Amy Simpson

Which high school did you attend? Presbyterian Ladies College, Sydney

Which degree are you studying? What year are you in? Fourth year, B.A Communication (Social Inquiry)/LLB

What led you to choose UTS for your studies in Law? After speaking with professionals in the field of law, it became clear to me that a law degree from UTS was held in high regard. While the law faculties at many universities are known to adopt a very theoretical approach, UTS:Law is renowned for offering its students a practical focus designed to ease the transition into the law profession. As such, I am confident that upon graduation I will be equipped with the skills to enter the workforce and run a successful legal practice from day one.

What influenced your decision? The culture at UTS appeared to be one of cooperation rather than individual competition. As this kind of culture is suited to my personality, I felt it would assist me in achieving the best results and understanding of the course content. 

Furthermore, the available electives and structure of the core subjects appealed to my interests and learning abilities.  This included the strong focus on seminars in the initial core Law subjects (perspectives on law, legal method and research, criminal law and torts), as well as assessment structure.

How have your studies at UTS helped you in finding a career path? UTS:Law offers not only extensive coursework opportunities, but a variety of extracurricular activities.  For me, the ability to participate in mooting competitions run by the Faculty made me realise my passion for litigation-based work – something towards I was very apprehensive before commencing my studies.

Additionally, lectures and tutorials conducted by a wide variety of legal professionals – including academics, current and former barristers, solicitors and judges – have provided me with invaluable knowledge about the many different career paths available to law graduates. These experiences have prompted me to develop career goals based on the knowledge and experiences of others.

How has your learning experience at UTS prepared you for your career? Aside from providing me with a knowledge base to work within the legal industry, my experience at UTS has imparted me with the skills to know where to find information in circumstances where the answer is unknown to me. It has also imbued me with skills which fall outside the focus of law, but which are imperative to legal practice, such as deadline and communication management.

What sets UTS students apart in your field? I frequently hear from practitioners that if you want a law student who can tell you the history of a legal rule you look for a USYD or UNSW student, but if you want a student who will apply the legal rule you look for a UTS student.  What I have consistently noticed and heard is that UTS students have the skills to commence legal practice from the day of graduation; this means employers spend less time teaching the fundamentals upon graduation and spend more time up-skilling and refining the skills already learned during a student’s time at UTS.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your degree? Why? The challenge that each law subject brings.  Nothing in the law is straightforward, so the sense of achievement you feel when you correctly answer a problem question, or discern the ratio of a 100+ page judgment, is immeasurable. I have never worked harder than I have since I began studying law at UTS, but I have never resented that.

What sort of work do you hope to be doing after you graduate? I would like to be working as a solicitor, after which I will seriously consider the possibility of moving to the NSW Bar.

What is the most useful thing you have learned from your degree so far? To date, legal research skills have been the most useful thing I have learned from my degree. What you are taught in law school are the fundamentals to the various areas of law, but are by no means the complete topic. 

Legal research has given me the ability to know where to look to uncover information which I have not been taught. This skill has been transferable across all of the various employment areas with which I have been involved.

Has anyone in particular at the University had a significant influence on your studies? The students at UTS have had the most significant influence on my studies.  At UTS the students are willing to assist you whenever and wherever they can.  This means that on a number of occasions we have brainstormed and debated out difficult problems and essay questions, and have taught one another things which simply could not have been understood through lectures.  This camaraderie has added a new dimension to classroom learning, and I have certainly understood a lot more as a result.

In the academic sphere, UTS:Law lecturer Sally Varnham inspired me to get involved in mooting after conducting a series of moots in her tutorials.  Without that initial push I would have been reluctant to get involved at all, and certainly would not have explored my passion for courtroom advocacy.

What would your advice be for someone who is looking at studying Law at UTS? Look not only at the law program, but the double degree combinations available.  Also try and speak with a current or graduated UTS:Law student and ask about their experiences to see whether UTS:Law is the type of learning environment which would best suit you.

Is there anything else you’d like to add about your experience at UTS:Law, or the University as a whole? In my experience, UTS is a fantastic university with a very practical approach. The University encourages a cohesive environment based on cooperation rather than competition, and constantly encourages students to work together to achieve the best results possible. The campus also offers a number of extracurricular opportunities, and the layout of campus encourages students from different faculties to interact and exchange ideas.