Two second year Law LLB students at Kent Law School participated in six intense rounds of the British Inter-University Commercial Awareness Competition 2023 (BIUCAC 2023) and secured fourth and seventh places out of 2,500 student entrants from across the UK.
The final round was held at the London offices of corporate law firm Travers Smith LLP on the 29th November 2023, which saw 24 finalists deliver client pitches, engage in a commercial negotiation and present an 8-minute speech on a topical issue in front of both senior associates and partners of global law firms.
Kashvi Grover, from Mumbai in India, was selected as one of the top 6 competitors who were then tasked with delivering a case study presentation in front of an audience of 70 people. Kashvi placed fourth overall and won a place on the assessment centre for a vacation scheme at the global law firm Ashurst LLP, as well as £100 amazon voucher and additional opportunities at the law firm.
Speaking about the experience, Kashvi said ‘This accomplishment would not have been possible without the solid foundation and critical thinking skills that I have honed at the University of Kent. I appreciate the challenging assignments, insightful feedback, and overall enriching learning environment that our University continues to cultivate.‘
Kashvi has since undertaken the assessment centre at Ashurst LLP and has secured a summer vacation scheme offer from them.
Aarian Gosal, from Gravesend in Kent, placed seventh overall and won a week’s work experience in one of four UK offices of the international law firm Trowers & Hamlins LLP.
Professor Rosemary Hunter KC (Hon.) FAcSS congratulated both students, adding that ‘it a wonderful achievement and we are all very proud of you. Thank you, too, for the acknowledgement of the support and guidance you’ve received from the University and the Law School. We very much appreciate your feedback and are very pleased to see such tangible results of our efforts.’
Kashvi’s success follows a 12-week summer internship programme at the multinational financial services company Allianz Commercial’s London offices during Summer 2023, where she worked within the company’s claims department. Kashvi explains that ‘as a first-year student, it was difficult to find law-related work experience, but I was determined to enhance my overall portfolio and therefore challenged myself to apply to related fields. My efforts came to fruition as I later learned that I (along with 6 other interns) secured a place on the internship despite competing against a pool of over 4000 applicants. The internship was an invaluable learning experience and I gained indispensable skills that I am eager to apply in my future pursuit of a career as a solicitor. Again, securing this role would not have been possible without the fantastic advice, support and workshops on CVs and employability provided by the Careers Service at our University.’
Kashvi added that she ‘looks forward to continuing to build on the foundation that the University has helped me establish as I navigate further opportunities to accelerate my career growth.’