Lavanya Dev-Kauffmann

LLB, 2025, Josephine Butler College

I will start pupillage at 42BR Barristers in 2027.

Looking back, Durham gave me the academic rigour and the extracurricular platform I think are essential for a career at the Bar. Seminar discussions and formatives pushed me to take positions on live legal issues and defend them. This meant that when interviewers asked me to argue for or against something, I had real debates to draw on. Outside the classroom, I found my footing through the Bar Society, where I ended up as President, and through mooting, from internal competitions to the Vis Moot. I used these experiences to develop the practical advocacy skills required for a career at the Bar.

The Law School’s support, through the Bar Society, in pairing students with practitioner mentors was a standout for me. My barrister mentor gave me experience-based guidance that no careers handbook could replicate, along with practical insight including how to prepare for pupillage interviews.

My advice to those considering Law at Durham is to try everything, even if you are not sure if it is for you. I came across the Bar Society in first year, entered a novice mooting competition almost on a whim, and everything just clicked. Even my specialism was something I only discovered in second year by taking a wide variety of modules. Durham gives you so many opportunities to explore; the ones that end up mattering most are often the ones you least expected.