Law with Business LLB(Hons): After you graduate

"I studied at Kingston between 2000 and 2003 and read LLB Law with Business. Since the age of 15, I had always wanted to be a lawyer so a law degree was always on the cards.

"At the time I was reviewing stacks of undergraduate prospectuses, I was particularly interested in the LLB with Business course at Kingston, which very few universities were offering. There were a number of BA Business with Law degrees on offer, but for me it was important that the degree was a qualifying law degree (an LLB). This particular degree, together with Kingston's location (being close to London and less than an hour's drive away from home) helped me to make my decision. I participated in lots of extracurricular activities during my time at university, including mooting competitions, negotiation competitions, legal advice clinics and being appointed as course representative.

"Mark Saunders (one of the senior law lecturers) was (and still is) an absolute legend. He organised numerous internal competitions and gave us invaluable support with our entries into external competitions such as the Essex Court Chambers Mooting Competition and the National Negotiation Competition. All these experiences were like magic gold dust with which I could sprinkle my CV. Being at a university that supported not only the academic aspects of my degree but also gave me every opportunity to increase my career prospects and improve my employability after graduating really stood me in good stead. A recruitment agent once said to me: "You've got good GCSE and A level grades, why did you go to Kingston?" Kingston may not be a redbrick university, but in my experience, the Law School has a lot to offer and my advice would be to take up as many of the extra-curricular opportunities as possible.

"I managed to secure a training contract and am now working as an associate solicitor in the corporate department of a boutique commercial law firm. In addition to the law modules, studying the business modules including economics, financial risk and marketing provided me with a strong commercial grounding and business acumen. This, coupled with making the most of the support and activities that were available at Kingston (as well as some hard work for good measure), have definitely helped me to launch a successful career."