To celebrate 150 years of legal education we’ve reached out to our students, past and present, and asked them to share their stories and memories from their time with us.
We recently spoke with two sets of graduates about their time with us. Alison and Molly, mother and daughter, and Graham and Dallan, father and son, studied their respective law courses simultaneously and made their time with us a true family affair.
Edited by Grant Longstaff. Published 4 August 2026.
How would you describe your time with The University of Law?
Alison: I really enjoyed the entire experience. It wasn’t my first degree, and I had other universities to compare it to. I have a number of degrees, and I really appreciated the nurturing environment of The University of Law. I had an excellent tutor, and the ability to study remotely and be flexible around work was a real incentive for me to choose this course.
Molly: I studied Criminology and Social Policy with the University of Nottingham prior to studying with The University of Law. That was a full-time, in person degree. The ability to study my Master of Laws degree remotely meant I could work and have flexibility to achieve my goals. I found the degree particularly enjoyable. I too felt very supported, particularly by my tutors and the student services team who were always on hand to answer any questions.
I was apprehensive but the experience was far better than I had anticipated. I can't reiterate enough how good the support was, I felt confident from the start that I would leave the course with a good result and I did.
Graham: I’d always thought I’d like to study law. As a doctor, I’d taken part in numerous set piece academic adversarial debates at conferences and loved the process. I thought a new career as a barrister might be an interesting challenge. I found the whole experience very enjoyable and stimulating. Despite being a generation older than the other students, our group integrated well. The tutors told us we were about the most engaged and interactive group that they taught.
Dallan: I had a great time during my law conversion course. I thoroughly enjoyed the interactive lessons and how we were encouraged to share our opinions on different aspects of the law and contentious issues we were studying. I made good friends with my classmates and took full advantage of the advocacy competitions and moots run by The Bar Society, winning the former and finishing runner up in the latter. It was me deciding to do a law conversion course that inspired my dad to also do one.
How do your experiences compare?
Alison: Molly and I talked a lot about this. We both feel very strongly that we were nurtured, though we both drew different personal experiences. I also think our jobs impacted the way we felt about our studies, although both experiences were very positive. Molly, perhaps, enjoyed her experience slightly more than I did, but only because I had a very high-pressure, full-time job to fit my degree around. The point where I was researching and delivering my dissertation, focusing solely on that particular element, I found particularly enjoyable.
Graham: I’d begun academic life as a mathematician but forsaken a university career to train in medicine. After retirement from my work as an NHS consultant physician, I felt my brain was ready for a new challenge. I’d foolishly imagined ‘modern degrees’ might be a bit lightweight. I’m glad to say I was very wrong. The course was rigorous and truly testing. It stimulated bits of my brain medicine had neglected.
Dallan: I think it's fair to say my dad spent far more time studying than I did. However, we both worked very hard during our courses.
How was graduating at the same ceremony?
Alison: It was lovely for us both. Again, we both talked a lot about this. We’d had individual experiences with other universities. Our family went along to cheerlead Molly when she graduated, and my husband and children have been incredibly supportive of me during my academic journey.
This particular experience was lovely because we walked across the stage within moments of one another. We supported each other studying through a pandemic, whilst also trying to get a pro bono legal service off the ground together and run a legal chamber. Molly is an integral part of the work we deliver to domestic abuse victims and it was a particularly special moment to see how far we have both come.
Molly: I've always been really close to Mum. We have been through so much together, so this was such a special moment for us to share.
Graham: Fantastic. I was so proud of my son and felt really privileged to share the day with him. We finished our courses together and therefore graduated together. I’m proud to say both with distinctions.
Dallan: It was a very nice day out with the family; it isn't every day that you graduate with your Dad.
Have you learned anything from one another’s experience as a student?
Alison: Most definitely. Molly is one of five adult children who are either going through or have been through university and each have had a very different experience. Molly is my second daughter to study with The University of Law. My daughter Annie is a current Law student. It's a real family tradition.
Watching your child study alongside you, you can understand both sides. I've been able to support both my daughters through their degrees. You want the very best for them, so I've learned to listen to when they are struggling. To steer and guide, but also let them make their own choices.
Molly: Resilience. My mum is open about the fact that she is also a disabled student. It has never impeded her from working full-time, delivering charity projects and working with the United Nations and UK government. Throughout all of this she has studied and that has taught us to face challenges with positivity and not to allow anything to impede your expectations or your desire to have a better future.
My mum would say whatever else she is in life, she is a mum first and foremost, and I know she always tried her best to give us the best support that we could possibly have as students. Our little family is very close and nurturing, so support generally was and will always be abundant.
Both of my parents are lawyers and studied at The University of Law. I think that influenced my siblings and I in a great way. My mum has used her career to support our career choices as well. She is a UN Woman, so we've been able to attend things like the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women for the last two years and understand how our careers in law can support women globally. My mum also encouraged our careers in the Civil Service so I would say my parents have been a huge influence.
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