Melissa Campbell

Now a Paralegal and newly qualified Solicitor at the University of Derby, Melissa began her law journey by studying Law LLB at the University. During her course, Melissa gained confidence as well as a host of other skills that have proven to be essential for her career.

Melissa enjoyed her Undergraduate degree so much that she decided to return for her Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice and Master of Laws in Legal Practice, achieving a distinction in both courses.

Overcoming challenges

Before beginning her studies, Melissa found the idea of practical exams challenging. However, the law modules entailed many moots, negotiations and interviews which provided opportunities to develop. Because of this, Melissa had to confront her nerves and discovered that through careful preparation, she had all the tools that she needed to excel.

“My time at Derby has helped to build confidence, as well as resilience. The anticipation of the challenge of the practical exam remained on my mind all year round. Because of my preparations, when the practical exams came around, I found them manageable and was able to pass every single one of them. As such, I no longer focus on challenges in isolation and instead try to focus my energy on the benefits of overcoming those challenges.”

Melissa’s top tip for other students to succeed in their studies is to utilise calendars and diaries, so they can visualise their availability and block out specific timeslots for studying and revision. Melissa found that this method enabled her to get ahead of deadlines and factor in time to take breaks, supporting her wellbeing and mental health.

“I found that diarising regular breaks and occasional ‘days off’ meant that I could avoid burn out. This allowed me to completely switch off, which was beneficial to my well-being and meant that I could continue to study effectively.”

Melissa’s outstanding achievements and dedication to her studies led to her obtaining the Dean’s Award in the second year of her law degree, as well as a first-class honours overall.

Gaining workplace experience

Whilst studying for her undergraduate degree, Melissa gained workplace experience by volunteering at the Student Legal Advice Centre, as part of the Clinical Legal Skills module. This enabled Melissa to put her studies into practice by assisting members of the local community with their legal issues.

The Legal Mentor Scheme provided a further bridge between academia and the workplace by pairing Melissa with two legal mentors during her second and third year. These mentors offered advice on her CV and provided insights into the realities of working in the legal sector.

From law student to solicitor

Melissa stayed with the University to enter the next chapter of her career during the third year of her law degree by signing up to the Student Employment Agency in a Legal Support role within the inhouse Legal Services department.

Melissa believes qualifying as a Solicitor is one of her proudest accomplishments.

“I am most proud of qualifying as a Chartered Legal Executive and Solicitor in under three months of one another. This is not the traditional route to qualifying as a Solicitor, but I’m glad that I stuck to it.”

The focus of Melissa’s role is to provide legal support and advice on a practical level, to mitigate the risks to the University. Her workplace activities include training Legal Support staff, supporting and working with Legal Counsel, as well as having her own case load, including reviewing, negotiating and drafting commercial contracts on behalf of the University. Melissa also provides face to face presentations to officers of the University, enhancing the profile of the Legal Services department.

Melissa found that her degree taught her many transferable skills that have prepared her for this role. In particular, she believes that volunteering at the Student Legal Advice Centre taught her effective communication and diplomacy skills, as she conducted client meetings. She also drafted attendance notes, which required high attention to detail. Additionally, she applied her strengths with legal research, applying them to the situations at hand when providing advice in her current role.

Advice to others

As Melissa reflects on her student journey, she advises students to think outside of the box and consider alternative pathways to pursue their dreams. She also highlights the importance of gaining workplace experience whilst studying as she found this to be beneficial for preparing for the workplace.

“As a first-generation university student born and raised in Derby, it was logical for me to study at the University of Derby. Not only was this an affordable choice, but also a practical one, as it meant that I could continue to work locally throughout my studies.

It was important to me that my path to qualification evolved around earning whilst I was learning. This involved documenting my daily tasks in a Work-Based Learning Portfolio, which enabled me to qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive. As I had previously studied the Legal Practice Course full-time, I was able to qualify as a Solicitor by completing the Professional Skills Course. Therefore, I would recommend considering an earning whilst learning approach to qualifying, as I found that this was a great route into the profession.”