Work Experience for Law Students
Introducing Clinical Legal Education at Buckingham
Buckingham Law School recognises the importance of enhancing student’s professional development opportunities to complement the academic learning process. Practical Legal Education has been shown to improve a student’s grades across all modules. It puts what you are learning into context.
Benefits of work experience for Law students
Some ways in which students have benefitted from the clinical legal education service include:
- Discovering legal qualification pathways: A career at the Bar or qualifying as a solicitor.
- Exploring legal practice areas: private practice / corporate legal services.
- Gaining an understanding of contentious and non-contentious work practices.
- Considering career pathways outside of traditional legal practice in governance/project management.
- Developing soft skills including organisation, communication and teamwork.
- Enhancing professional skills such as interviewing, personal statement & CV planning tailored to the legal sector.
- Connecting with the legal and commercial sectors.
Projects and schemes
We offer a range of projects and modules through the dedicated Clinical Legal Education service, including:
Street Legal, open to all law students, offers placement opportunities with law firms, barrister chambers and judicial shadowing at court.
The Citizens Advice Clinic module is a partnership between the University of Buckingham Law School and Citizens Advice, Milton Keynes, CA MK.
Get the opportunity to network with legal practitioners and professionals from the UK and international corporate world.
The LLB Sandwich Work Placement Programme provides students with a direct experience of law in practice.
Mock trials
Law students from across the Foundation, full-time LLB, part-time LLB, and LLM programmes are eligible to participate in our Mock Trial events.
Lecturer in Clinical Legal Practice, Julie O’Shea coordinates the event, leading a series of preparatory workshops and practice run throughs with Dr Jessica Walsh and the student team.
Find out about Buckingham Law School’s inaugural mock trial.
Support
What support is provided for Clinical Legal Projects?
These schemes provide really valuable experience opportunities and are managed by Julie O’Shea, Lecturer in Clinical Legal Practice. Qualifying as a solicitor in 1993, Julie practiced for a number of years with regional law firms in commercial litigation and insolvency law before joining the Law School.
Julie has the practice expertise to help you develop vital skills; guiding you in taking that all-important next step in your chosen career pathway.
The Clinical Legal Education service includes professional academic leads for each scheme:
Clinical Legal Practice: Mrs Julie O’Shea
Street Legal: Dr James Slater and Mrs Julie O’Shea
Citizens Advice Clinic: Mrs Julie O’Shea
Legal Skills & Mooting Coach: Dr Jessica Walsh and Ms Charley-Anne Gordon
The Clinical Legal Education service will help you to develop professional skills; building essential practical legal skills, commercial awareness, together with communication and teamwork skills to enhance employability prospects and post-graduate opportunities.
Workshops
What can I expect from attending a Clinical Legal Workshop?
The Law School offers a range of informal extra curricular workshops each term. You will hear from a variety of guest speakers including alumni, practitioners from the legal, commercial and volunteering sectors.
Examples of clinical legal workshops include:
International Legal Experiences Guest Speaker Workshops
- The Influence of AI within the Commercial Sector: Murdoch Thomson, LLB/LLM Alumnus
- Holistic Client Engagement: Professor Aliza Organick, University of New Mexico
- Working as a Lawyer in Toronto: Alexander Katznelson, Corporate Partner, Cozens & Co.
- Practising at the Nigerian Bar: Nkechi Ugwu
Legal Qualification Workshops
- SQE Graduate Insights: Maria Faisal, The University of Buckingham Part-Time LLB Alumna
- Trainee Solicitor Application Process: Shoosmiths LLP
- Securing a Training Contract: Kirill Khassine, The University of Buckingham Full-Time LLB Alumnus
- Building Up Resilience Skills for Legal Practice: Julie O’Shea
Careers at the Bar
- Family Law Practice & the Bar: Andrew Fox, Barrister & Partner, Jones Myers, The University of Buckingham LLB Alumnus
- What does it take to become a Barrister: Christopher Kessling, Vice Dean, ICCA
- Introduction to Government Legal Services: People Development Team
- Her Bar: Nasreen Shah, Great James Street Chambers, The University of Buckingham Full-Time LLB Alumna
Working in the Legal Services Sector
- Work of the Magistracy: Milton Keynes Magistrates Court
- SQE & US Bar Qualification Preparation Courses: BARBRI
- Public Law Focus: Chief Inspector Hadley, Thames Valley Police
- Virtual Work Experience Programme: Crown Prosecution Service
- Volunteering in the Criminal Justice Sector: Lucy Ball, CEO, New Bridge Foundation
- Rape & Injustice: Stephen Parker, Friends of the University Guest Speaker / Former Detective Superintendent, Scotland Yard
- The Role that Governance, Culture and Ethics Play in Business Success – a Practitioner’s View – Judith O’Driscoll, Solicitor & Inhouse Counsel
Law graduate destinations
Where can your Buckingham law degree take you?
Our talented law graduates have found a multitude of opportunities throughout the UK and various international destinations.
UK destinations
UK Government departments
- Crown Prosecution Service
- Home Office
The Bar
- 3 Paper Buildings
- 4-5 Grays Inn Square
- Northampton Chambers
- St James Street Chambers
Solicitor practices and law firms
- Ansons Solicitors
- Beale & Co Solicitors
- Dentons
- DWF Group
- Fieldfisher
- Freshfields
- Fullers Family Law
- Hawkins Family Law
- Herbert Smith Freehills
- Jones Myers Family Law Solicitors
- Laceys Solicitors LLP
- Linklaters LLP
- McDermott Will & Emery
- Moorcrofts LLP
- Osbournes Law
- Shepherd & Co
- Woodfines
Alternative opportunities
- Amadeus Capital Partners
- Anergi Group
- BNP Paribas
- Chartergate Legal Services Ltd
- Legal Services Board
- London Borough of Hounslow
- Oxford City Council
- Oxford Royale Academy
- Samsung
- Zendesk
International destinations
Canada
- Armel Corporation, Toronto, ON
- Cozen O’Connor LLP, Toronto, ON
- Dentons, Edmonton
- EY, Vancouver, BC
- Friedman Law Professional Corporation, Toronto, ON
- Harper Grey LLP, Vancouver, BC
- League INC, Toronto, ON
- Legacy Tax & Trust Lawyers, Vancouver, BC
- Moodys Tax, Edmonton
- Prisha Law Corporation, Toronto, ON
- Yanko & Popovic Barristers & Solicitors, Calgary, AB
New Zealand
- CyberCX, Auckland, New Zealand
US
- Kutak Rock, Omaha, Nebraska
Nigeria
- Banwo Ighodalo, Nigeria
- CardinalStone, Abjua, Nigeria
- Templars, Lagos, Nigeria
UAE
- Al Tamimi & Co, Dubai
The K.C. Lecture Series
The new lecture series celebrates the achievements of Buckingham alumni K.C.’s, delivered in collaboration with the Alumni team.
The Dean of Law, Professor Adolfo Paolini, is pleased to reflect on one of the standout moments of 2025: The inaugural event, held on Monday 27 October, featured Richard Morgan K.C. of Maitland Chambers, an esteemed member of the Buckingham alumni community. His lecture, “The Art of Advocacy & Skills at the International Bar,” offered students and staff exceptional insight into the realities of practice at the highest levels.
With extensive experience in both litigation and arbitration across multiple jurisdictions — including England, the Eastern Caribbean, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Gibraltar, and the Isle of Man — Richard Morgan K.C. shared invaluable perspectives on advocacy, case strategy, and the complexities of cross-border disputes. His discussion of international collaborations, expert determinations, and his experience giving evidence before a Californian court provided attendees with a compelling look into the global nature of modern legal practice.
Reflections on strategic litigation, international arbitration, and the nuances of cross-border work were not only illuminating but deeply relevant to the evolving landscape of global legal practice. The breadth of experience on display offered a rare and valuable viewpoint.
We were especially grateful for his openness in engaging with the wide range of questions posed by our student panel and the audience. From barrister apprenticeships to the challenges of navigating cultural, societal, and religious nuances in diverse jurisdictions, his responses were both generous and thought-provoking.
This event marks the beginning of a new lecture series celebrating the achievements of our alumni K.C.s, and we could not have asked for a more fitting and inspiring start.
An interactive event involving student panel — Nickesia Medley, Musa Raja, Isabel Ritchie, and Graham Hall-Watkins, representing both the FT and PT LLB programmes — skillfully quizzed the eminent K.C. on a wide range of issues. Their thoughtful questions and insightful engagement greatly enriched the discussion.
We look forward to welcoming the community back for future instalments of The K.C. Series in the coming terms.