More about Andre
I have so many great memories from NTU, going out on the town - be sure to visit ‘The Salutation’ and ‘the Angel’. Above everything else, graduating was the proudest moment of my academic life. The graduation ceremony was amazing. I did not believe I had done it until I received my certificate. It was surreal graduating with people in the crowd screaming “woohoo Daddy”.
My greatest achievement at Nottingham Law School was graduating with a 2:1 and completing my degree in Three years.
I am glad that even though I was a distance-learning student I was able to attend teaching weekends where I could meet other students and lecturers.
With some distance learning courses, it is easy to feel isolated and that no one else is going through the same challenges as you. Having time to visit Nottingham and the campus was hugely beneficial.
As a father and husband with a full-time job, I had no choice but to do the course part-time. Nottingham Trent University gave me the choice on how quickly I wanted to complete the course. I took a huge risk and did my degree in Three years. Although it was intense, I still managed to do it and get a great result.
I found the course beneficial as it fit around my lifestyle and circumstance. I do not feel as though I was disadvantaged in any way, as I still had to attend lectures, meet with lecturers and spend time in Nottingham.
The most obvious benefit to studying distance learning is the flexibility of studying between three and six years, making the course as intense as you want it to be. The course structure takes into account your circumstances and I believe the lecturers and the university are sensitive to that.
There is a lot of support available and it is easily accessible. I think doing a distance-learning course teaches you discipline, dedication and a sense of independence. You do not have lectures every day so when you do have lectures you make the most of it.
As a distance-learning student, you are more aware of deadlines and so you have to sacrifice certain things. This might mean not going out every weekend because you have an essay or revision to do, but these skills will serve you better in your career.
I knew I always wanted to study law and have a career in law but I was not sure in which area. Studying this degree has helped me to decide the areas that I am most interested in.
Some areas of law are often considered too text heavy or boring, such as intellectual property. Coming from a performance background, I was interested in this area and whilst it does have some heavy topics, my tutor made it an engaging and exciting area of law for me. I had a newfound passion for a particular area of law and I achieved a First Class mark. This helped me to shape my current career and move into a senior role dealing with copyright and trademarks.
The online learning platform NOW is a great online system. It had everything I ever needed in one place. It was straightforward to navigate around and all the materials were easily accessible. Having the library link on there without having to log in to every database was also very convenient.
The Employability team were very good at informing me about various opportunities, in particular a scholarship opportunity which I then applied for. They helped me deal with assessment centres and create a legally focused CV.
I chose to study distance learning with Nottingham Law School so I could study whilst working and raising a young family. I work for a distance-learning provider but I chose to study with NTU because of its reputation and the feedback I had come across.
My job title is Senior Library Manager (Intellectual Property). I work as part of the Content, Licensing and Intellectual Property (IP) team leading on IP strategies and advice for the organisation. Our team manage reputational, financial and legal risk to the organisation, which arises from copyright or trademarks issues. We also negotiate and acquire third party content and I manage the performance of the team.
I was working for my organisation whilst studying with NTU and I was making various career moves whilst studying. Once I graduated, I tried to find legal opportunities at work. I moved into the library services as a Licensing and Acquisitions Assistant before successfully securing a senior management role.
In my current role, I enjoy the fact that I am able to use parts of my degree in my work. I feel like my degree is not just a piece of paper but it has given me a set of skills which have helped me to further my career.
I enjoy my current role because I have the ability to make high-level decisions on strategy, create policies and lead a big team in a large organisation. I get to work with external partners such as the BBC and I have the opportunity to expand my network of people.
If you plan to be a Solicitor or Barrister, use your time at NTU to gain as much experience as possible.
Take advantage of things such as legal clinics and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. Get involved in mooting and debates, visit real courtrooms when you can and look for work experience. These experiences will give you the edge when trying to show your commitment to being a lawyer. I went on to do the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) so there are further opportunities there but if you do it now it will not come as a shock later on.
The most useful thing I learnt during my time as a student is – never spell judgment with an ‘e’ after the ‘g’ and the ‘v’ in a case citation is not versus (you will be marked down for it). But seriously, use your time wisely. Plan your time and reflect on what you learn.
The main thing I realised about the experience of studying and being in the legal profession is simply that, anything is possible. No matter the hurdles, no matter my circumstance and no matter my background. NTU helped me achieve something I never thought possible and now I am working in a career, which I never imagined I would have.