Current MA Law student Eugenie O’Sullivan joined our Leeds campus in 2019 and aspires to follow in her father’s footsteps to become a qualified solicitor with a shipping firm. We talked with Eugenie to discuss her ambition and learn how ULaw is supporting her every step of the way.
By Cara Fielder. Published 21 August 2020. Last updated 9 March 2022.
I chose to study at The University of Law because of its long-standing reputation for training excellent lawyers. It has graduated many successful solicitors which makes me certain that the University supports my ambitions. I chose to study at the Leeds campus because of the vibrant city-centre location; you’re studying among the city’s biggest firms and banks – a great motivator just by looking out of the window.
Ambition to me is the way that our mind keeps us going through challenging times to work towards our ultimate goals. It can be something personal and small, as well as professional and seemingly far to reach. But ultimately, ambition is what pushes us to achieve.
My career ambition is to work internationally using my language skills to create opportunities and build strong client relationships. I hope to qualify as a solicitor in a shipping firm and travel the world doing what I love. My ultimate goal is to make partner and work on superyacht projects.
On the academic side, I achieved 11 A* results and this has helped me gain opportunities on my path to higher education. Aside from that, I can now speak four languages to a high level thanks to my time at the University of Leeds. Finally, I fulfilled a long-term personal ambition of volunteering abroad for an NGO that aids Syrian refugees in Lebanon by providing education and summer activities. This has all led to my ultimate goal – I have succeeded in finding a training contract with my dream firm.
Before deciding on a career in law, I actually wanted to be a surgeon. I enjoy the progression aspect of both careers; in fact, progression and climbing the career ladder while doing something so intellectually challenging every day is what I was looking for in a vocation. Realising that my passions and skills lie more with communicating with clients who are actually conscious, led me here. But I’ve always kept the same ambition to challenge myself, and law is undoubtedly the right choice for me.
During my undergraduate degree, I was involved with Model United Nations. The preparation and research we had to undertake for every debate made me want to pursue a career in which I could construct informed, careful yet impassioned arguments to achieve a diplomatic solution. A career in law is full of conflict, and my experience with debating has definitely given me a taster of what it’ll be like as a litigator.
My dad is my main source of inspiration. The way he builds relationships and creates his own opportunities is something I hope to achieve one day in my own career. He studied for a law qualification and ended up in the same industry that I’m hoping to work for. I’ve basically copied his journey but I’m fine with that. He makes me want to be the best version of me, while also being kind and staying true to myself, so I count him as the best role model I could have.
In terms of personal skills I’ve learnt at ULaw, I will take away a new-found resilience and a thicker skin when it comes to managing stressful situations. I will also take away a heightened feeling of accomplishment and confidence; having been a part of such a challenging course, I’ll always give myself the credit I deserve for keeping on track. In terms of practical skills, I’ve developed a great system of organisation and time-management. The course demands that you organise yourself well to keep up with the workload which will no doubt come in handy during a big case.
I’d advise any new students at ULaw to make sure you don’t lose sight of why you’re here. It will be challenging but at the end it’ll become the most rewarding experience. Keep your end goals in mind with every prep task, every lecture and every revision session you do to motivate yourself to push harder and achieve your best.
A lot of us on the MA course share the same goal: to be happy with the career we ultimately choose. We support each other’s ambition just like we would support our own. It makes learning so much more fulfilling when you know that everyone is working towards a similar path and encouraging each other’s goals at the same time as their own.
In five years I see myself qualified as a commercial lawyer, working within a successful shipping and international trade firm while fulfilling my potential. I imagine myself using my undergraduate degree in languages throughout my work to build solid client relationships and set myself aside from my peers. Most of all, I see myself collaborating with interesting and inspiring people.
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