Gabriella Deegan

LLB 2026, Hatfield College

My Durham degree gave me both the academic and personal skills needed to succeed in the graduate recruitment process. Regular small-group tutorials pushed me to engage critically with complex questions, explain my reasoning clearly and develop confidence in defending my views. Being taught by leading academics, many of whom had written the materials we studied, was particularly inspiring, and their approachable office hours allowed me to deepen my understanding further. Durham also fosters a particularly strong and supportive law community. Studying alongside ambitious, like-minded people encouraged me to aim higher, while the collaborative culture meant there was always someone willing to offer advice or support during a demanding degree. I met people who believed in me a lot more than I often believed in myself which is a particularly uplifting feeling.

Durham also offered countless opportunities to develop skills that employers value. Serving as the compère for the Durham University Charity Fashion Show, Europe’s largest student-led fundraising event, gave me the confidence to speak in front of large audiences, think on my feet and engage with people from all backgrounds; skills that have been invaluable during interviews and networking events. Being involved in college netball, the Law Society and the Negotiation Society also enabled me to work effectively within teams and further develop my communication and advocacy skills.

I found the employability support at Durham to be incredible in a very tough job market. It was instrumental in helping me secure my training contract with Linklaters, one of the ‘Magic Circle’ law firms.

The weekly employability course encouraged me to engage with the application process from the very beginning of my degree, giving me a significant advantage over many students who started much later. It taught me how to build a strong CV, write effective cover letters and understand the graduate recruitment process, allowing me to improve with every application cycle.

The Careers Service’s one-to-one mock interviews were invaluable in developing my interview technique, particularly for competency and HR-style interviews.

Beyond this, the Law Society regularly hosted leading law firms for dinners, presentations and skills workshops, providing opportunities to learn directly from trainees and partners, refine my commercial awareness and gain a much clearer understanding of the firms that were the right fit for me.

My advice would be to say ‘yes’ to as many opportunities as you can. Whether it is joining a society, attending a networking event, taking on a leadership role or applying for a vacation scheme, every experience helps you grow. Durham offers an exceptional range of opportunities, but it is up to you to take advantage of them. Looking back, the experiences that challenged me most ultimately became the ones that helped me secure my training contract. Durham’s small size also creates such a strong sense of community. More than anything, I will miss leaving my house and being forced to stop every few minutes to say hi to someone I know.