Gianni Sonvico, UK

LLB Law student and President of the Bar Society

“I came to Queen Mary, University of London with the clear ambition of ultimately going into practice as a barrister. However, as I had never studied law and had no connections in the legal world, I didn’t have the first idea as to how to achieve this dream. I can confidently say that my first year at Queen Mary has put me on the right path. Firstly, I’ve learnt a lot about the Law this year and started to become truly passionate about certain aspects. Both of these have developed due to the brilliant lecturers and expert tutors. Being a London University means we have academics who are often also practitioners or involved in the making or evaluating of laws. This may lead to the somewhat surreal scene in which a lecturer may criticise a judgement and then mention that they’d told the judge this in person the other day! Secondly, in some ways more important than the formal part of the course are the student-run extra curricular societies. I, personally, have become very involved with the various societies supported by the department and have relished it. I’ve mooted internally, been a member of the Law Society and, crucially, become a committee member of the Bar Society. These have all been huge parts of my year and have been brilliant, as I’ve learnt from them, enjoyed them and made many, many friends through them. The amount of law-related societies in Queen Mary is one of the many features which make us stand out and are very important for anyone looking for a career, legally or otherwise. In addition, the societies are working on more and more non-law activities, such as the Law Society Football Team and departmental socials, which are great for meeting fellow law students. However, being at university isn’t just about the course you’re doing, and Queen Mary is also ideal for partying, socialising and exploring London. The campus is, as you’ll no doubt know, unique for London and provides a brilliant base camp. Sometimes I love the village-like feeling of knowing everyone in the Student Union bar, other times I prefer to go to central London where you’re anonymous. The choice really is yours!”