Lauren Rosegreen

LLB (Hons) Law (2016)

Lauren is now the Policy and Influence Manager for Macc (Manchester Community Central) and the Social Media Manager for Invisible Cities. She talks about what she does now and how she got there following her time at Manchester.

My current role and how I got there

Macc is a charity that supports Manchester's voluntary sector. I enable non-profit groups to influence policy decisions that directly affect the communities they support. Invisible Cities is a non-profit that trains people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides. Until recently I managed Invisible (Manchester), but now my focus is managing social media content across all our cities.

Getting to this point was a JOURNEY! After moving from a small village to study at the University of Manchester, I was overwhelmed by the amount of visible homelessness in the city. This fuelled my ambition to tackle homelessness, and other inequalities, in GM.

Alongside my jobs, I volunteer for numerous projects. I became the youngest-ever Trustee of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, advocating for the recognition of intersectionality when tackling social issues. I co-chair the GM Homelessness Action Network Delivery Group - leading our homelessness ecosystem to drive tangible change. I'm a committee member for GM4Women, working closely with Helen Pankhurst to coordinate events that bring together councillors, women, and allies. Research, data and discussions from these events inform decisions to create equality for women and girls.

In 2021 I was awarded the Manchester Young Talent ‘Community Hero’ Award from JCI Manchester for driving genuine change in Greater Manchester’s homeless community.

Last year I was presented with the Ultimate Northern GameChanger Award 2022, for my commitment to community engagement projects around Greater Manchester.

In September 2022, I was awarded the Leading Manchester Scholarship to attend One Young World, a global conference for emerging young leaders creating sustainable social change.

My experience at Manchester

I had no idea what to study at university, just that I wanted it to lead to a career where I could help people and make a positive impact on the world. Aged 16, I genuinely googled ‘university courses that help people’ and Law was the first option. As a young woman from an ethnic minority background, I have always been passionate about speaking up for traditionally marginalised groups, so the prospect of being a lawyer for underrepresented individuals excited me. How did I choose UoM? I’m from a small village, so wanted to experience a multicultural city with lots of things to do. My favourite sociology teacher studied at UoM, so this Russell Group university in the heart of Manchester’s vibrant city was a no brainer.

During university, I became heavily involved in various societies and committees. I was elected as ‘President’ of both the Legal Advice Centre (LAC) and Manchester Dance Society in my final year while working as a supervisor at the Students’ Union.

At the LAC, I assisted pro-bono solicitors to interview, research and produce letters of advice to clients who alternatively would not have had access to legal help. This allowed me to realise my strength in (and passion for) communicating with vulnerable individuals.

Leading the dance society enabled me to become immersed in something completely non-course related. I coordinated the UoM Dance Competition 2016, the second-largest inter-university dance competition in the UK, and we were awarded ‘Society of the Year’ at the Students’ Union Societies & Media Awards. This sparked my enthusiasm to explore careers outside of the legal industry, and I began considering job roles that include coordinating, creative planning and connecting with the community.

For the 4 years that I spent at UoM, I also worked at the Students’ Union as a cafe supervisor (in what was then a Starbucks). This enabled me to develop my leadership skills and have a level of autonomy over the way I worked. The combination of succeeding in these commitments while writing a dissertation and studying for exams influenced my career decisions and shaped my ideas on what sort of role I’d like to have.

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

To gain a qualifying Law LLB degree, you must complete certain compulsory modules. This compelled me to explore different topics that I may not have chosen to study otherwise. I later developed an interest in immigration law and homelessness legislation, which led to my current career path.

The attention to detail required for exams and essays has transcended into my current job role and, through habit, I am particularly meticulous when proofreading documents or content. Meeting deadlines and working on solo projects for my course taught me how to hold myself accountable. Now working in the not-for-profit sector, my role is very fluid. I don’t have a big team around me or the infrastructure of a large business, so I have to be self-motivated - a skill I am grateful I developed while studying law.

I also developed the ability to skim-read a document and pull out the most important information.

I’m a trustee for the Greater Manchester Majors Charity and this skill is invaluable when we’re presented with important documents to make informed decisions on. I am also an Immigration Advisor Volunteer at Manchester Refugee Support Network, so being able to understand legal terminology and find relevant information quickly has greatly aided this role.

My advice for future students

Still apply, even if you’re not sure whether you want to be a lawyer.

Law at UoM is a brilliant course that will prepare you for a wide range of industries. Though I don’t actively practice law now, I’m constantly using the transferable skills that I developed at university.

Law is a challenging course that will set you up for success. And what better place to study than the incredible city of Manchester, at one of the top universities in the world?