Adelina Maghet

LLB Law with Politics (2021)

Adelina is currently completing her LPC MSc before starting her training contract with Clifford Chance in August 2023. She talks about what led her to choose this role following her studies at Manchester.

My current role and how I got there

I worked as a Dispute Resolution paralegal on various matters for City firms throughout the final two years at university. Upon graduating, I was a management consultant within the asset and wealth management industry, working for large investment banks and pension funds on strategy and outsourcing projects with an international aspect.

Recently, I have decided to return to law, so am now completing my LPC before training at Clifford Chance.

My experience at Manchester

I was attracted by Manchester’s friendly reputation and had heard many good things from older friends who had chosen Manchester as well. I knew I wanted to go to a university that combines academic excellence and an active social life so UoM was one of my top choices from the start.

I used my time at UoM to discover more about the type of work I find most enjoyable e.g., taking a student advisor role at the Legal Advice Centre or chairing the Pro Bono Society, and quickly realised I enjoyed the client interaction aspect of my extracurriculars. Being very active within the Law Department, I got to experience a variety of aspects of the law, from justice reform and miscarriages of justice as part of volunteering for the Innocence Project to commercial transactions as part of graduate employers’ case studies and a vacation scheme.

In addition to learning more about my own interests and building connections with people in the industry, attending university has taught me how to take ownership of my responsibilities and extracurricular engagements. Through this, I was able to develop a mind-set which allows me to continuously seek out new challenges and make the most of them – be it trying out a new hobby or volunteering for a new cause!

How did your course set you up for your career path?

My course taught me many of the skills I got to put in practice on a daily basis when I was working as a solicitor and now during my LPC. I rely on the ability to take in large amounts of information in a short timeframe and to analyse and relay that information in an easy to understand fashion to clients and in assessments – this I have developed though engagement with my Law modules and volunteering while at university.

My Politics modules have taught me to think outside the box and to conceptualise issues within a larger framework which allows me to be open-minded to different arguments which makes team work more effective.

Perhaps most importantly, my course has helped me grow on a personal level by making me more social and encouraging me to build new relationships with those around me – I rely on this skill to maintain those connections I have built while working as a consultant, build new ones with my classmates and future colleagues.

My advice for future students

Throw yourself into as many extracurricular activities as you can – you will find coursework and other responsibilities are manageable with some discipline and time-management skills. The Law Department is very friendly, so make sure to build strong relationships with your academics, especially your academic advisor who will be able to guide you through your time at university and with any difficult career/education decisions.