Toju Adelaja Common Law LLB 2022 Graduate: Trainee Solicitor, Clifford Chance

Tell us about your current position, and your career journey since you graduated from the School of Law at the University of Glasgow?  

I’m currently a trainee solicitor at Clifford Chance in London, in my second seat. I graduated from Glasgow in 2022. After that, I took a (much needed!) 6 month break from studying, before starting my LPC (Legal Practice Course, sort of like the English version of a Scottish diploma), which was combined with a masters in Business Management in January. As my firm sponsored this, they opted to put me on the accelerated 6 month course, rather than the year long LPC. I then started working at the firm in September 2023.

 

Tell us a little bit about your experience as a student at the School of Law at the University of Glasgow? What did you enjoy most about being a law student at the School of Law?  

I was in a unique position while at Glasgow, as I was part of the very first Common Law cohort. It was great being able to have our smaller common law classes then still have the larger shared lectures and tutorials with the Scots law students. It was a great balance of small, intimate classes that allowed for close discussions with tutors and the typical university experience of large lectures and classes and being able to meet lots of people. 

 I think what I enjoyed the most about being a Glasgow student was how much I could really make my degree my own. I got to choose some pretty cool law and non-law electives, from intellectual property to French and History. I felt like my degree made me a very well rounded person, which primed me well for a career in corporate law

 

What achievement in your legal career are you most proud of so far? 

My proudest achievement is being able to work on a pro bono matter which involved preparing a country of origin memo that would go to the Home Office in support of an asylum claim. My firm offers the opportunity to contribute to these, which led to a successful outcome for the applicants. 

 

What one piece of advice would you give to our current law students? 

Focus on yourself! Law tends to attract  competitive personalities, but remember everyone’s path and careers are different. Try not to look at the paths others have taken and carve out your own.