Dan Hedley, LLB Law: LSBU "providing excellent support to mature students"
Academic excellence
"I chose LSBU for a number of reasons, not least its reputation for providing excellent support to mature students and those with unconventional academic backgrounds. But the deciding factor for me was meeting teaching staff at one of their open days I attended prior to enrolling. At the time, they struck me as knowledgeable, approachable and willing to engage with students. I am happy to say that my first impression was correct."
Dan graduated with a first class degree and was delighted to be awarded the Faculty's Executive Dean Prize for outstanding academic achievement and the Lexis Nexis Law Prize for best graduating student.
Head-start at work
For Dan, two things in particular stand out from his time at LSBU. Firstly, he found that although LSBU's LLB course is a qualifying law degree with all the technical nuts-and-bolts law you'd expect, the essence of the course lies not in force-feeding information to students but teaching them to think like lawyers; to appraise, to question, and to evaluate. Secondly, throughout the course he found the focus was always on solving practical problems, an approach which has given him a significant advantage over many of his peers on the Legal Practice Course.
From strength to strength
Dan went on to complete the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law with a view to qualifying as a solicitor. He secured a training contract with Clifford Chance LLP, a member of the 'Magic Circle' of leading UK law firms.
After working with them for several years he joined Thomas Eggar, a prestigious London based law firm. He is now a Partner at Irwin Mitchell.