Second year Law student, Ella Quashie, was recently nominated for TargetJobs' 'Future Lawyer Undergraduate of the Year 2022'. We caught up with Ella to ask how it feels to be nominated and what inspired her to study Law. Read the full interview on the student intranet.
1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you study at Royal Holloway?
My name is Ella, I am 20 years old and I am currently a second-year Law Student at Royal Holloway University.
2. You were recently nominated for TargetJobs’ Future Lawyer Undergraduate of the Year 2022 – congratulations! How does it feel to be nominated?
Thank you! It felt very surreal to be nominated for the award as I never thought that I would make the final ten. I applied very close to the deadline as I was really hesitant about applying, but in the end, I thought what is the worse that could happen and I didn't want to regret not applying at all. In the end, I am so glad that I did apply, as it was an opportunity that doesn't come around very often. The awards were held in Canary Wharf and the whole day was a great opportunity to see the firm Clyde and Co as well as, network with other uni students from around the Uk. Overall, I am so glad that I put myself out of my comfort zone and applied for the awards.
3. Can you explain the process of applying for the awards?
The first stage included writing answers to five different questions, two examples were why I wanted to apply to Clyde and Co and why I wanted to get into commercial law. Plus, two different psychometric tests. After that, there was a waiting period of a month where the partners of the firm would read through each of the applicants to decide who would go through to the final stage.
I was then informed that I had to answer two more questions, before being told the news that I had made it through to the final ten. After that, for the winner to be decided there was a virtual interview with a partner in the firm, which lasted about an hour.
4. What do you enjoy most about studying Law?
I really enjoy the variety of topics that we get to study, for example, this year I have really loved Family Law and Tort law, they have been two very interesting topics and I have really enjoyed learning about them this year. Furthermore, I really enjoy seeing how the law applies to everyday cases, for example learning about all of the different cases and judgements, it is incredibly fascinating to learn about, as you can see how the law plays a massive part in regulating our society. As well as, being able to apply the law yourself to different problem questions.
5. How do you like to spend your free time outside of your studies?
Outside of studying I really enjoy running, it is something that I have done since I was younger and it is a good way to take a break from studying.