Rebecca St. Requier | Vice President Financial Services, Investment Bank

Rebecca St. Requier is a Vice President GCS at Barclays. After working in music and video production in the UK and US, she retrained as a Corporate Lawyer and has not looked back. She tells us how studying with us set her up for success.

There’s a misconception that law is an elite profession, only open to certain people in society. Actually, to pass the educational and employment hurdles required you need to demonstrate knowledge and competency. That isn’t to say that there isn’t cronyism within the law, there is some, as with any other profession.

I came from a family of filmmakers. So I set up a business doing live music events in the United States, while also trading. I then returned to England and moved into music video production during the garage era in the early noughties. After that, I retrained in corporate law. I started in private practice and then moved over to in-house work. This excites me – I love working with financial entities with global footprints.

I got my first legal job through meeting a lawyer on the bus. If you think about it, a considerable number of people work in settings that are either directly or indirectly related to law - the likelihood of meeting a potential colleague is quite high. I would urge students to be open to opportunities as well as ideas and to stay curious about yourself and your surroundings.

Increasingly, law firms and companies don’t just require good qualifications; they want to invest in a person. You must create a brand for yourself with recruiters. The University of Law offered the whole package in terms of giving knowledge and providing introductions to firms and recruiters. I fully utilised all the opportunities that the University’s services made available to their students. For example I utilised the course material via audio which for a variety of reasons was my preferred method of learning. This was particularly convenient as a mother who had limited time to study while taking my kids to the park. The University provided me with excellent alternative methods of studying and the vital support I needed in all aspects of my life and career.

We are also living in an era when dealing with the psychological and political landscape in your workplace is as important as technical skill. Competitive and aggressive behaviours in the workplace are on the rise. I was fortunate enough to find a mentor in Monica Meade, who taught me how to navigate this with positivity and by shifting the focus back to myself. She is an inspiration and is now head of global at one of the world’s most recognisable brands.

For students, excellence and good grades are the first stepping-stone.  Make sure you try to get a First Class LLB and a distinction at LPC because it will help get your CV lifted out of the pile. Most importantly, have faith in the face of challenge and always look for solutions.

Originally published in 2021. Last updated in 2025.

If you would like to follow in Rebecca’s footsteps and ensure you're set for success, take a look at our range of postgraduate courses.