2025

Please provide us with more details of your achievements, scholarships, positions of responsibility, insight schemes, open days and virtual work experience opportunities, extra-curricular activities and everything else that interests you. (2000 characters)

An activity I partake in at university is board games society, for which I am a sub-committee member. This pastime allows me to unwind during the week, and I also manage different games going on at once to ensure everyone feels included. 

A position I currently hold is President of my university’s Commercial Awareness Society, so I arrange weekly newsletters discussing relevant news stories from a commercial perspective. Part of my role as President also involves managing a sub-committee of around 15 editors that help contribute to weekly publications.

Another committee role I hold is Officer for my university’s Law Society. This role involves liaising with a number of the law firms that sponsor us in order to fulfil contractual obligations with them - this usually involves advertising obligations, but occasionally involves setting up events on campus or at another venue. 

With this knowledge, I decided to take part in Aspiring Solicitors’ Commercial Awareness Competition this year, making it to a semi-final stage at Mayer Brown’s office. Only the top 5% of 2,000 initial competitors make it to this stage. 

Similarly, I made it to the top 50 of thousands of candidates when taking part in Bright Network’s virtual internship in commercial law over the summer. This is, in part, because I was a part of the event’s Student Leadership Board, which meant taking people’s questions on the event and commercial law more generally. 

An achievement I am particularly proud of is having secured a scholarship from TheCorporateLawAcademy. There are only 50 spots and 300 applications were made, so having this sort of support for my journey into commercial law is a privilege that I am grateful to have obtained.

Additionally, I have completed a commercial moot with Baker McKenzie this year. The moot concerned a case of misrepresentation, and I am one of the few that was selected to participate at my university. This experience has taught me to form a bundle and perform oral advocacy.

Describe the personal event or experience that, more than anything else, made you realise your desire to work in a law firm and specifically at Fieldfisher. (800 characters)

ACCESS was a scheme run by Clifford Chance to help disadvantaged sixth formers break into commercial law. An application made in curiosity gave me the chance to argue before a part-time judge, and present an elevator pitch before three partners. These experiences were wholly unique to me at the time given the background I was from, and ignited my desire to work in a law firm. 

What made me realise I want to work at Fieldfisher is my current study of Intellectual Property law at university. I see the value in pursuing more niche practice to get engaged in more under-explored and thus cutting edge work. So Fieldfisher’s Band 1 ranking in Clinical Negligence, and offering of services like Immigration and IP, sets the firm out from city competitors that have neglected these niches to me.

Describe the personal life experiences that have given you the unique perspective you would bring as an insight scheme participant at Fieldfisher, and how this perspective will support your success. (800 characters)

During year 12 I took part in a project with BP and the Engineering Development Trust called GO4SET. This was a 10-week project over the course of which I was tasked with working with some fellow students to identify an instance in which robotics could be implemented at schools. My group and I designed and modelled a chair-stacking robot. 

The Diversity Access Scheme will give me real-life insight into trainee-level work. Whilst more proficient in the humanities, my participation in GO4SET demonstrates my willingness to go outside my comfort zone and disciplines that are familiar. I will apply this same perspective to learning during the scheme, and I imagine a full-service law firm like Fieldfisher will appreciate this generalist and open-minded approach to learning.

2024

Please provide us with more details of your achievements, scholarships, positions of responsibility, insight schemes, open days and virtual work experience opportunities, extra-curricular activities and everything else that interests you (2000 characters)

A position of responsibility I possessed at the University of Law was being the Secretary of the Manchester TechLaw Society, a society I helped found during my PgDL. Upon starting the course, I noticed the lack of resources available to help students become aware of tech's impact on the legal industry and, with the increased focus on AI, I thought it was important to address this and to facilitate discussion with legal professionals and students. My interest in tech further developed from being an ambassador for Watson’s Daily, where I would meet with others to discuss commercial developments, particularly involving technology appreciating the wider debates concerning the implementation of AI. These roles involved organising and leading events which meant I was responsible for engaging the wider student and professional community.

Completing these roles alongside the PgDL and my part-time job in Boots UK Ltd was challenging at times. However, this enabled me to further develop my time management skills to adequately complete each task and maintain a Distinction in the PgDL. This is something I consider one of my greatest achievements as it demonstrated my capabilities of handling lots of tasks to a high standard whilst balancing other work and personal commitments. 

These personal commitments include an increasing interest in and enjoyment of hiking. Having always enjoyed walking and personal fitness, completing routes in Snowdonia led to an opportunity last year to traverse the high-altitude Lares Trek and Inca Trail to Machu Picchu; hiking and mountaineering are now keen interests of mine. This interest complements my academic drive as hiking can be equally challenging but has taught me the value of perseverance and working towards a goal such as a mountain peak. It is an ambition of mine to tackle Everest base camp, a challenge I continue to work towards by increasing my overall mountaineering experience and through regular strength and endurance training.

What specific aspects of Fieldfisher's business units/sectors align with your career goals and interests? (2000 characters) 

Whilst open-minded about which area of law I wish to practice, my interests and studies mean areas such as Real Estate, Technology, and IP are something I am interested in pursuing further in my training. Attending the University of Law’s Law Fair, I met Adam Hattersley, a Real Estate Finance Partner at Fieldfisher, who elaborated upon the specialities of the Manchester office and the quality of work, aligning with my career goals. 

As the Secretary of the Manchester TechLaw Society, I am interested in tech and its impact on the law. Fieldfisher’s focus on tech and secondment opportunities to tech hubs like Silicon Valley appeals to me. Hosting a discussion on tech and IP, I engaged in a myriad of issues, especially relating to AI, which is relevant within Fieldfisher due to its recent AI work with Getty Images. As many AI IP disputes are novel, there needs to be training to allow personalised advice for clients. This is something I am confident that Fieldfisher’s people-led approach, combined with conferences such as its annual IP Crammer event, will help me to learn.

Working for Boots, I’ve seen various IP issues like the brand’s No. 7 Future Renew which is applying for a patent for its Pepticology formula. This sparked my interest and appealed to my appreciation of wider detail developed from my history degree. Your firm’s IP work such as the current representation of SkyKick UK Ltd means I am confident I would have a wealth of IP experience to draw on in my training.

My interest in Real Estate derives from my study of land for which I obtained a Distinction. I have further researched commercial land issues for The Student Lawyer, writing about the implication of high-interest rates on a borrower’s ability to get a mortgage, showing the nuances of black letter law. Your firm’s reputation in Manchester, such as the Band 1 ranking for Real Estate up to £10 million in the North-west means that I am confident I would receive comprehensive and impeccable training.

Choose a recent news article or a current social issue that interests you. Provide a detailed analysis of the various perspectives, arguments, and potential implications related to this topic. (2000 characters) 

A recent issue that has interested me is the role of EVs in meeting goals by UK and European governments to be net zero by 2050. With the automobile industry given targets of the number of EVs to be sold, various challenges are making these targets difficult to attain.  These challenges centre on the lack of infrastructure for charging ports and dependence on China for batteries. 

The first challenge of a lack of infrastructure transcends across the UK and more widely across Europe. Whilst there have been subsidies and grants given by both UK and European governments to allow councils, companies and even residents to encourage the construction of charging ports, the infrastructure is disproportionately insufficient to meet the demand for the number of EVs meant to be in circulation. The implications of this are that with a lack of infrastructure, it is not commercially viable for consumers to make the change to EVs, making it difficult for manufacturers to increase their EV sales and reach their targets. 

The second challenge is the dependency on China for EV batteries. China’s dominance has the potential implication of making EVs more expensive as manufacturers are often reliant on China’s monopoly. There are battery plants across Europe such as in Germany and expected ones to open in the UK such as in Somerset. The EU has offered subsidies to encourage EU battery makers to catch up with China. The implications of this are that it may strengthen battery production in the EU, but perhaps the money could be used to on developing alternative technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells as China’s grip over the market would be difficult to overcome. China’s dominance is reflected by proposed tariffs on batteries produced outside of the EU and UK. However, these plans were abandoned due to beliefs EU battery makers would struggle to meet demands. Thus, the EU are failing to curtail China’s dominance and to expand its market, suggesting alternative technologies may be a more commercially viable option.

2024

Please provide us with more details of your achievements, scholarships, positions of responsibility, insight schemes, open days and virtual work experience opportunities, extra-curricular activities and everything else that interests you (300 words)

I am proud of my achievements as Student Lead of my departmental Gender Equality Initiative. In my role, I created staff gender equality surveys, receiving over 200% more responses than in previous years, allowing for a more inclusive discourse within the department. My ability to collaborate with senior team members was crucial to success; this allowed me to understand gender equality issues from their perspective and create a pertinent survey. Another successful outcome of was my draft application for the Silver Athena Swan Award, a gender equality framework. It is cumulative in nature, requiring creativity to reach the next checkpoint. For example, my suggestion to include a self-evaluation of our gender pay policy was the type of originality that set our application apart from the Bronze Award.

As Vice-President of the Non-Law into Law Society, I have taken on the accountability of being voted in by 170 members. By collaborating with over 30 businesses and providing regular, insightful events, I have delivered on my promises. I have also shown leadership through active innovation. My manifesto included the publication of a commercial awareness newsletter: this has allowed for member participation, an unprecedented angle to the society. As a Fieldfisher lawyer, an ability to consistently re-evaluate is crucial to maintaining a competitive advantage.

In terms of extra-curricular activities, playing for my college cricket and football teams have added the responsibility and enjoyment that comes with being part of a team. [redacted] Law Society has proven an avenue for insightful legal events and workshops and has offered an opportunity to network and share experiences with like-minded people. Also, my experiences with [redacted] Mooting Society have fostered an enjoyment of advocacy. A recent practice moot related to allegations of Israeli pinkwashing: the referees noted my strong problem-solving skills and concise presentation.

What specific aspects of Fieldfisher's business units/sectors align with your career goals and interests? (300 words)

Fieldfisher’s exceptional risk advisory team, specifically the data protection, privacy and cybersecurity practice area, was a real point of motivation in applying to the firm. The Band 1 ranked team works with a huge variety of clients, from start-ups to global corporations; this means that the work has an attractive combination of entrepreneurial involvement and high-profile multijurisdictional cases. During my Commercial & IP seat on the [redacted] vacation scheme, I found the challenges of mitigating risk particularly enjoyable and appreciated the advisory nature of IP law. However, I found that much of the work related more to the side of trademark law, in less dynamic industries such as art and charities. At Fieldfisher, the team is involved with innovative, market-leading clients, such as Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, for whom they acted as a data protection officer. This high-profile, complex work meets my career ambitions.

Another of Fieldfisher’s sectors that really enthuses me is the Equity Capital Markets team. During experience in Debt Capital Markets at [redacted], I gained an understanding of PE law, especially through its interrelation with debt financing as a means of leveraging investments. I saw first-hand the collaborative nature of PE deals, working alongside firm-wide teams, regulatory experts and portfolio companies. Despite my enjoyment of the work, there was a homogeneous client pool, limited to financial institutions and sovereign bonds. In the small-mid cap nature of the Fieldfisher’s work in this practice area, there is a far greater variety. The energy and life sciences deals that are the norm for this team require focused industry knowledge across a broad range of sectors. This necessity for expertise in cutting-edge sectors represents one of my original motivations behind a career in law. An innovative approach is key to maintaining a competitive advantage and serving the client best; this suits my creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.

Choose a recent news article or a current social issue that interests you. Provide a detailed analysis of the various perspectives, arguments, and potential implications related to this topic. (300 words)

The third passing of the UK Energy Bill is a recent issue that has attracted my attention. As an imminent research analyst for [redacted] Sustainable Finance Society, I am consistently identifying attractive investment opportunities in the ESG market. This issue initially piqued my interest due to the Bill’s measures to incentivise private investment in renewable energy. However, it holds a broader significance, also representing changes in regulation and development in response to the 2022 energy crisis.

The Bill’s intention on creating an independent body to oversee electricity and gas framework will have an impact on Fieldfisher’s many global energy project clients. Such stakeholders must adapt to regulatory changes and the likely need for a re-assessment of financing structures would call upon Fieldfisher’s restructuring lawyers. Another facet of the Bill that will affect the firm’s clients is the extension of the Ofgem energy price cap. Petrichor Partners LP, a recent client on a takeover of a UK oil and gas company, is one of many of Fieldfisher’s clients who own energy assets. Given the reduced returns on investment that will accompany an increased cap, Fieldfisher are likely to be called upon to diversify the portfolios of such firms to mitigate the increased risks of the energy sector.

From a general perspective, there are numerous environmental positives to the passing of the Bill. It represents another step in the Government’s aim of a sustainable low carbon future. This is in keeping with the target of reducing carbon emissions by 80% of 1990 levels by 2050 levels. However, the Bill is also symbolic of difficult challenges which the Government faces. The implementation of a low-carbon energy system will require major investment in modern technologies. It will also filter down to need for change in commercial and individual energy use. Despite the long-term benefits, this will lead to rising costs for taxpayers and consumers alike.