Myself (Far Left) at Freshers Fair with Kent Student Law Society. Picture courtesy of Kent Law School.
Hello everyone!
My name is Bethany Rose-Hunt, a second year European Legal Studies student and the Aspiring Solicitors Campus Ambassador at Kent this academic year. Aspiring Solicitors (‘AS’) is an organisation based on their ‘Commitment to increasing diversity in the legal profession.’ Although this may sound complicated, AS prides itself on the belief that anyone should be able to enter the legal profession, no matter where you attend university, whether you are from a BAME or a low socioeconomic area or have a long-term disability. Therefore, I am proud to represent AS this year, mainly due to the wide range of events they hold including: 1. AS Pride: 15th October 2. AS Culture: 31st October 3. AS Social Mobility: 14th November and 4. An AS event here at Kent University on Monday 11th November!
One common question I hear is whether you can engage with AS and not be a law student and the simple answer is ‘Yes!’ The law market is now 50% law graduates, 50% non-law graduates and thus, I urge those of you reading this who may not be doing law but are interested in a law-career to engage with AS. AS provide opportunities to all students, not just those studying law and therefore, please look at all of AS’ events using the website below to see if they could help you on your legal career path: https://www.aspiringsolicitors.co.uk/upcoming-events/
It is completely free & easy to become a member of AS by following this link: https://www.aspiringsolicitors.co.uk/register/. Additionally, I run the AS Kent Facebook Page where I share information about AS events and am also available to contact if you have any questions. Please feel free to give the page a ‘Like’ and contact me through there, I am always happy to discuss AS or any other questions you may have: https://en-gb.facebook.com/aspiringsolicitorskent/ The position I currently hold as an AS Campus Ambassador will finish at the end of next year and therefore, if anybody reading this is interested in becoming an Ambassador for such an amazing organisation, keep an eye on our Facebook page for when applications open!
AS gives first-year students the opportunity to go into London law firms and network, leading to students enhancing their CVs early and also gaining lots of Employability Points! I was an Employability Points Reward Winner last academic year and as a result, got to meet a Family Law Solicitor. This experience not only allowed me to progress my CV, but also to understand how to go forward in terms of gaining work experience and learning that my long-term disability (ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) can be a positive in regard to my employability rather than a perceived negative. Consequently, I was delighted when EP reached out and asked for me to write this blog post about my role as an AS Campus Ambassador. EP is an amazing programme which I know personally can allow students to gain key contacts and experiences for their future and therefore, I urge you to engage with both EP and AS, both will be greatly rewarding for your employability! Any events you attend will earn you 20 points!
I attend a lot of events here on campus such as Kent Law School’s Law Fair on 30th October 2019 where I will be chatting to students about AS and any questions they have- I’ll be the one wearing the black AS hoodie!
Bethany Rose-HuntBest of luck to everyone with this academic year,
-Aspiring Solicitors: ‘Committed to increasing diversity in the legal profession’-