Rohini has been awarded a Cassel Scholarship worth £4.5k by the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn. The award also includes free admission to the Inn, reduced qualifying session fees and no call to the Bar fee. We caught up with her after she graduated this summer for an insight into her experiences. She also shares some useful advice for other students keen to pursue a career at the Bar…
Congratulations Rohini! Can you tell us about your experience of the scholarship interview – were you interviewed by a panel? Can you remember what they asked you?
I had my interview in February in person. I was interviewed for 20 minutes by a panel of three barristers. They asked me questions about why I chose to study law and why I want to become a barrister. I was asked to tell them about an area of intellectual property law I found interesting and why as I mentioned I was studying it in my application. I was also asked about the arguments I made during a moot on defamation and invasion of privacy which turned into a question on what I would argue as counsel for the Duchess of Sussex in her case against the Mail on Sunday due to the similar circumstances of the cases!
I was questioned on a legal issue of my choosing which was unconscionability in equity. It was inspired by one of the topics in the Equity and Trusts module questioning whether equitable doctrines and remedies help or hinder gender equality. It was a surprising area of interest for me considering how complex and abstract the law of equity can become! However, I think my genuine interest in the topic and the advocacy skills I developed through mooting helped me tackle the panel’s challenging questions in a clear and concise way.
How do you think your experiences at Kent Law School helped prepare you for the application process and interview?
I had numerous opportunities to participate in mooting both internally and externally. I participated in moots as part of the immigration and asylum law society and through the extra-curricular Mooting module. I also did a moot as my assessment for the Critical and Legal Reasoning module which massively improved my written and oral advocacy. As a result of getting the top mark in the module, the module convenor recommended I participate in the Essex Court Chambers mooting competition which was my first external moot. These experiences improved my confidence and significantly developed my advocacy skills. As a result, I was able to think critically about unexpected or challenging questions asked by the panel and provide coherent and well-reasoned answers.
I got two mini-pupillages through the Law School’s Employability Officer, Jayne Instone, which were important in demonstrating my commitment to the Bar. As a result of these experiences, I have a better understanding of the role of a barrister and the skills required for a successful career at the Bar which came across at the interview.
I received a lot of advice on preparing for my interview thanks to KLS’s connections. A KLS alumnus, Guevara Leacock, gave a presentation in early October about Inns scholarship applications and specifically gave details of his Lincoln’s Inn interview. This was extremely useful in understanding what the panel would be looking for in my answers. I was also able to contact another KLS alumnus, Stuart Snow, to get advice on how to approach some of the questions and the level of detail I need to be prepared to go into when giving answers.
Have you always wanted to be a barrister?
Yes, I have always enjoyed doing advocacy which is one of the main reasons I want to be a barrister. I really enjoyed participating in mock-trial and debating competitions while I was at school. As a result, I jumped at any opportunity to do mooting once I started my degree. After thoroughly enjoying the process of formulating and presenting arguments (and winning Best Mooter!) in my first moot, I was completely sure that I wanted to follow the barrister route.
How did it feel when you heard the news that you’d been successful?
I felt incredibly proud to be able to start calling myself a Lincoln’s Inn Scholar and could not stop smiling for the rest of the day! It’s an amazing feeling to know that the Inn saw potential in me and are willing to support me in my journey to become a barrister.
What are your plans after graduating – where will you be doing your Bar Professional Course (BPC), which field of law do you think you’d like to specialise in?
I am starting the BPC LLM at the University of Law in September. Currently, I hope to specialise in chancery law as it covers areas of law such as equity and trusts and company law which I enjoyed studying during my degree.
What advice do you have for aspiring barristers?
My advice is to keep an open mind when you start studying law. This applies to areas of law you want to specialise in, the way in which you develop your skills and gain advocacy experience, and people you network with, because you never know where an opportunity can arise from.
I also recommend taking advantage of all the extra-curricular subjects, volunteering and work experience that Kent Law School offers because they are invaluable experiences when demonstrating your enthusiasm for the law and capability to become a barrister.
Find out more about studying a Law LLB degree at Kent Law School