Tania Aktar is one of 21 LLB1 students who won the chance to see her induction work published on Lawbore (she also got an Amazon voucher, just in case this privilege wasn’t enough!). This was part of the #exploringthelaw project – students tracked down 4 buildings of legal significance on a trail around London, researched the locations and then penned a blog post on something they were inspired by.

So, I should probably introduce myself right? Hi, my names Tania and I’ve lived in London pretty much my entire life. So that’s 18 years. But, it was only after having the “Out and about” task-sheet slapped onto my desk during my first week at City, University of London that I realised I was about to become a tourist in my own city and to be honest, I was dreading it. The thought of walking around in this disgustingly cold weather with a bunch of people I didn’t know didn’t sound too appealing. And then being told I’d have to write a blog post on it?! I wasn’t too happy with that either but hey, we’re here now and honestly, once you start writing its kind of hard to stop. That’s one thing you’ll pick up about me from reading this, God can I talk! I’ve even had people tell me they can already see me standing up in court fighting cases purely because I don’t know how to shut up. It’s a compliment, really.

A diet of Pringles and Suits…

And you know what else? You’d think someone who’s as obsessed with the legal profession as I am (decided to become a police officer at the age of 9, solicitor at 13 and barrister since 15 and spend most of my time watching ‘Silk’, ‘Suits’, ‘CSI’, whatever, you name it)  that I would know at least a little about the legal history behind London but in actual fact, after spending hours on end crawled up on the sofa with a tube of Pringles and a bottle of Pepsi watching ‘Suits’ on Netflix, I think I know more about the significance of the US in terms of legal history than I do my own city! I know, what a joke right?

I’ve been living in my own bubble for 18 years, clueless as to what London has to offer. Well, this task was about to show me that there’s more to this place than just a couple of weirdly shaped glass buildings (if you’re not from London, Google the Walkie Talkie building) and a few chip shops down the road.

We stumbled across a few places on the day and I’m not going to lie to you… I was falling asleep. No really, you might as well have planted a bed for me in front of Temple station. I mean, Yes, we came across some interesting buildings. Yes, I was learning. But yes, this felt like one big history lesson outside in the cold and yes, this is what I was expecting. That was, until we came to find the Royal Courts of Justice towering above our heads.

Two words, Mind-Blown. We hadn’t even crossed the road to get a closer look and already, my thoughts started racing. Eyes glued to the stunning architecture of the courts, I saw myself… 10 years from now.

Since you’re taking time out of your precious day to read my post, I take it you’re interested in the legal profession too. Maybe you plan to one day become a barrister or solicitor yourself? If so, take a look at this gorgeous building, then picture this.

You’re standing inside there with your cute little black gown and not-so-cute wig, hungry for victory, ready to fight this case for your incredibly nervous client. Now imagine yourself walking out of there, smirk on your face, heels high (or head high, if you’re a guy) having won your case. Feels good, huh? I looked at the Royal Courts of Justice and that’s exactly what I saw. I felt superior. Motivated. Determined.

The next 3 years of Law school are going to be hard. They’re going to consist of sleepless nights and constant needs for a caffeine boost. Maybe even a few tears… But you know what? Bring it on. I’m going to make those courts feel like a second home to me, just you watch.