University Life and Careers

2017 will mark the fortieth year since NASA sent off voyagers I and II on a tour of the solar system and then beyond into interstellar space. On board these vessels, which were designed to last for thousands of years, was a time capsule of sorts named the golden record. This record was created in […]

The Conservative Government has taken it upon itself to introduce a Bill of Rights and repeal the current Human Rights Act introduced by the Labour Government. This is founded on the basis that the UK has lost its parliamentary sovereignty and the ECHR has developed a ‘mission creep’. The ECHR has arguably expanded into areas […]

In 2009-10, traineeships were at a low of 4,874 following the double-dip recession in the UK. Fast-forward to 2015, the number of training contracts commencing in England and Wales has risen to around 5,500. Yet, this number fails to live up to the 5,809 traineeships that were available before the financial crisis. These figures hailing […]

60 SECONDS WITH… ABEL HARTMAN Describe yourself in 3 words… Direct, organised and motivated. CRISIS or OCEAN? And why? One does not have to choose, one can do both. There’s Thursday in between to recover, after all. I’d probably be more likely to go to Crisis though. What is your most frequently used emoji? This one […]

60 SECONDS WITH… ISMAIL SADURDEEN Describe yourself in 3 words… Friendly, enthusiastic and adventurous. If you were a club night in Nottingham, which would you be, and why? Rock City – They cater to a lot of different genres, like my policies in which there is something for everyone. Name a song that describes your […]

60 SECONDS WITH… EMILY MILLS Describe yourself in 3 words… Efficient, eloquent and effervescent!  What’s the funniest/craziest thing you’ve done on a night out? I’m usually very well behaved, but back in first year, I took one of the Crisis themes a bit too far and dressed as a Playboy bunny (complete with ears and […]

60 SECONDS WITH… MARY MCCARTHY Describe yourself in 3 words… Confident, friendly, fun! If you were a club night in Nottingham, which would you be, and why? Ocean; I’m never afraid to show exactly who I am and what I stand for! What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you at university? […]

To whom is unconcerned and uninterested, I am writing to apply for a training contract at [insert LLP’s name here]. I believe [LLP name]’s truly intergalactic outlook is what really distinguishes it from its competitors. Whilst most other international law firms have offices in effectively all of the same countries as [LLP’s name] on earth, […]

Securing vacation schemes and internships is a difficulty for many undergraduate law students – and one we spend far too much time worrying about. Doing a legal internship abroad may not be something you have considered. Nonetheless, I recommend you stop monotonously filling out your GCSE grades on your vacation scheme application form for the […]

What is ELSA? When I say ELSA, I’m not referring to the loveable ice princess from Disney’s Frozen which you may be more familiar with. For law students throughout Europe, ELSA is more commonly known as the acronym for the European Law Students’ Association. Coincidentally, we share the same signature colour – blue – but […]

The Pro Bono society has been taking student volunteers for several years to visit local schools and educate children about human rights and the justice system. This year I applied to be part of the scheme as I was excited to work with an outreach project in the local community; plus, my CV was looking […]

Like most people (or at least what most people write in their UCAS applications), I was drawn to law by a desire to remedy social injustice. As I learnt more and more about human rights law through my university studies and various work placements, I realised that this area was the only possible route for […]

Dear Freshers, Welcome to the Freshers Edition of Advocate Magazine. I would first like to congratulate you on gaining a place at the University of Nottingham Law School and embarking on an exciting chapter of your life. Rest assured that these three – or four, if you are thinking of doing an exchange abroad – […]

Dear Advocate readers, Welcome to the spring/summer 2015 edition of Advocate Magazine! We would like to thank all of our sponsors sincerely for their on going support and for allowing us to produce this magazine. Writing this editorial is bittersweet as it marks the end of my fourth year working on this magazine. As such, […]

The DLA Piper Nottingham Open 2015, organised by the Nottingham Debating Union, took place on the 28th Feb-1st March in Portland Building, University Park Campus. Debating competitions normally have four or five rounds, with a different ‘motion’ set for each one which teams have fifteen minutes to prepare for. Teams are comprised of two speakers that […]

So what is ‘mooting’? If you are not already familiar with this term, let me start with a brief introduction. A moot is a simplified, mock appeal where students formulate submissions on legal issues within a hypothetical problem. A moot problem will usually be released in advance to two teams, consisting of a senior and […]

December is here – the term is ending, the winds are howling, due dates are looming, and papers are flying. It feels dreary but it is not all that bad, because the Law Revue is coming and the tickets are now selling! The Law Revue is an annual law-themed stage production produced by your fellow […]

Dear All, Welcome to the Autumn/Winter 2014 edition of Advocate Magazine! Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this magazine. I know many writers have put a great deal of effort into their articles and it is hugely appreciated. We hope you enjoy reading the articles as much as we have. I would also like to warmly thank our […]

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury/Advocate Readers! The University of Nottingham Bar Society has been named by the Bar Council of England and Wales as the ‘Best Society’ and I am certain that our committee and members could not agree more! In the last academic year the society ran several successful trips to the Old […]

I had always wanted to be a barrister so during my undergraduate years, I tried to transform myself into a good candidate for the BPTC. In my first year, I participated in several open days with Middle Temple, Gray’s Inn and Brick Court Chambers to get a flavour of the life of a barrister. The […]

It’s been a crazy few weeks in the whirlwind of no sleep, constant parties and terrifyingly fast-paced public law lectures. And what a welcome to Law School it has been. Hopefully now we’re further into term the fog of this mysterious illness we all seem to have is slowly subsiding to allow you to go […]

It’s 07:30 it’s almost 30°C outside, lectures begin at 08:30 and you know that you will not finish until 21:00 that night. This does not paint a pretty picture for those of us at Nottingham who are used to complaining about any lecture that finishes after dark; but this is my Monday and Tuesday timetable […]

I would like to introduce myself to you as the new Head of the School of Law, taking over from Professor Stephen Bailey on 1 August 2014. Professor Bailey’s successful stewardship of the School stretched for seven years during which time we have seen the School’s reputation strengthened. Prior to that Professor Bailey was Pro-Vice […]

Welcome to the Freshers Edition of Advocate Magazine. Everyone here at Advocate would like to congratulate you on gaining a place to study here at the University of Nottingham and warmly welcome you. This edition is intended to inform you about different aspects of university life here, primarily for law students. Advocate is the University […]

Understanding Law is a module you will study in your first semester. The module itself is split into two halves: a Critical Introduction to Law and an Introduction to Legal Method. You will have to attend four lectures a week and a two hour seminar every fortnight although this varies for BA Students. Seminars are […]