A final year law student from the University of Salford has been named Future Lawyer of the Year in a national competition and has earned a training contact with a top law firm.
Targetjobs hold an annual competition aiming to find the best undergraduate students in the UK. The competition includes 12 different award categories, and each award is partnered with a leading graduate recruiter and a grand prize.
Jack Whittaker, from Bolton, found out he had been named Future Lawyer of the Year at an awards dinner in Canary Wharf, London. International law firm Clyde & Co were partners of the competition this year.
Jack won four weeks of work experience with the firm’s Data Lab and Climate Change Group, 1-2-1 mentoring with the firms CEO, and was subsequently told Clyde & Co wanted to offer him a training contract to commence in September 2023. He was presented with his award trophy by celebrity, former bake-off presenter Sue Perkins.
Jack, who will be working in commercial law, said: “It was such an emotional day from getting the train down to London early in the morning to hearing I’d won. And then being told that the firm wanted to offer me a training contract too, it was just an unbelievable day. It’s everything I wanted and more and it just makes all the hard work that I have put in worth it. My mum cried when I told her.”
Just to be shortlisted Jack had to take part in a lengthy and intense application process which involved an application with four questions, a psychometric test, two additional questions, and a final interview with two interviewees, all designed to simulate the intensity of training contract applications. He was up against nine other students, who were mainly from Russell Group Universities.
Jack added: “The fact that I have won just shows that studying Law at Salford is no barrier and should not be perceived as one. If you study really hard and take advantage of all the extracurricular activities then there is nothing stopping you achieving your dreams. The support at Salford from my tutors has been fantastic, accompanied by my own hard work and determination, has given me this wonderful opportunity.”
“It has given me added confidence in my ability to perform to a high standard and I can’t wait to get started in my career.”
The Law student feels that he has accumulated various useful extracurricular activities and has gained fantastic support from his lecturers and tutors during his time at Salford.
His tutor at Salford, Sinead Farry, said: “Jack really deserves this, he has put in so much effort in his time at Salford and that is clearly starting to pay off. He has a great future ahead of him.”
For all press office enquiries please email communications@salford.ac.uk.
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