I graduated from Balliol in 2005 after studying History as an undergraduate.

Like many people in Oxford I didn’t give much thought to my career until I left university. I spent most of my final year concentrating on prepping for finals/making the most out my last few months at uni.

The idea of being a student for a couple more years really appealed, but I never saw myself as the kind of person who wanted a career in academia. Law was the perfect option for me, combining the intellectual rigour of a new discipline with the practical application of commercial considerations.

When I found out that it was possible to get sponsorship through the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) (the course that all non-law graduates need to take in order to become a lawyer, sometimes called the conversion course), and the Legal Practice Course (LPC) my mind was made up. Not only did my firm pay for all my law school fees for both the GDL and LPC years, but they also provided a sizeable maintenance grant to put towards rent and living costs during those years at law school.

It was enjoyable studying an entirely new discipline after three years of studying history as an undergraduate. Law is a great discipline to study due to its combination of academic rigour and real practical application. The hours were certainly longer at law school than at Oxford as an undergrad, but there was still plenty of free time to go out and enjoy yourself. It was fun to be a student for a couple of extra years, but the time at law school also served to make me very keen to put into practice what I’d been learning and finally start work. It was such a relief (after so long as a student) to get into the office and start solving practical problems on clients' behalf.

I attended BPP Law School in London (which was excellent) but there are good law schools all over the country so you shouldn’t feel that you have to go to one of the London Law Schools.

I decided that I wanted to work in a mid size firm as I never wanted to be part of a huge intake. I asked a few friends that had already started their training contracts and many of them said that trainees in mid size firms are given a lot more responsibility and client contact from an early stage. That has certainly been my experience since starting at Olswang in September 2007. It has been a steep learning curve, but has also be very satisfying.

I am just coming to the end of my first six month seat in the Banking Department and I can honestly say that I have had a thoroughly good time. The training contract is split into four six month seats and I may well have the opportunity to go out on a six month Employment Law secondment at IBM for my next seat.

If you think that you would be suited to the intellectual challenge that City law presents, along with the opportunity to work in a fast paced commercial environment with top quality blue chip clients, then I can recommend that you apply for a training contract in the City. You’ll also get to be a student for another year or two!

shah.neema@gmail.com