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Early Careers Series: Jadesola Odukoya talks to Legal Women about her career aspirations as a young Law Student.
Why Law?
I believe Law was the right Course for me to study at University, because the Law has an impact on everyday life and in society. I chose Law due to the variety of career opportunities available to someone with a Law Degree. Even if I decide not to become a Barrister or a Solicitor, there are other opportunities where I can use the legal knowledge I will have acquired from my law degree. For example, Civil Servant, Lecturer or Mediator.
On the 15th of August 2024, I received my acceptance to my first choice of University on Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), University of Essex. It was a blessing from God that I was accepted, but I was not as ecstatic as others would have thought. This is because, on the same day, I had also received my A level results, and I was devastated. I had higher expectations for each subject, but I had not done as well as I hoped. Though I had not actually failed, it felt as though I had. In one of my subjects, I achieved a grade two grades lower than what I was predicted, and it felt horrible.
Some may question “If you got into the University then why would it matter?”, which is understandable, as A levels are what helps you get into University, but I worked and studied at home, in the local library and at school interventions. It seemed as if all the effort I put into my exams had just gone to waste as I did not get the grades I wanted. Though my A-levels were not a total success this was obviously not the end, as I did still end up at the University of Essex Studying Law by God’s grace.
First Year Law
As a first year law student, you’re sometimes reminded that you’re only in your first year of university and it does not count, and sometimes you are told to take first year seriously and to ignore those that say not to.
My first year of law school was most definitely difficult. Though some aspects of the law were within my A level; English Literature, Politics and Sociology syllabus, I had never studied actual law and therefore it was a challenge. I had a very difficult time understanding the content and keeping up with the amount of reading, and tutorial tasks were never an easy thing. I went to the Lecturers, Tutors and attended the law skills sessions to seek additional help and I do not regret this. One lecturer sat down with me during a Law Skills session and guided me through Criminal Law problem questions which helped me understand the Issue Rule Application/ Analysis Conclusion (IRAC) structure a lot more. These Lecturers advised me to come to them for assistance if I found myself struggling. The Tutors also went through the PowerPoint slides with me, explaining them in more depth. This helped me and gave me a deeper understanding of the content.
First year I do believe is very important, as it is where everything starts and even though your first year grade does not count to your final grade, you get to learn from the mistakes you make and how to prevent them in the Second and Third year where the grade does count. I thank the Lord for those who I sought help from in the Law Department. This gave me more confidence to ask for help whenever I do need it.
Second Year Law
In my Second year of Law I will be studying Tort, Equity and Trusts, Legal Research Skills, Law of the European Union, Justice, Public International Law, and Comparative Law. I plan to revisit my lecture notes after the lecture and then do the tutorial work right after to prevent myself from falling behind and having to consistently catch up.
I also plan to do more reading during my second year, as this informs one about the topic on a deeper level. Even though we are provided with a huge variety to read before the Tutorial, it still is important to gain extra knowledge that will help me excel in my second year.
Additionally, I intend to study with my friends who are also studying Law and to attend more Law Skills sessions.
Ladies In Law
When people talk about the impact of the Law on women, it can be negative. Which I do understand, because there were times women had their disadvantages in Law and due to the Law. But within my early Law experience, I believe that Law has brought out a sisterhood and has brought me closer to other women that are also studying Law. Though Law is competitive, the ladies in law that I spent some time with did not view me as their competition, but rather as more of a companion.
The women who I conversed with were happy to help and encouraged me to go to them if I did need help. Surrounding myself with ladies in my first-year law class has helped me realise that I am not alone in this law journey. I believe it is important to have female friends who study law if you are a woman in her first year of law school, including friends in second and third year as their experience as a lady in law can help with yours. I still remember when I was on a call with my former manager and teacher from the Organisation of Young Africans, (OYA), and she insisted I contact an older student who had graduated.
Although this student was a few years older than me, and I hadn’t spoken to her in a long time, she did not hesitate to help me. I thank God that I also received guidance from female law students in the second year and above who understood the difficulty of law. The women in law that I know have truly helped me become the woman in law I am now. Though the law has impacted women in difficult ways I believe it has also impacted women in positive ways and has a way of uniting women.
What I plan to do next
As law students we are always encouraged to have extracurricular activities, work experience and much more. So far, I have completed some online tasks Forage, completed the Lloyds Bank virtual work experience that was sent to the law students, and attended networking events to increase my connections. I intend to join more law involved societies, increase my network and gain more work experience.
My Aspirations
As mentioned before, I chose the Law because of the variety of job opportunities I will have available to me. I intend to explore what I can do with my law degree and have not yet decided what career I want, and I may even want to step out of the traditional choices of Solicitor or Barrister. I have considered roles such as; Civil Servant, Mediator or a Lecturer.
By the grace of God, I will succeed in my legal journey and in life.
Jadesola Odukoya
Law Student-University of Essex
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jadesola-odukoya-52700835b/
September 2025