The third year of Durham Law School’s Employability Course was launched on Monday 6th October. Philip Bennett, Rachel Avery, and six law students, introduced the course to the new cohort during the opening lecture.
The Employability Course is a unique opportunity for Durham University’s law students to develop the skills, confidence, and professional awareness needed to succeed in the legal sector and beyond.
The course comprises a series of lectures and practical assignments designed to give students a comprehensive insight into the legal profession. Sessions cover topics such as career planning, professional skills development, and talks from alumni and practitioners providing insight into their work and the variety of roles within law. Through these experiences, students are better equipped to succeed in applications; whether for a mini-pupillage, vacation scheme, or other professional opportunity.
The six students who presented: Annabelle Martin, Aditya Singh, Sofia Vazquez Pina, Ethan Goh, Grace Robinson, and Oliver Scott were each members of one of the first ten teams to complete the Employability Course during the 2024/2025 academic year. Drawing on their own experiences, they spoke to first-year students about the value of engaging early with employability opportunities, and how participation in the course helped them strengthen transferable skills, confidence, and a clearer sense of career direction.
Speaking about her experience, Annabelle Martin said:
“The Employability Course provided me with a wealth of experiences to draw on when writing applications. From a Q&A panel with a trainee solicitor at Simmons & Simmons to a talk with a senior adviser at Travers Smith, these sessions offered practical insight into different aspects of the legal profession. The virtual internship assignment then allowed me to apply the insights I had gained from these sessions in a practical context. Overall, it was an incredibly engaging course to take part in, and it was brilliant to share that experience with first-year students, who I am sure will benefit greatly from participating in the Employability Course.”
Commenting on the launch of the 2025/26 Employability Course, the Law School’s Deputy Dean, Education, Rachel Avery, said:
"We are very proud of our Employability Course and the additional skills that it gives our students as they prepare for their future careers. It was wonderful to see so many students at the launch event on 6th October. We hope that they feel inspired by what they heard from some of the 2024/25 course finishers- the largest group of finishers since the course began."
The Employability Course is a central part of Durham Law School’s ongoing commitment to supporting students’ personal and professional development. This course gives students the tools and confidence to take the next step in their professional journeys.
Oliver Scott, in the first trio to finish the 2024/25 course, commented:
"As a first-year law student, the path to becoming a solicitor seemed daunting and the destination appeared too far off for consideration. However, completing the Employability Course allows you embark on this path, teaching you how to allocate your time effectively in the pursuit of a career in law. The great thing about the Employability Course is that it allows you to gain a unique qualification in a market saturated with aspiring lawyers. Your CV, commercial awareness and level of employability will all reach a new high. This gives you an edge which Professor Philip Bennett categorises as the ‘Durham Difference’. I urge all students to take this course now to avert the risk of feeling unprepared when application season starts – discipline weighs ounces but regret weighs tonnes!"
The Course’s leader, Professor in Practice Philip Bennett, said:
“ The creation and delivery of the Employability Course is very much a collaboration between the Law School, its main law related student societies and its students. It is not compulsory and not credit bearing. But its aim is to give our students additional resources and support to complement those provided for our students by the Careers and Enterprise Service. It is there to empower our students to “own their careers”. It is but one part of what I call the ‘Durham Difference’. “
Find out more about Durham Law School here
Image caption: Left to right: Oliver Scott, Annabelle Martin, Aditya Singh, Sofia Vazquez Pina, Ethan Goh, Grace Robinson