Alumni

Amy Cope

Career Path: Legal Director at Hill Dickinson
Location: Newcastle

I started my legal career as a trainee solicitor with Eversheds (now Eversheds Sutherland) in Newcastle. After completing a seat in the shipping team, I knew I wanted to specialise in shipping law. I qualified into that team and have worked as a shipping lawyer ever since.

What are you doing now?

I am now a Legal Director at Hill Dickinson. I advise clients on a wide range of contentious shipping matters, including disputes arising out of charterparties, bills of lading, ship building contracts and contracts of affreightment. I act for a variety of clients including shipowners, charterers, cargo owners and P&I Clubs. Hill Dickinson is a leading commercial law firm that’s about much more than the law. We are focussed upon working with our clients to be an extension of their teams. At the time of writing, we have offices in Birmingham, Hong Kong, Leeds, Limassol, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Monaco, Newcastle, Piraeus and Singapore. Our office locations mean that we have specialist lawyers who are ready and able to assist our clients in all the key shipping hubs.

What was it about Northumbria that made you decide to study here?

Northumbria was renowned for its state of the art Law School, facilities and research. I visited the Law School and I felt at home and knew I wanted to study there.

What was it like studying at Northumbria?

I really enjoyed studying at Northumbria the use of technology was impressive and most lecture slides and notes were available online (which was ahead of the curve at the time). The course was a mixture of lectures and seminars. The course was assessed by exams and practical exercises, such as writing a letter to an elderly client regarding their will or advocacy at a hearing (and for which the university had its own court room which made the experience as close as it could possibly be to the real thing).

How connected was your course with industry?

Many of the lecturers were past (or current) practitioners and were well connected to both local and national law firms. This is perhaps best demonstrated by the number of law firm representatives at the university’s career fairs.

What was the best thing about your course?

The best thing about my course was the lecturers. They were extremely knowledgable and engaging. Many of the lecturers had practiced law and so were able to give real insight into how things worked in practice.

How did studying at Northumbria help you achieve your career goals/ give your career an edge?

The LPC at Northumbria focussed upon the skills I needed to put my law degree into practice. It prepared me for my training contract and the tasks, such as legal research, that I would be asked to carry out as a trainee solicitor.

Which skills/knowledge did you learn on your course that you use most now throughout your career?

I have used the skills and knowledge gained on my course throughout my career and on most days, whether that be client interviewing skills or drafting a Civil Procedure Rules Part 36 offer of settlement. The course set me up for life as a lawyer from day one as a trainee and beyond.