1. Madam, please introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a Barrister from Bangladesh. I got called to the Bar of England and Wales in July, 2019 after completing my Bar Professional Training Course from City University of London. Before that, I was doing my LL.B in BPP University through a partner center, LCLS (South) in Bangladesh. I have just completed my Masters from the University of Cambridge specializing in Commercial Law and I am looking forward to joining a Commercial set in Bangladesh.
2. What inspired you to choose law as your career?
As far as I can look into the past and remember, its funny how I never even considered anything else as my career. It was very early (I think grade 8 or 9), when I decided that if I get an education, it will have to be law. I guess I have always wanted to choose a career that is more hands-on. Working on different cases will definitely provide me with that opportunity. Another aspect that really fascinated me towards this area was courtroom advocacy. I was very intrigued by criminal trials. Thus, I decided that it will have to be law.
3. Tell us a bit about your study time during college life.
I completed my LL.B from BPP University through a partner center in Bangladesh. The name of my local institution was the London College of Legal Studies (South). The main advantage of the course was I was getting a UK law degree although I was physically present in Bangladesh. My degree was a four years degree and split into three-level (Level 4, Level 5 and Level 6). It was relatively easier during the first two years since Level 4 was split into 2 years. However, the most challenging part was when we reached Level 5 which was 3rd year of our university. We were studying some of the hardest module within a very short time frame which made it harder. As we got accustomed with the pressure, Level 6 was a bit easier in terms of academic pressure. However, that is when most of the students make their Bar application. So, that added a bit of extra difficulty.
Apart from the academic studies, we were provided with the opportunity of mooting for two consecutive semesters in our second year of studies. We had mostly done criminal appeals at that time which was very interesting. I also participated as a volunteer in some of the events arranged by my institution. Overall, it was a really good experience.
4. What areas of law fascinated you the most?
I think over time it has changed a lot. From my LL.B till my BPTC, I was very much interested in Criminal Law and Financial Crime. During BPTC, I enjoyed Criminal Advocacy the most. However, later on when I decided to do a Masters, I decided on something completely different and chose commercial law. I think one reason behind that was I really enjoyed doing Banking and Finance Law. Currently, my areas of interest are International Commercial Law (focusing on Conflict of Law) and International Financial Law.
5. Do you think that Mooting, Publication, and Internship are important in law student’s life?
It actually depends on individual students and what they want to do after completing their education. As a student, I was very clear on what I wanted to do (litigation). Hence, mooting and internship was of utmost importance to me. On the other hand, I did not focus much on academic writing or publishing. Even during my Cambridge degree, I was not much involved with publishing. Nevertheless, it is very important for students who want to build their career as an academic.
With that being said, all of them are very important in a student’s life. Law as a subject is way more than just academic knowledge. Mooting, publishing and internships will provide the students with the experience and extra knowledge they need in order to build a career in law.
6. Did you ever had an internship experience during your college and how much internship is important for a law student?
I actually had two internships. The first one was with Gray’s Chambers in Dhaka for three months. The second one was a mini-pupillage with Crown Court Chambers in the UK right after my BPTC. The two experiences were completely different. In the first one, I was doing a lot of drafting etc. In the second one however, I used to shadow the counsels to the court and different conferences and observed their advocacy. I think these two internships really helped me to make a choice on what area of law I wanted to practice in. Also, internships are very important in order to understand the workload in this profession and what this profession demands from you. So, I will definitely recommend doing one or two internships during LL.B in order to make an informed choice.
7. What should be the prime concern of a law student?
To be very honest, an LL.B is not a very easy course. It requires a lot of dedication and perseverance to even complete a law degree. With the number of lawyers increasing in our sub-continent, it is very important to stand out and bring out something different which will make a student valuable to any firm, university or their respective employer. This can be different for different students. For example, I knew I wanted to complete a Masters from Oxbridge or Ivy Leagues before going into practice. So, my primary concern was getting the requisite grades and also, some experience through internships etc. For some students, the primary concern is completely different. Some may stand out with a lot of internships or through mooting or some other extra-curricular activities. But what is important is to have a very strong profile in any of their application.
My best experience and success story so far will definitely have to be the University of Cambridge. The people who were very close to me from the time of making the application to actually getting registered at Cambridge have seen all the struggles. When I was accepted at Cambridge, I was still doing my BPTC. My scholarship was announced exactly 5 days before my deadline of acceptance at the University of Cambridge. As a word of encouragement, the only thing I will say to law students is to keep ongoing. No matter how hard things look, if someone is working hard, things will work out in one way or another. At the end, all the struggles will be worthwhile.
9. Tell Us About Your Experience at Cambridge. How Would You Say Is It Different from an Indian and Bangladesh University?
In one word the whole Cambridge experience was “amazing”. There is no single thing that makes Cambridge different from any other university. First, the pool of opportunities is extremely wide in there. From participating in moots to working in a different journal; Cambridge provides all of those opportunities. Moreover, Cambridge is still one of the few universities which has a collegiate system. It makes the whole community extremely warm and welcoming. From the College tutors, staff to students, you get the opportunity to meet and become friends with people who are probably studying and researching something completely different to yours. Since I was in a post-graduate course, I shared the class with some of the best graduates of the world. One gets the opportunity to learn and contribute through interactions with professors and classmates as well. Within a span of nine months, I noticed a change in my thinking and writing pattern which I am sure will help me in career afterward.
10. Students can Often be Indecisive About the Courses They Want to Take for Their Masters. How Did You Make This Decision?
I have to admit it was not a very easy decision. I had some rough idea about the area I wanted to specialize in. So, I started by looking into the course content, past papers, examiner’s report etc. Cambridge also runs a subject forum where the module convener speaks to us about their course. That also helped me to make a choice about my modules. Lastly, it is important to sit and audit different lectures. One does not have to decide very early and can pick at a later point in Cambridge. I myself dropped one module after the first week and started on another. I think that should be a good way to pick the module one wants to study.
