Final year law student Maria-Teresa Uyai Ekuwem was one of several Kent Law School students who were selected to represent the University of Kent at the Kent Junior Lawyers Division (KJLD) Summer Party. For Maria-Teresa, the evening offered more than an opportunity to network, giving her valuable insights into routes into the legal profession and greater confidence as she prepares for life after university.
*As a third-year law student approaching the end of my degree, the question of “what comes next?” is becoming increasingly real. I know that gaining experience, building confidence and developing a better understanding of life in practice will all be important as I prepare for a career in law.
For me, that means being intentional about seeking opportunities to meet legal professionals, learn from their experiences and build a network. So when I heard about the Kent Junior Lawyers Division (KJLD) Summer Party at Balfour Winery, I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend.
Held on 30 July 2026, the event was much more than an evening of networking. For me, it offered practical advice about entering the profession, reassurance about the routes available to students and, perhaps most importantly, a reminder that confidence can grow through conversations.
Finding a sense of community
The evening began with a welcome from KJLD President Jordan Ismail, setting a warm and friendly tone for the event.
What stayed with me most was the sense of community that followed. I spoke particularly with Jordan and KJLD Vice President Jessica Munday, who both took the time to check in with me throughout the evening and make sure I felt comfortable.
That might seem like a small gesture, but when you are attending a professional event where you do not know many people, it can make a huge difference. It showed me that networking does not have to feel transactional. The right conversations can make a professional environment feel much more accessible.
Learning about routes into practice
With the vineyard setting and live music providing a relaxed backdrop, the most valuable part of the evening was the opportunity to hear honestly about different routes into the legal profession.
Jordan and Jessica spoke about their experiences of entering practice, including the potential value of working as a paralegal before securing a training contract. They also discussed the importance of building a reputation within a firm and making your contribution visible to colleagues.
Jessica also offered practical advice on preparing for interviews. She stressed the importance of researching a firm properly: understanding its values, practice areas and what makes it distinctive, rather than relying on generic answers about why you want to work there.
Another point particularly resonated with me: choose a practice area that you genuinely enjoy. A career in law can be demanding, so finding an area that interests you matters.
Understanding the paralegal route
One of the most useful parts of the evening was hearing directly from people working in different roles.
Chloe Payne, Jane Stanton, Michaela Porter and Lily Adamou shared their experiences of working as paralegals and in private client practice. They discussed the steps they had taken, what firms tend to look for and how to judge when you are ready to apply for opportunities.
For me, their advice was reassuring. As a student who is thinking carefully about the next stage of my career, it was helpful to hear realistic experiences from people who are already on that journey.
Recognising the value of experience
I also came away with a different perspective on how I present my existing experience.
KJLD Secretary Tereza Koshi highlighted the value of volunteering and unpaid roles, explaining how these experiences can demonstrate qualities such as commitment, reliability and follow-through.
That made me reflect on my own volunteering with the British Heart Foundation. Rather than viewing it simply as something separate from my legal career, I now see it as an opportunity to demonstrate the professional skills and behaviours I have developed alongside my studies.
Advice on training contract applications
The evening also provided useful advice on applying for training contracts from trainee solicitors Kendrick Taylor and Antoinette Onwona, and solicitor apprentice Callum Benson.
Their advice included tailoring applications to the individual firm’s work and values, maintaining a bank of examples that demonstrate your skills, and developing commercial awareness steadily over time.
The message I took away was that progress does not necessarily come from one major achievement. Small, consistent steps can build into something much more significant.
My biggest takeaway
The KJLD Summer Party was a brilliant evening, but what I valued most was what I took away from the conversations.
As a law student, it can be easy to feel that everyone else already knows what they are doing: which area of law they want to practise, which firms they should apply to and how they are supposed to navigate the profession.
Events like this have shown me that it is perfectly acceptable not to have everything figured out yet. Asking questions, listening to other people’s experiences and building genuine connections can help make the profession feel much more accessible.
I am grateful to JM Finn and Knights, the event sponsors, and to the University of Kent and Kent Law School for supporting my attendance.
My advice to other law students
If you are nervous about attending a networking event, go anyway – but give yourself a manageable purpose.
You do not need to speak to everyone in the room. Instead, prepare a few questions you genuinely want answered, whether about routes into practice, applications or day-to-day life as a lawyer, and focus on having a small number of meaningful conversations.
And do not underestimate the experience you already have. Volunteering, part-time work and student activities can all provide evidence of the professional qualities that employers value.
Most importantly, remember that confidence does not always arrive before you take the first step. Sometimes it is built quietly through showing up, asking questions and discovering that the people you meet genuinely want to see you succeed.
For me, the KJLD Summer Party was a reminder that a career in law can be both ambitious and supportive – and that sometimes confidence begins with a single conversation.”