Liam Fairgrieve
UTS Law was particularly known for its practice-based teaching and learning methods
Before starting at UTS, ...
I was a high school student at Normanhurst Boys' High School. Rally 'Hurst!
I wanted to study law because...
I have been fascinated by systems of law and the bodies politic which both make and are shaped by the law for as long as I can remember. The concept of "justice" holds great rhetorical power, but its realisation in any given case is far more complex and contentious. I have always admired how the law uses the steady formulaic application of statutes and decades of interpretive precedent, and adds to that a nuanced consideration of the specific factual circumstances of a case, so as to provide our society's best approximation of that concept of "justice". I have also always admired all of the people whose job it is to get us there, and so it followed that I wanted to become one of those people.
I decided to study at UTS as I...
was intrigued by the unique position of UTS as both an established university with a reputation for quality and simultaneously as a young and dynamic institution focused on giving its students a strong practical education, unafraid to try new and innovative ways of teaching and learning. UTS Law was particularly known for its practice-based teaching and learning methods, while UTS was widely seen as the best and most well-connected university in Sydney for my other degree. Generally, all of these good reputations have held true during my time here thus far.
The most rewarding part of my law degree so far has been ...
twofold: firstly, when I finally understand a seemingly impenetrable piece of content, and am able to recite it in its full and proper legal context from memory; secondly, when I can actually understand and appreciate the logic behind the law, seeing a statute or a judgement from a public policy perspective and comprehending its real-world application.
On practical experience placements/extra-curricular activities, I’ve gained…
not only a valuable knowledge of the law in a real-world setting complementary to its curricular teaching, but, perhaps even more importantly, an appreciation for how workplaces (both legal workplaces and otherwise) function and how teams can co-operate professionally and effectively to produce outcomes that are greater than the sums of their parts.
Looking forward, I hope to become …
a solicitor initially, later moving to the Bar (and perhaps ultimately to the bench, but that's a dream many decades away from any potential fulfilment).
My advice to future law students is …
to persevere when things seem desperate, to be patient with your own learning, to show humility (because I guarantee that you will have great cause to be humble at some point in your degree), and, above all else, to always act in accordance with those values which pushed you to study law in the first place.
