Atrayee De

Where are you from?

I was an international student whilst studying at City. I am from India.

What motivated you to pursue the LLM?

I chose the LLM Legal Practice Course (LPC) for the following reasons:

I wanted quality training - The City Law School has a reputation for training solicitors many of whom have gone on to achieve prized positions in the legal world. As a lawyer, I wanted to have quality training and this motivated me in pursuing the course.

The course structure - The programme has been carefully designed in collaboration with leading law firms who have outlined exactly what they seek in newly qualified solicitors. I wanted to pursue the course in a law school that provided the best training that could help me work as a lawyer in various industries and sectors directly upon graduation.

I wanted an additional LLM - The course offered an upgrade from the straight LPC to the LLM (LPC) by writing a dissertation on an interesting question of law. This further motivated me to join the course as I enjoy legal research, critical thinking and answering complex questions in law. With this course I could pursue my passion and at the same time have an additional qualification in the form of an LLM.

What were you doing before studying the LLM?

Before pursuing the LLM(LPC), I pursued the LLM (Law Conversion) and the BCL (Bachelor of Civil Law) from the University of Oxford in the UK.

I came to the UK right after my undergraduate degree in law (BA LLB (Hons)) from Amity University, India, where I read as an on-admission merit scholar for five years. Subsequently, I was offered a place on Oxford’s competitive BCL (master’s degree in law) where I fell in love with the English legal system.

I was intrigued by the commonalities between the Indian and the English legal systems. Given my interest and background in Common Law, I decided that I wanted to convert my legal degree and pursue a career in legal services in the UK.

I am also qualified to practice law in India. I am registered with the West Bengal Bar Council since December 2020.

What are you doing now? How did The City Law School prepare you for your current role?

While completing my LLM (LPC) I successfully secured a job as an in-house lawyer at Datamaran, (as I was already qualified to practice law in India, a common law jurisdiction).

I joined on a part-time basis while I was finishing my degree. I was subsequently hired on a full-time basis upon graduation. I have been working in the ESG, sustainable finance, product and regulatory domain since 2021.

Why did you choose The City Law School for your postgraduate studies?

I chose City for my postgraduate studies for the following reasons:

• The exposure to leading practitioners and the direct contact with professors thanks to the limited number of people accepted on the LLM (LPC)
• The generous funding opportunities available
• The friendly interactions I had with people at City before joining the course
• The location of the university, being in London, a melting pot of culture and opportunities
• The positive feedback I received from former students about City, University of London.

What opportunities and experiences did City, University of London offer you whilst you studied or still offers you?

City offered the following opportunities and experiences whilst I was a student:

• Career support
• Part-time job opportunities (with Unitemps -I was heavily involved at the beginning of my course)
• One-to-one mentoring sessions with a personal tutor
• Great freebies and support
• Accommodation: finding accommodation as a student is difficult, City has its own set of accommodations that were really nice and I met some incredible people there, who although started off as friends are now more akin to family.

City still offers me access to regular meetups and webinars and general support for Alumni events.

What opportunities and experiences did The City Law School offer you whilst you were studying?

• Learning and development opportunities through the various City Law School organised events, clubs and committees.
• The Law School offered me a generous scholarship (the Scholarship for Academic Excellence) that greatly elevated my financial worries and helped me focus more on my course.

What knowledge and skills did the LLM help you develop? Which ones have been the most useful since you graduated and why?

I honed my legal and commercial acumen.I gained the following skills:

• Technical legal skills
• Communication skills
• Collaboration skills
• Time-management skills
• Working under tight deadlines
• Meeting competing client expectations
• Commercial awareness to name a few.

I use all the skills in my current role and find them all equally useful.

What was your favourite module or aspects of the LLM? And why?

My favourite module was Employment Law. I have always enjoyed commercial law subjects and the Employment Law module at City was interesting and insightful, and Rachel Andrews’ teaching was incredible.

I always knew that I wanted to work in the industry and knowing one’s rights and obligations as an employee is key, whether in the legal profession or elsewhere. This area of law is especially helpful on this front.

Having studied this module, I am now in a better position to know my rights and obligations under employment contracts, including but not limited to knowing more about Employment tribunals, the structure of potential claims, and so on.

Getting a Distinction on the module also helped me boost my overall grade on the LLM (LPC).

How did you find studying in the UK or in London?

I enjoyed studying in the UK and in London. I always wanted to pursue a career in law where I could combine my passion for law, business, and finance, given the melting pot of opportunities offered in London and the fact that it is the financial capital of the UK, helped me in securing a role in a Fintech company and to launch my career in law post-graduation.

Please tell us about your favourite aspects of being in London.

My favourite aspects of being in London were:

• The opportunity to interact with leading law firms and fintech companies.
• The opportunity to meet and make friends with a group of diverse people
• Explore the rich history of London
• Experience different cuisines, culture and experience a different yet similar way of learning to my studies back home in India.

How did you fund your studies – did you secure any financial support?

I am grateful to City for providing me with the Scholarship for Academic Excellence, this greatly helped in funding my stay and studies in an otherwise expensive city like London.

I also received additional grants from the university from time to time (especially during the Covid period), which greatly helped me. Additionally, the part-time/ contractual job opportunities offered by City greatly helped me make some quick money whilst studying a really competitive and demanding course.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone considering studying an LLM?

My advice would be to:

• Research desirous Law Schools and course.
• Research the funding options that are available.
• Research how pursuing that course would help in your future career and personal development. For example, pursuing the LLM (LPC) at City gave we an added qualification, but more importantly, learning from leading practitioners helped me hone my commercial acumen, drafting, research, and the technical legal capabilities that I use in my current role as an in-house lawyer.