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Nottingham Law School student receives Commercial Awareness award

Nottingham Law School (NLS) student Ayomide Oluyemi is placed 21st at the British Inter-University Commercial Awareness Competition 2022.

    BIUCAC is the largest commercial awareness competition in the UK. The competition was set up in 2020 with the purpose of levelling the playing field by providing a platform for non-Russell Group Law Schools to showcase their students' talents to leading law firms.

    The competition consisted of five rounds, ending with an in-person final held in the Fieldfisher LLP office in London.

    "Commercial awareness is a subset of general awareness. For example, a family solicitor would want to know about recent changes in divorce laws. Commercial awareness is more applicable to lawyers interested in the corporate field." said Ayomide Oluyemi, an LLB (Hons) Law Student at Nottingham Law School.

    Ayomide is from Nigeria, and in his third year of study. When asked why he chose to study at NTU and NLS, he stated  "NTU is an epitome of diversity and that much was clear on viewing the school’s website. They are accepting of, and accustomed to different nationalities and culture. The Law School has a strong reputation for educational standards and robust candidates. The unique pro-bono law service offering: NLS Legal, was a major draw and I am proud of my contributions to the service. The major investment in facilities and incredible student experience ratings solidified my resolve to attend NTU."

    We [Nottingham Law School] have a growing and active Commercial Awareness Society that welcomes visits from alumni in the corporate world. The British Inter-University Commercial Awareness Competition (BIUCAC) was well-promoted, and God helped me to become one of the winners.

    Ayomide was awarded with the Freshfields prize consisting of a meeting with the graduate recruitment team, a one-to-one call with a partner and a one-to-one call with a trainee.

    Ayomide spoke about the support available throughout his study: "I would speak to my personal tutor. NTU also has a welcoming Health & Mental Well-being Team. As a CERT Mentor, I also represent a point-of-access to my first-year mentees. Any job concerns are adequately handled by the Employability Team. There are also comprehensive disability services. Student card, financial issues and even visa concerns are competently handled by Student Services. These can be accessed virtually by the StudentHub website or even a quick trip to the Newton building. There is no issue too cumbersome. NTU students are given exceptional support."

    He passed on his top tips for academic success:

    • Complete seminar preparation every week is the elixir.
    • Use OneNote.
    • Take formative assessments seriously and use feedback to improve.
    • Learn time management early and voluntarily.
    • Get LexisNexis and Westlaw advanced certifications. It also teaches you to like research.
    • If you have strong interest in an area of law, then go with it.
    • Seek genuine understanding.
    • Put yourself out there, the world is probably better for it.
    Published on 16 January 2023
    • Subject area: Law, criminology and justice
    • Category: Nottingham Law School