you are allocated. You are given guidance from them in how to structure your document, you then would send it to be marked and receive feedback and then amend the document on that feedback from your tutor which leads me nicely onto my next point which is the tutors. All of this is done after solid training regarding the SRA Code of Conduct and confidentiality.
The tutors are solicitors who work at SHU Law and which solicitor you work with affects which part of law you will cover with them. For example, I had Ruth Dawson as a tutor for the majority of my module which means I covered Small Claim New Enquiries as her practising area is Small Claims. This then affected whether we could take on a case or not as one of the main reasons why a case cannot be taken on in small claims is if the compensation being claimed for is over £10,000. This is it explained in simpler terms and of course you will delve more in depth to the module and small claims if you fortunate to study it.
For the other parts of my module I had the tutors Sally Mallinson Ayres who covers criminal injury compensation claims and Laura Hannan who covers housing law. As you can imagine these areas are very different areas of law but be assured which ever tutor and therefore area you are allocated you will be given the most amount of support as they understand most students will be completely new to this and have no idea what to expect or put.
SHU Law is an incredible opportunity especially if you are wanting to go into the legal profession as you will already have some degree of work experience and you won’t be phased on your first day when you get a job at a law firm if they ask you to complete an attendance note for example. This is beneficial as it is difficult for law students to get worth while work experience where you are able to apply the skills you have learnt, as some work experiences will have students completing tasks which do not relate to your law degree or the job that you are hoping to get. However, SHU Law is also beneficial even if you do not want to go into the legal profession as it teaches you skills such as processing information and communication skills that can not only be used in whatever job you end up getting but also in your everyday life and it helps you grow as a person.
Overall, SHU Law is a unique opportunity which is distinct to Sheffield Hallam University’s Law course, no matter what profession you think you will go into, which is a big factor that you should consider when deciding what University you want to go to.
By Emily Ward – Second Year Law Student at Sheffield Hallam University