High Sheriff offers inspiring words to law students on first University visit
- High Sheriff Neil Hart spoke to ambitious law students from University of Chichester about reaching higher-levels of legal profession
- Queen’s representative recently retired from corporate law and shared his experiences
- University’s law degrees cover seven core areas which prepare students for the Solicitors’ Qualifying Examination
Aspiring lawyers from the University of Chichester have heard first-hand about what it takes to reach the highest levels of the legal profession from the Queens’ representative for West Sussex.
High Sheriff Neil Hart Esquire, himself a former solicitor, offered the students encouraging words of advice on starting out in the competitive sector. The Royal appointee, who was once a partner at prominent law firm Thomas Eggar, was making his first visit to the University for the event, also attended by pupils from colleges across the UK.
Mr Hart said: “It was a privilege to meet the students who were all very engaging and optimistic about their futures. This is my first visit to the University and, from what I’ve seen, it’s evident that there is a great atmosphere for learning and support, and everyone is very positive.”
The office of High Sheriff is an independent royal appointment for a year. Its origins date back to Saxon times, when the Shire Reeves were responsible to the king for the maintenance of law and order, and for the collection of taxes.
The University of Chichester’s three-year LLB Law degree covers seven core areas which prepare students for the Solicitors’ Qualifying Examination, including Public, Criminal, Tort, Contract, Land, and EU law, alongside Equity and Trusts.
Final-year student Ayo Adegbite, who is hoping to work in family law, said: “The High Sheriff was inspiring and his advice relatable, which was taken well by the class. It’s given me the push to start a master’s degree in law so I can develop my skills.”
Undergraduate Antonina Li, in her first-year of the degree, added: “It was interesting to hear from someone who has such great experience in corporate law, and his words gave me good vision for my own future.”
As part of the visit, the High Sheriff met with Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane Longmore. who spoke about the University’s plans to further develop its law courses to open more opportunities to students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Find out more about the degrees in law at the University of Chichester.
