The coronavirus pandemic has radically reshaped the education system, and online learning has become easier and more practical than ever. Workplaces are changing too. There’s more hybrid capability. Talks and meetings are increasingly taking place online because firms now have the tools to do more things remotely. Some City law practices are even moving beyond office-based working and making the shift to fully flexible and remote models. If there was ever a time to gain qualifications remotely, now’s the moment to do it.
At The University of Law (ULaw), legal and business courses can be part-time or full-time and are available to start throughout the year. With its virtual learning platform, you get 24/7 access to course materials, you can set your own deadlines and there are live sessions as well as pre-recorded lectures at its dedicated campus ULaw Online.
For Victoria Birch, the idea of being fully in control of her studies was the deciding factor. “My mum was a lawyer and it’s always been nagging at the back of my head, but it wasn’t until I realised I was able to do the PGDL at ULaw fully at my own pace that I finally committed. It’s given me the opportunity to go in the direction I’ve always wanted to go in.”
With legal life increasingly shifting to hybrid working, getting in the habit of working remotely is more important than ever. Despite much of the legal world heading back to normal, some working habits may well have changed for good. Many people want to stay at home to save commuting time and costs, so office workers are now much more communicative about what works for them.
At ULaw there is always help on hand for those studying from home. Whether you’re full-time or part-time, expert tutors are available to help prepare you for topics, improve your knowledge and consolidate your understanding. You will also have a designated personal tutor to support you throughout your studies.
In terms of wellbeing and emotional support, there are a wide range of services available that all students can access over the phone or via Microsoft Teams. If you have money problems, mental health issues or feel you may need to be referred to the counselling service, it is easier than ever and can be anonymous if preferred. Students can make contact with the digital mental health service via WhatsApp, live chat or by requesting a call back. There is also peer support available, self-help programmes and a specially designed app, BeWell, that focuses on wellbeing and mindfulness techniques.
Although it’s not always easy to network or make friends on a video call, ULaw works hard to put students in front of the right people at the right time. Students have the chance to work with business professionals and get dedicated one-to-one mentorship from some of ULaw’s highly experienced and professional alumni working at leading brands such as Google, Channel 4 and Aviva.
A previous mentee, legal practice course (LPC) student Will Headlam-Wells, described the experience as “priceless”. Matched with Channel 4 lawyer Amelia Wilson, he says having a mentor gave him invaluable insight from a practising solicitor in his area of interest, which helped him on the way to qualifying. “She helped me fine-tune my career planning, introduced me to people, identified areas for improvement and gave me encouragement and confidence to achieve these goals.”
Alumna Bethany Thompson, who studied the combined LPC and master’s in law and business management, had a similar experience. After struggling to get past the application stage of interviews, Thompson joined the ULaw mentoring scheme. She says it definitely boosted her chances. “I had been struggling for three years to get a foot in the door at an assessment centre, let alone coming close to securing a vacation scheme or training contract. I felt frustrated that I had a first-class law degree at a good university and various legal work experience and volunteering but kept falling at the application process stage.”
She found firms were too busy to provide feedback on how she could improve for future applications, which left her feeling stuck in a revolving door of rejections without knowing where she was going wrong. Signing up to the mentoring scheme changed this and she got the feedback and support she needed. Now an associate solicitor herself, she says the scheme was invaluable in helping her reach her goal. “I also ended up meeting someone that I get on with in both a personal and professional capacity.”
Not only is studying online at ULaw a convenient way of gaining the qualifications needed to be a lawyer or work in the City, it’s an opportunity to get the most out of your studies without the unnecessary distractions of commuting. You can still make connections and get support, but studying is on your terms at times that suit you. Birch says she hasn’t looked back. “I’m really, really pleased.”
To find out more about University of Law and the courses on offer, visit the website or go to an open day.
