LLB (Hons) Law, 2012

Legal Associate at SwiftCheck Consulting Limited in Kenya and Legal Consultant at Victoria Law Firm in Seychelles

What did you enjoy most during your course?

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my undergraduate law degree at the University of Bedfordshire was studying alongside students from across the globe. A third of the students were home students while the rest were a mixture of nationalities from the Commonwealth and Europe. I was exposed to different cultures and gained legal knowledge from the different legal backgrounds of other students. Additionally, the small size of the seminar groups meant I received substantial mentorship from my lecturers.

What were the most important skills you developed during your course and how did these help you in your career?

I was able to gain an internationally recognised law degree, add to my intercultural competencies and build strong professional networks, all of which have played a big role in shaping my legal career to date.

Did you participate in any extra-curricular activities during your studies at Bedfordshire?

I participated in mooting competitions and took part in pro-bono legal work at the local Law Centre in Luton.

Why did you choose the University of Bedfordshire?

I was in search of a good university with a faculty dedicated to teaching, research and offering an international-student friendly environment; the University of Bedfordshire met all these criteria.

What is a typical day at work?

A typical day starts at 8am, first by reading my emails and writing a to-do list for the day, in order of priority. If I am in the Seychelles, I start work considerably earlier - at around 6.45am - by going through the cause list of cases and attending court for either preliminary hearings or actual hearings. I am attached to the Commercial/Corporate department and only undertake civil cases.

After that, I spend the rest of the day researching, drafting and/or consulting with clients. This takes anything between six to seven hours and, on some occasions, I take work home. The workload tends to ease up during court leave but otherwise most days are quite hectic for junior lawyers like myself. I try keeping fit through gym workouts during my lunch break at around 2pm or at the end of the day. I find the gym helps in eliminating stress and maintaining my mental health.

What would be your advice to students starting their course now?

There are no shortcuts to success; you must put in the hard work and strive for excellence! It pays off in the end. It truly does (this is not a cliché!).

What are your future career plans?

Currently, I intend to undertake an LLM in Law and Intellectual Property in Germany. It is my objective to provide the smartest of solutions to the most critical legal issues faced by businesses and, in turn, to establish myself as an expert in the field of intellectual property law.