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Law School Bulletin: September
Welcome back to the Law School! I would like to start by congratulating you on the successful completion of your programme so far. You have now reached the pivotal moment in your academic journey with us as you begin the final stages of your law degree. I am fully aware that this brings with it a range of emotions, ranging from joy and excitement to – perhaps – anxiety and doubt. During this year, you will be grappling with the challenges of managing your academic studies. Many of you will also be proactively thinking about what to do next as a career. We are all here at Exeter Law School to support you throughout this year so remember to reach out to your subject academics, your academic tutor and the Employability team if you need support.
You will also have the thrill of exclusively studying the modules you have chosen so make the most of this by attending classes, discussing with your subject academics and your peers, and engaging in legal and critical thinking. Seize every opportunity to learn, meet new people, and build friendships. Be kind to your peers and support one another as you go through this year together.
This is a very exciting moment in your student life and it is a real pleasure for us to welcome you back to Exeter Law School. Have a fantastic first term!
Caroline
Welcome back from your DESEs
It is our pleasure to welcome you back for your new academic year. We are the new Directors of Education and Student Experience for the Law School.
Our role is to ensure your programme runs smoothly, that the school promotes the highest levels of rigour and inclusion, and that you are supported to achieve your potential. We welcome feedback from you on any aspect of the student experience at any point in the year.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with the various services of the University to support you and your goals. We’d also encourage you to promise yourself that you will get to know your personal tutor this year; this is your personal connection with the academic staff of the School – the person who will champion you in your academic and professional life.
One of things we want all students to be mindful of is the need to plan for the completion of assessments. Normally there are two opportunities to complete a module. The first sitting of an assessment can take place mid-term (e.g. a piece of coursework), or during the January or May exam periods. If, come the June exam board, a student has not yet passed the module, they can be referred or deferred to the second sitting (in July/August) in one or more of the assessments. If you ever feel too poorly, or are facing other adverse personal circumstances that can affect your ability to fairly perform in assessment, please contact the Amory Info Point and ask about mitigation. But please do not assume that you can complete your assessments at a later date without having the matter confirmed by the Amory Info Point first. We are seeing an increase in the number of occasions where students simply did not submit their work at all, nor apply for mitigation, assuming (mistakenly) that they could trail their exam into the next academic year. This won’t be possible, so please come forward if you are experiencing any difficulties.
We wish you every success on your academic journey, and we look forward to supporting you and celebrating your achievements.
Richard Bowyer & David Yuratich
Student Stories
We love to hear about the different activities, projects or side interests you have whilst you are studying law. Do get in touch with lawcomms if you have a story to share. Recently we've caught up with 2nd year student Sameera Jalan who set up a business supporting women in her community called Pinthread, and fencing student Jack Courtney.
MyExeter App
We now have one app for everything to do with life on campus. You can see your timetable, access student records and your University emails as well as find and book study spaces. Download the app via the App store or Google Play. You can also use the desktop version.
Spotlight on Pastoral Mentors
You may be aware that the Law School now has two Pastoral Mentors to support you with anything you are worried about. Sarah Street and Jay Ford are located in Amory 103H with an open door policy. They host a Wednesday afternoon drop in and have in-person/Teams availability. They are able to help you find the right support and to listen to your concerns. Do speak to them if you have any challenges or queries, as they're here to help and offer non-judgmental support.
"Sometimes adjusting back to University life after the summer break can be a difficult navigation. You may also feel a sense of overwhelm as the new academic year rolls around and new challenges appear. As Pastoral Mentors we're here to help you navigate any challenges through this new academic year." Sarah and Jay
You can book to see them in person or remotely: law-pastoral@exeter.ac.uk. Sarah and Jay have years of experience helping with student wellbeing and will endeavour to find you the right support and guide you as a first step.
Your Voice
Course reps are part of your Students’ Guild. They are your voice - passionate about representing you and making sure your views are shared with Uni staff. Get in touch with them and they can represent your views at the termly Student Staff Liaison Committees (SSLCs). Discover your Law School reps on the button below.
Opportunities and Events
Once again in this newsletter we'll be highlighting some employability and career development events. In between editions you can keep updated via the Opportunities page. It's easy to find via our Linktree.
Competitions
At the beginning of term we invite all students to take part in different Mooting competitions. Taking part develops a wide range of skills which will help your career and personal development. Through competitions such as Client Interviewing and Negotiation you will develop many interpersonal, research and personal skills including building rapport, information gathering, bargaining, ethics and self reflection. These are open to different year groups so take a look at the Opportunities page for the details. Please be aware there are different deadlines to express your interest.
Student Start Ups
Got a great idea, but not sure what to do with it? The Student Start Up Programme supports current and former students to explore, test and validate any kind of entrepreneurial ideas. If you're interested and want to meet like-minded student entrepreneurs they host workshops at the Innovation Centre. (25 September and 7 October). You can also get inspired at their 'Dragon Slayers Talk' on 2 October. Find full details of events on Handshake and via their webpage here.
Campus Ambassadors
Different law firms have Brand or Campus Ambassadors. These positions are held by current students to provide other students with insights and opportunities organised by these firms. If you are one for this coming year email lawcomms so we can add your details to the Campus Ambassadors section of the webpage here. On there you can see that Gabriele Palinskaite has just taken up the role with Clyde & Co and Watson's Daily.
Your Wellbeing: Getting Advice and Support
Every stage of your University programme brings a range of different challenges, personal and academic. We want to ensure you know where to go to get the best support for you or someone close to you.
For everyday queries about student life and your studies, the team at Amory Hubs/Info point can help you. Full details of all Hubs on campus are here.
If you would like to reach for more personal support, or guidance for a friend our wellbeing pages have all the information you might need. with a term-time live chat facility 2-4pm weekdays.
Our Socials
Meet one of our new academics: Oles
"As a new member of staff, I would like to welcome you at the beginning of the new academic year.
Let me also briefly introduce myself. I teach and research a truly fascinating topic: digital markets and competition law. I currently conduct several projects aiming to understand how much BigTech online platforms control our economic and social life and how much they limit effective competition in digital markets.
It is a really amazing area, which often reaches the headlines of the most impactful media – and of course I always find inspiration from students: who could understand better the latest trends in the digital economy than those who "think" and "breathe" digitally.
I look forward to meeting you at Exeter and let me invite you to join our Digital Markets Research Hub – a YouTube channel which I have created two years ago to interview the most impactful lawyers and policymakers in the area of digital markets: https://www.youtube.com/@digital.markets
I select the guests very carefully, inviting only those who a) have something interesting to say and b) can say it interestingly.
I take this channel primarily as a self-learning project: asking the most knowledgeable people about the most advanced problems in the area. By learning myself, I also hope these conversations will be of use for some of you too.
Also, please feel free to reach out if you are interested in doing research in this remarkable, rapidly expanding and so promising from the perspective of employability area of law."
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER LAW SCHOOL
If you would like to see previous editions of the bulletin, they sit on our WordPress site here. And if you have any suggestions for future editions, or would like to share a story with us, please email lawcomms@exeter.ac.uk. Fin
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