Tamara Barbeary (LLB 2010)

It had long been a personal ambition to study for a law degree, but being a working mother of three children at the time, I knew that a full-time course would not be possible. When I found out that I could study for the LLB (Hons) (a law degree) part-time at Buckingham, I was delighted and decided to take the plunge.

The subjects are varied and the lecturers really bring them to life in the weekly seminars. There is also a good network of support amongst the students and a strong sense of camaraderie. There is no doubt that the course is tough, but the lecturers are of such a high calibre, they inspire you to push on and succeed. Balancing a job and family with studying many evenings and weekends was extremely challenging; it required a great deal of self-discipline, but it can be done and is extremely rewarding.

I graduated with First Class Honours in 2010 and went on to complete the Legal Practice Course in Oxford. I started my legal career in Banking & Finance Litigation in an Oxfordshire based firm as a paralegal. In 2012, I moved to Darbys Solicitors (now Knights PLC) in Oxford where I worked as a paralegal in the Clinical Negligence department while waiting to start my training contract at the firm.  Since qualification, after an initial brief period working in pensions law, I have specialised in Dispute Resolution and Employment Law. I currently head up the Employment Department at Lennons Solicitors based in Buckinghamshire. My decision to study law at Buckingham has changed my life and opened up opportunities that I did not have when I was younger. I simply cannot recommend the part-time programme enough.