Shreya R

My Law Firm

Profile:

I am due to start my training contract at Simmons & Simmons in September 2026, an offer which I received after completing their summer vacation scheme. I am currently in the final year of my biochemistry degree from the University of Oxford and will start the PGDL in September 2024, and the SQE in September 2025.

When I started studying biochemistry at university, I wasn’t sure that it was the right fit for a career in law. However, after attending many career fairs, I realised that that a career in law is open to undergraduates pursing a diverse range of degrees, and that my degree equipped me with many transferable skills essential for a legal career. In my second year of university, I attended some workshops at several commercial law firms, which confirmed my interest in becoming a solicitor. In my penultimate year of university, I applied for the summer vacation scheme at Simmons & Simmons, which initially appealed to me because their core business sector in Healthcare and Life Sciences complemented my scientific background. However, after working in the intellectual property team and in one of the finance teams, I realised that there are many areas of law that interest me. The vacation scheme was an amazing opportunity to take on some of the day-to-day tasks of a trainee solicitor and learn more about the training contract, and I am looking forward joining the firm in a few years.

Starting a legal career as an ethnic minority from a non-law background may feel overwhelming, but I have found the experience immensely rewarding, and I would love to share my insights with aspiring solicitors.

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