Meet our Trailblazers - Solin Rasouli

By Abs Wilson. Published 07 September 2026.

What inspired you to study an undergraduate law degree?

I still remember what it felt like, as a child, trying to make sense of forms and processes I didn't understand, with no one around to explain them properly. That's where my interest in law actually started. Moving to the UK and growing up navigating a new country and an unfamiliar system gave me an early, first-hand understanding of just how deeply the law shapes people's lives, from the decisions that affect a family's future to the everyday systems people rely on to be treated fairly.  

I saw how much it matters to have access to the right information, the right support, and someone willing to explain a process that can otherwise feel overwhelming and out of reach. It made me want to understand how the law works. 

It's a big part of why access to justice means so much to me today. I understand, in a very personal way, what it feels like to be on the outside of a system trying to find a way in, and that has shaped my belief that everyone deserves to be heard, understood, and treated fairly, regardless of their background or circumstances. 

Why study at The University of Law? 

When it came to choosing where to study, I knew I wanted more than a degree that lived only in lecture theatres. I wanted a university that would help me understand how the law works in practice and prepare me for the realities of the legal profession from the very beginning. That was exactly what attracted me to The University of Law. Its practical approach to teaching, together with modules such as Access to Justice in Legal Services, allowed me to keep engaging with the issues that first drew me to law, while the wider course still gave me room to explore other areas I was curious about. 

Looking back, I know I made the right decision. I've always believed that university is what you make of it. For me, earning a degree was never going to be enough. I wanted to leave university knowing I had challenged myself, made a positive contribution to others and taken every opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.  

The University has supported that mindset by providing opportunities to engage in pro bono work through the Small Business Advice Line, participate in University initiatives and connect with legal professionals and fellow students. It also gave me the confidence to seek opportunities beyond the classroom, including my legal placement with Appeal and gaining first-hand insight into the courts through marshalling. 

How have your ambitions changed since you started University? 

When I started my LLB, I was fairly clueless about what building a legal career actually involved I mostly thought a legal career was something you arrived at by finishing a degree, without really grasping what it would mean to work with real people, real clients, and real responsibilities. 

I began applying for opportunities I would previously have talked myself out of, attending networking events and taking on ambassador roles. Not every application was successful, but each experience taught me something new. More importantly, they exposed me to different areas of law, different working environments, and different ways Legal Professionals make an impact, giving me a much clearer understanding of what a legal career actually looks like beyond the classroom. 

Alongside this, I've discovered interests I never expected to develop. Writing has become an important part of how I engage with law. Having several legal articles published has shown me that legal knowledge isn't only valuable in practice; it can also be used to make complex issues more accessible to a wider audience. That's something I had never imagined doing when I started university. 

I've also become much more resilient. University has taught me that pursuing worthwhile opportunities inevitably comes with setbacks. Looking back, though, those experiences have often been the ones that have taught me the most. Rather than seeing them as reasons to step back, I've learned to treat them as part of the process, using them to improve, build confidence, and keep moving forward.  

If there's one thing university has changed most, it's the way I think about ambition itself. I still want to qualify, but I no longer see that as the finish line; it's one part of something bigger.  

Who has had the biggest impact on your experience at The University of Law? 

During my time at The University of Law, two services have had the greatest impact on my experience: the Pro Bono team and the Careers and Employability team. 

The Pro Bono team has genuinely shaped my university experience. It was through this that I was first introduced to opportunities such as the Legal Clinic and insight events, and it also helped connect me with my placement at Appeal. Having so many opportunities available through one service made it much easier to step outside my comfort zone, build new skills, and continually challenge myself throughout my degree. 

The Careers and Employability team has been equally valuable. I have regularly used the Employability Portal to explore opportunities and resources, and I have also benefited from one-to-one support. Whether reviewing my CV and applications, discussing career plans, or receiving tailored advice on different opportunities, the guidance has always been practical and constructive.  

Both have played a significant role in shaping my university journey and preparing me for a career in law. 

The person who has had the biggest impact on my experience has been Amanda Crutchley, Head of Pro Bono and Supervising Solicitor. Throughout my time at University, she has been a constant source of guidance and support, always taking the time to offer advice, answer questions and encourage me to make the most of the opportunities available. 

One of the things I’ve appreciated most is that Amanda has consistently recognised my commitment and looked for ways to support it. There have been several occasions where she has recommended me for opportunities, offered me places at external events, or simply taken the time to talk through a question or concern and help me find a way forward. I particularly value the practical way in which she supports students’ efforts, ensuring their hard work is properly recognised. 

When I look back on my time at the University, many of the opportunities and experiences that have shaped me were made even more meaningful because of Amanda's encouragement and guidance. Her support has had a lasting impact not only on my university experience but also on the confidence with which I now approach my future career in law. 

It also feels incredibly important to mention the impact of my family - none of what I've shared here happened without them. Long before any of this became something worth writing about, they were there through every rejection, every late night and every moment of doubt, quietly supporting me without ever needing recognition for it. They didn't always understand the specifics of what I was applying for or why a particular rejection stung so much, but they showed up anyway and that mattered more than they probably realise. 

What helped you overcome setbacks during studying?

At the start of University, I struggled with a strong sense of imposter syndrome. Surrounded by students who seemed far more confident and certain of their path, everything felt new and unfamiliar. I often assumed that others naturally knew what they were doing while I was still figuring things out. It took talking to other students more openly to realise that this wasn’t actually true; many were experiencing the same doubts, just not always showing it. That shift changed how I saw myself. 

What shifted my mindset was gradually realising that uncertainty wasn’t unique to me. The more I pushed myself to attend events and take on different opportunities, the clearer this became. Through conversations with other students, I began to understand that many people were navigating the same doubts, even if it wasn’t always visible, as some were simply better at hiding it. 

That shift also changed how I responded to rejection. A no stopped meaning you’re not good enough and started meaning not this time, try again. Rather than stepping back, I kept engaging with opportunities despite the setbacks, and over time that built genuine resilience rather than empty confidence.  

Tell us about your recent accomplishments and what they mean to you.

Looking back over the past year, what I'm most proud of isn't any single achievement, but how much I've grown by choosing to say yes to opportunities I would once have talked myself out of.  

One of the highlights of the year was receiving third place in the Students' Union Undergraduate Volunteering Award. That recognition meant a great deal to me because it reflected the time and commitment I had invested in pro bono work and supporting others throughout my degree.  

Another milestone was being selected for the Aspiring Solicitors Aspire 2026 Programme. Knowing how competitive the programme is, being offered a place gave me confidence that the effort I had put into developing professionally was paying off.  

This year has also given me the opportunity to explore different areas of legal practice. Through my placement with Appeal, I gained valuable insight into access to justice and the work involved in challenging wrongful convictions. I have also been selected for the Government Legal Profession's Diversity Summer Scheme, which will provide exposure to legal work within central government, alongside an upcoming in-house placement with Clasado Biosciences. 

Alongside these experiences, I have been appointed Head of Marketing for the Young Professionals Society at ULaw Bloomsbury, a role I am looking forward to taking on as it reflects trust in my ability to contribute to strategy, communication and outreach within a professional student-led environment, skills I know will carry directly into my career. 

What first motivated you to apply to work with Appeal, and why was this opportunity particularly meaningful to you? 

Before applying to Appeal, I had been reading about cases of wrongful conviction, particularly Andrew Malkinson's case. Learning about what he had been through made me stop and think about how devastating a miscarriage of justice can be, not only for the individual who has lost years of their life, but also for public confidence in the justice system. It reinforced the idea that justice doesn't always end with a verdict. 

What drew me to Appeal most was how closely its work aligned with values that have become increasingly important to me throughout my legal journey. Through my volunteering and pro bono work, I've seen how much of a difference it makes when people have someone willing to listen, understand their circumstances and help them navigate the legal system.  

I also know what it feels like to be on the outside of a system, hoping to be heard and given a fair opportunity. Although that's obviously very different from the experiences of Appeal's clients, it has shaped how I think about fairness. It's made me appreciate the importance of taking the time to listen rather than making assumptions, and that's one of the reasons Appeal's work resonated with me so strongly.  

What impact do you hope your work with Appeal will have on the people and communities it serves? 

One of the things I came to appreciate during my time with Appeal was that even the work carried out behind the scenes can have a meaningful impact on someone's life. Part of my role involved corresponding with applicants at different stages of the case assessment process, including processing case enquiry forms and preparing correspondence. It would be easy to view these as purely administrative tasks, but I've come to understand that for someone appealing a wrongful conviction, often after years of feeling unheard, the way that communication is handled matters enormously.  

My hope is that every person I corresponded with felt they were treated with the seriousness and respect their circumstances deserved, not simply processed. 

Beyond these tasks, I hope my work contributes to the wider purpose organisations like Appeal exist for: making sure that a conviction being difficult, old, or already exhausted through the usual channels is never a reason for someone to be abandoned by the system. I think about how easy it would be for cases like these to simply be forgotten, filed away because they're complicated or because the person fighting them has no one left to turn to. I hope that being part of Appeal's work, even in this early stage of my career, means one fewer person falls into that gap. 

I hope that the work I contribute helps protect the public's confidence that the system can be trusted to put things right when they've gone badly wrong. 

How are these experiences outside the classroom shaping the kind of legal professional you hope to become in the future? 

My experiences outside the classroom have shaped my understanding that becoming a successful legal professional requires much more than academic ability. While my studies have developed my legal knowledge and analytical skills, my volunteering, pro bono work, and practical experiences have shown me something no lecture could. 

Appeal taught me that professional responsibility isn't really about the big, dramatic moments; it's about the ordinary ones. A rejection letter. A form processed a day earlier rather than a week later. Multiply that across years of someone's life spent waiting to be heard, and those small things stop being small. That's reshaped what I think good legal practice actually looks like: not just legal knowledge, but genuine attentiveness to the person on the other end of every piece of paperwork. 

Shadowing solicitors through the Small Business Advice Line showed me a completely different side of practice, commercial and copyright work, real client problem-solving in real time, and it reinforced something I've come to believe strongly: that I don't want to commit to one narrow area of law before I've genuinely experienced what different areas actually involve day to day.  

Writing and publishing legal articles through Record of Law has shaped a different part of who I want to become professionally: someone who can take complex legal issues and communicate them clearly, not just to other lawyers, but to a wider audience. That skill, translating complexity into clarity, is going to matter in whatever area of law I end up in. 

How can you balance studies around other commitments?  

Balancing my studies alongside volunteering, leadership roles, legal experience and networking opportunities has taught me that maintaining a steady life balance isn't about trying to fit everything into every day; it's about planning ahead, being adaptable and recognising that different weeks require different priorities. Learning to adapt my routine rather than follow a rigid schedule has been one of the most valuable skills I've developed. 

To stay organised, I use both a physical planner and my phone calendar to manage long-term deadlines and day-to-day commitments. At the start of each week, I map out lectures, coursework deadlines, volunteering commitments, networking events and any applications or projects I'm working on, so I have a clear picture of where my time needs to be focused.  

When coursework deadlines lined up with placements, volunteering commitments or events, I had a choice: try to stretch myself across everything and do all of it less effectively or be honest about what needed my full attention and temporarily step back from the rest. I chose the second option, and it completely changed the way I think about balance. I've realised that balance isn't about doing everything at once; it's about knowing when to pause something, even if it's an opportunity you enjoy, so you can give your priorities the focus they deserve. Remember: it's okay to pause something, even something you care about, if it means doing your priorities properly rather than everything half-heartedly. 

What one piece of advice would you want someone reading your story to take away?  

If there's one thing I'd want someone reading this to take away, it's this: don't let rejection, or that nagging feeling that you don't quite belong, convince you to stop trying. 

I know that feeling well. Throughout University, there were times when I genuinely believed everyone around me had everything figured out while I was still trying to find my feet. Coming to the UK as a child and learning to navigate systems that weren't built with me in mind taught me early on that nobody was simply going to hand me a place at the table. Along the way, I've faced more rejected applications than I can count. There were moments when I took those rejections personally, wondering whether they meant I wasn't good enough or simply wasn't cut out for a career in law. 

Looking back now, I can say with real confidence that they never meant that. What changed things for me was reframing rejection as information rather than a verdict. A no doesn't mean never; it just means not this specific door, not this specific time. 

So if you're reading this while questioning whether you belong or recovering from a rejection that hurt more than you'd like to admit, my advice is simple: keep going. Learn from every experience, keep putting yourself forward, and trust that one setback doesn't define what you're capable of achieving. You never know which application, conversation, or opportunity will change the direction of your journey.  

Mine started with an application I almost didn't submit. Yours could be the next one.

When you picture your future, what do you see?  

Looking ahead, I’m excited about continuing to grow, both as a law student and as someone still discovering where my experiences can take me. My immediate focus is on making the most of the rest of my LLB, continuing to gain practical legal experience, and seeking opportunities that challenge me to step outside my comfort zone. 

If I'm honest, I don't picture my future as one fixed destination, and I've stopped seeing that as something I need to fix. I used to think not having a clear five-year plan meant I was falling behind. Now, I believe it simply means I am staying attentive, allowing my genuine interests to shape my direction rather than deciding too early and forcing myself into a fixed box. 

Looking furthest ahead, I hope to become a legal professional who combines ambition with purpose. A big part of my journey has been learning to believe that I belong in spaces I once felt were out of reach, and I hope to use that experience to encourage others who may be beginning their own journey.  

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