Ms Fiona Hill

In my first year, having not studied Law before, I was quiet in seminars and felt as though other students who had previously studied Law knew more than I did and so I implemented the 'sit and listen approach.' Looking back this was silly but tutors really brought me out of my shell and over the four years my confidence in my capabilities increased. The more practical the course became the more I excelled and I really looked forward to spending my final year in the Student Law Office.

During my year in the SLO I was placed in the Civil Litigation team working alongside five other students that I had not previously known or spent time with. We immediately clicked as a team and I knew that the year ahead would be memorable. I had three very different cases during my time in the Student Law Office and I enjoyed researching all the different areas of Law and advising my clients. Interacting with clients and making a difference to their legal matters, when often being their last point of call, was something that gave me great satisfaction.

Following graduation, which was without doubt my greatest achievement to date, (fitting my large forehead into the graduation hat is no easy task), I took time to enjoy my summer and think about my future. Having signed up to the University email to receive notifications about potential Law opportunities and vacancies I received an email that stood out to me. It was from a previous Northumbria MLaw student who was thoroughly enjoying her time at a Sacco Mann, a Legal Recruitment firm in Leeds. Having spent four years in Newcastle it was time for me to conquer another northern city and so I applied for the position.

Following several interviews I was informed I had been successful and would be joining the Sacco Mann family. To my surprise, I later found out I was joining alongside a fellow MLaw graduate, the phrase "it’s a small world" springs to mind. Combining my Law degree and the many transferable skills developed throughout my time on the MLaw exempting route, working within Legal Recruitment at Sacco Mann has been the perfect fit for me.

The four years I spent at Northumbria University were easily to date the best four years of my life. I met some incredible people, made lifelong friends and shared with them some incredible memories that will stay with me for a life time.

Northumbria University was awarded a prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for the exceptional work of its Student Law Office.

The prize is the highest form of national recognition open to a UK academic or vocational institution, and is awarded in recognition of work judged to be of outstanding excellence and with positive impact.

The honour was bestowed on Northumbria University last year for having: “A university law clinic making a distinctive contribution to the needs of the local community and to legal education.”