Keele Law People: Diane Atherton

My interest was first drawn to Keele University by its colourful prospectus and beautiful campus, which led me to enquire more about the actual university.

The main thing that drew my attention apart from its outstanding research ratings and reputation when applying for my law degree, was the unique structure of the degree, which gave me the opportunity to study another subject alongside the law modules in the first year. I chose to study a selection of philosophy modules, which not only proved to be very interesting, but also taught me valuable skills, which could be transferred to my main study of law. For example, I took a module in Critical Thinking which has greatly helped my legal academic writing, sharpening my abilities to structure and dismantle arguments.

Looking back at my three years in Keele, I have thoroughly enjoyed my law degree. The law modules themselves were diverse – from my experience most students found an area of law that they developed a passion for! For me, one of the striking things about the law school which made my time at Keele enjoyable was the way the teaching was set out. The lecturers are always helpful and it is a fantastic experience being taught by a specialist in the field of study. I found the lecturers at Keele to always be very passionate and enthusiastic about their own areas of teaching, and enthusiasm which is slightly contagious! In the seminar groups, the lecturers would encourage us to get involved in critical reasoning of the law, and give us valuable advice in preparing for exams or assignments. I have always found the law staff very approachable and friendly, which made it so much easier to as for additional support when I needed, advice which they were more than happy to give whether it is for an assessment or references and job applications.

I came to Keele with aspirations of becoming a lawyer and have had chance to compete in ‘mooting’ and ‘client interviewing’ competitions which gave me a taste of life as a lawyer. Throughout my degree, my career plans have changed and I would now like to continue my studies at postgraduate level studying Social Research Methods a different university, before returning to Keele to continue onto a PhD.

I remember the amount of anxiety I felt when choosing my Universities on my UCAS application, but I have had a fantastic time reading law here and I can look forward to graduating in July knowing I made the right decision.