Exploring a legal career can sometimes feel like a puzzle, with the expectation to choose between becoming a solicitor or a barrister before you’ve even discovered what truly interests you. Fortunately, City’s CareersHub hosted the ‘Explore Options with a Law Degree’ panel, an inspiring and empowering event that highlighted just how many different directions a law degree can take you. From networking opportunities to honest career insights, the panel encouraged students to stay curious, keep their options open, and recognise the true breadth of opportunities available within and beyond the legal industry.
While many students begin their law degree unsure of where it may lead, this panel offered a refreshing reminder that career journeys are rarely linear. Each speaker brought a different background and route into the profession, demonstrating that success in law is not defined by a single destination but by the experiences you choose to pursue along the way. They also spoke honestly about the reality of setbacks, emphasising that rejection is common in the legal field, but persistence, confidence, and making the most of every opportunity can make all the difference. The panel included –
- Sherman Ang – Trainee Solicitor in Investment Funds with Cleary Gottlieb
- Zainab Agha – Solicitor at Wedlake Bell LLP
- Androulla Skapoullis – Compliance Director at S&P Global
- Tram Nguyen – Trainee Solicitor at Haynes Boone
- Kayley Roussel – Associate in the Energy, Power and Natural Resources practice group at Haynes Boone
- Oliver Millington – Barrister at Deka Chambers and a part time circuit judge
Exploring Practice Areas: How do you find what’s right for you?
One of the most common concerns among law students is how to decide which area of law to pursue, particularly when university study does not always reflect the realities of practice. In response, the panel shared how they navigate their own career decisions, the experiences that helped shape their interests, and why staying open-minded is encouraged when exploring what might truly suit you.
Oliver Millington offered a clear insight into the contrast between studying law and practicing it, particularly within litigation. As a self-employed barrister at Deka Chambers, he explained that litigation centres on the court process, including criminal cases, family proceedings involving the state, and civil disputes between individuals or organisations. However, he highlighted that the reality of practice is often very different from expectation, especially in civil litigation, where most cases settled without ever going to trial. Much of his early work involved advising clients on the strength and value of their claims, rather than appearing in court.
Through experiencing both court-based advocacy and advisory work, Oliver gradually discovered that his skills and personality were better suited to being in advocate in court. Importantly, he stressed that this realisation did not happen immediately, but only after gaining several years of practical experience. His key message to students was that the only reliable way to discover what suits you is by trying it for yourself. He strongly encouraged undergraduates to seek out work placements at both solicitors’ firms and barristers’ chambers, as the law learned at university can feel very different once applied in real practice.
Kayley Rousell, an associate in energy transactions at Haynes and Boone, reflected on how discovering your interests often requires both curiosity and real-world experience. Looking back, she explained that her route into energy law was shaped by interests she had long before studying law, for example, geography at A level to regularly engaging with climate related programmes, articles and academic material. What once felt like personal curiosity gradually developed into a professional pathway.
However, Kayley emphasised that interests alone are not always enough to determine where you will ultimately fit. During her training contract, she spent time in litigation and found the world genuinely engaging, yet she soon realised that transactional work gave her a far stronger sense of fulfilment. Much like Oliver’s experience in court versus advisory work, this shift only became clear once she had practical exposure to different areas. Her advice to students was therefore reassuring and realistic, it is completely normal not to know what area of law you want to pursue at the start. It can be daunting to get the “Why this area of practice?” question in an interview is daunting, hence why training contracts and work experience exists – to help you explore, refine your interests, and gradually identify where your skills and motivations align best.
Zainab Agha, a solicitor at Wedlake Bell LLP and a City Law alumna, reinforced the importance of remaining open minded when exploring different areas of practice, stressing that what students enjoy at university does not always translate directly into practice. During her degree, Zainab was initially set on becoming a transactional lawyer and qualifying into commercial property. She began her training contract with her first seat in commercial property, followed by contested insolvency for her second seat, and then completed her third seat in commercial disputes. It was only though trying these different areas that she truly discovered what suited her. Although she had previously felt unsure about litigation and had never seriously considered it, her seat in dispute completely changed her perspective. Unlike Oliver, who enjoys being in court, Zainab found that she loved the advisory side of litigation, working closely with clients and advising on claims. Her message to students was clear: don’t block off practice areas too early just because you think you know what you want. Sometimes it is the experiences you don’t expect that end up shaping your career the most.
Sherman Ang, a trainee solicitor in Investment Funds at Cleary Gottlieb, illustrated how having multiple interests does not have to be a disadvantage, and can in fact help shape a fulfilling legal career. During university, Sherman was passionate about labour law and criminology, but he was also fascinated by how companies operate and how private equity influences the wider UK and global economy. With these interests in mind, he initially pursued employment law during his training contract.
However, once he began practising, the difference between studying law and working in the profession became clear. At Clearly Gottlieb, his employment law work mainly involved advising large cooperate clients. Throughout this experience, he realised that while he enjoyed the subject academically, his real passion lay in helping individuals on a more personal level. This led him to explore other areas, including company law and private equity, where he ultimately discovered that investment funds work aligned most closely with both his interests and skill set. He also highlighted the importance of pro bono work as a way to remain connected to the human side of the law.
Sherman’s advice to students was both reassuring and practical, it is entirely possible to have varied interests and still built a coherent career. For those who feel unsure about what excited them, he encouraged actively exploring the world around them, from keeping up with current affairs and reading newspapers to using training contracts and mini pupillages as opportunities to test different areas in practice. His message was clear: curiosity, openness and exploration are key to finding your place in the profession.
Androulla Skapoullis, a Compliance Director at S&P Global and a City Law graduate, shared one of the strongest messages of the session: do not be afraid to change your mind. Although she studied law and completed the Legal Practice Course with the original intention of of pursuing a traditional legal career, her career ultimately took a different direction. Financial pressures, personal responsibilities, and the realities of the profession led her to reassess what she truly wanted and what suited her lifestyle. Through the encouragement of mentors and senior colleagues, she began exploring roles beyond tradition legal practice and moved into audit, before progressing into her current role in compliance.
Androulla emphasised that law is far broader than many students realise and that there are countless niche areas linked to personal interests, whether in sports, business, finance, or technology. She urged students to be “hypersensitive” to their own strengths, whether that be writing, communication, or stakeholder management, because these skills often shape where you will thrive. Her advice was both honest and reassuring: not everyone’s career follows a straight line, and sometimes the best opportunities come from allowing yourself to try new paths and seeing where they lead.
A Career Outside Legal Practice
While many students associate a law degree with becoming a solicitor, barrister or judge, the panel highlighted that legal knowledge is valued far beyond traditional practice. A law degree equips students with highly transferable skills such as critical thinking, regulation, communication, and risk awareness, all of which are sought after across a range of industries. Most importantly, the panel reassured students that it is completely valid not to follow the conventional legal route, studying law does not limit career options, but rather expands them.
Androulla Skapoullis is a powerful example of this. Although she studied law and completed the LPC with the original intentional of pursuing a traditional legal career, practical considerations such as finances and long-term stability led her to take a different direction. She began working in HR at Northern Trust, closely supporting legal teams on merges and acquisitions. During this time, her skills were recognised by senior leaders in the US, who encouraged her to move into audit on secondment. A move that launched her long-term career in compliance. Today, she continues to use the legal skills gained from her degree on a daily basis, proving that a law background can lead to influential roles far beyond the courtroom.
Making the Most of Work Experience
Work experience was a repeatedly described as one of the most important factors in shaping a future legal career. Zainab shares how she applied for City’s Micro-Placement Scheme in her 1st year and completed a 3-week placement at the very same firm she currently works at. She later referenced this placement in her training contract application, which she believes played a key role in her success. Zainab encourages students to make full use of every opportunity City offers, as even short placements can have long term impact. She also reminded students that non-legal jobs still help to develop valuable client and communication skills.
Tram Nguyen, a trainee solicitor at Haynes Boone, highlighted the importance of paralegal experience, explaining how working closely with clients helped her understand the fast-paced and high-pressure nature of legal practice. She stressed that learning to manage client expectations, communicate professionally, and work within a team were just as important as legal knowledge.
From a barrister’s perspective, Oliver advised students interested in advocacy to seek out mini-pupillages and pro-bono opportunities, as these provide real courtroom exposure. He also emphasised that any client-facing role, including retail or hospitality work, helps build the interpersonal skills essential to a career in law.
Applications and Interviews: How to stand out
When discussing applications and interviews, the panel collectively emphasised one thing: there are no shortcuts.
Kayley Rousell encouraged students to tailor every application, noting that firms can immediately tell when the same generic answers are copied across multiple forms. She suggested looking at firm news, recent deals and trainee insights to demonstrate genuine interest.
Adding to this, Sherman Ang acknowledged that AI tools can be helpful for researching the market or organising ideas: but stressed that they should never replace your own reasoning motivation. Applications still need to sound like you.
From a recruiter’s viewpoint, Androulla Skapoullis highlighted the most common mistake she sees, copying and pasting from a firm’s website, over-embellishing experience, and being unable to discuss what was written on the application when its being questioned during interviews. Her advice was simple, be honest, be specific, and let your personality show. Firms are assessing your skills, but they’re also assessing cultural fit.
All the panellists agreed, a strong application come from thoughtful research, authenticity and a real understanding of your own strengths.
Anisha Begum is a third-year LLB Law student, with academic interests sitting mostly in law, race & colonialism and child law. She is drawn to client-facing legal work – roles where you can support people directly and help them navigate complex legal situations. She likes thinking about how legal work overlaps with social work in practice and what that looks like day to day in casework. Anisha is also keen to broaden her experience in legal settings that make a tangible difference to people’s lives. Outside of study she spends a lot of time with family, work, unwinds with anime, and is fascinated by historical legacies, especially those of empire and decolonization.