Olly Dockray

LLB, 2026, University College

Studying Law at Durham, though crucial to developing such skills, extends significantly beyond the academic rigour and hard skills anticipated prior to starting university. Being in an environment with intelligent, aspirational people all driven to achieve their goals allows you to immerse yourself in striving towards your own targets, and helps strengthen a self-belief that they can be achieved.

While at first committing to ambitious goals appears daunting, it becomes more tangible when surrounded by many others united by their intentions to succeed and positive mentality towards achieving success. It is difficult to replicate this without the unifying factor of studying law at Durham, making the degree so special. I came to university as someone who had barely left West Yorkshire let alone ventured into London or the corporate law world, meaning there was a steep learning curve on top of learning the fundamentals of law within my degree! Nevertheless, being surrounded by like-minded, ambitious people encourages you to believe you can achieve whatever success looks like to you. The problem-solving, analytical skills developed academically combined with the social and soft skills developed external to the degree content collectively shape you into a well-rounded individual capable of achieving your goals.

Durham was also crucial to my employability. As mentioned above, I arrived at university unaware of the breadth of careers available in law, and particularly the world of corporate law. The absolute best thing any aspiring lawyer can do in Durham, outside of studying hard, is getting involved in the Durham Law Society. The events they organise with law firms in my experience have been invaluable to understanding what corporate law actually is, the type of work they do, the different sectors that corporate law involves, and how to acquire a job in law. Attending law events was a scary prospect initially, but they have been incredibly helpful in securing internships and a training contract. The networking events, dinners, legal talks and whatever else is available reinforce the soft skills necessary to succeed on assessment days and as a lawyer, and I would highly encourage others to attend events wherever possible! Within the Durham network there will most likely be someone readily available to speak to about your career ambitions.

I am now looking forward to starting my training contract with Freshfields in 2028.

My advice to those interested in studying Law at Durham: Do it! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my degree, both from an academic interest standpoint and from the perspective of developing skills and knowledge that have helped me secure a training contract. The best thing anyone can do is get completely stuck into it. Studying Law at Durham will be a challenge, but it is one that can be tackled with dedication. It provides invaluable rewards. The career opportunities stemming from the degree are countless, and the skills you reinforce will stick with you long after university. The Durham Law network is immense, providing you the resources to truly explore your interests and career progression.