Careers in Law

17 June 2020

What do we do and is it as glamourous as it seems?

Law is a popular subject at Stowe and we were lucky to welcome Tiffany Georgallides (Stanhope 10) back to Stowe to present on careers in Law. The careers talk was led by Ollie De Winton (Lower Sixth, West), who is planning to study languages at university and then convert to Law through the a law conversion course.

Tiffany left Stowe in 2010 and went on to study Law at UCL. After completing her degree, she secured a training contract at Clyde & Co LLP, completed her Legal Practice Course and qualified as a solicitor in 2018. Tiffany has worked in a range of practice areas, including media, real estate, energy, international trade, shipping and insurance law. Tiffany now works as a Maritime Insurance lawyer, dealing with a variety of contentious shipping claims - for example, claims which arise from a fire on a vessel which damages the cargo onboard.

Tiffany started her talk with a discussion around why she chose Law and the differences between a barrister and a solicitor. The talk was aimed at helping Stoics understand the different routes into Law and the possible career options in the profession. A reoccurring theme throughout Tiffany’s presentation was the importance of good grades at GCSE and A Level, as they are a gateway to Oxbridge or a Russell Group university. Tiffany discussed that law firms in general tend to be dominated by Oxbridge and Russel Group graduates, although efforts are being made to increase access to the profession outside this group.

“Law is an extremely competitive sector, with plenty of graduates. So, ensure you get the best degree with a first-class honours or a 2:1.”

We were then guided through the various aspects of criminal and civil law. During the civil law section of Tiffany’s presentation, Ollie was asked to draft an improv contract. An outstanding performance from Ollie that Tiffany then used to explain the finer details of contract law.

At the end of the careers talk, Ollie asked questions from Stoics and one from Mr Floyd including: What is your view on the new way to become a solicitor via the SQEs and two years of work experience? How do you think that will change things compared to the LPC? What was it like to study law at a competitive place like UCL? Was it interesting to study, or is a conversion a good idea? Is the market oversaturated with graduates? Is it getting tougher to secure a training contract? How do civil and criminal laws differ across international borders? How do you think BREXIT will impact your role in maritime law as many international laws are based on British legislation and case law? And How important is the university you went to for securing a training contract?

If you would like to know the answers to these questions, please see the recording of Tiffany’s talk here.

After the talk, Ollie and I had an opportunity to discuss the value of the LL.M and if Tiffany was considering studying the masters degree. She stated that she was thinking about it as maritime law is a specialist area and it might benefit her career. Her concern was that she didn’t want to study the course full time, as she didn’t want to take a year out of work. “The industry changes too quickly.” This led to a discussion around part-time masters degrees as part of professional development.

Dr Gordon West, Deputy Head of Sixth Form