Pathways to Law

* These events could be face-to-face or virtual. 
** Strongly recommended for those wishing to pursue a career as a barrister. 
*** Not a core event. 

Sessions will take place on a variety of days during term-time, usually Wednesday or Friday. Client interviewing and networking may take place on a Saturday. 

Most of your sessions will take place on the Streatham campus in Exeter, with one academic session taking place on the Penryn campus in Cornwall. Other off-campus opportunities include: 

• a visit to either the Courts in  Exeter, Truro, or Plymouth (to suit your location) 
• a Year 12 Summer Residential at the University of Warwick (3 days/2 nights) 
• a visit to the Inner Temple in London 

Face-to-face placements will take place where possible within an hour's commute of your home address, although virtual alternatives may also be possible.  

Other optional activities will be made available during the programme which will support the application process to university, such as workshops on the UCAS application process, your personal statement, university interviews, and Law admissions tests. These could be offered face-to-face or virtually by either the Exeter Scholars team or the Sutton Trust via their online platform, Sutton Trust Online (STO).      

While participants will be expected to travel independently to campus events and any face-to-face placements, transport will be provided for events which take place outside of Exeter,  such as the Year 12 Summer Residential at Warwick and the Inner Temple visit to London. 

Pathways to Law students are required to complete a law-related work experience placement lasting 2–5 days, which could be a face-to-face or virtual experience. These are arranged by the Pathways to Law coordinator in conjunction with The Sutton Trust and are a unique and exciting feature of this strand. Placements will typically take place in school or college holiday times, such as February half-term, Easter holidays, and the summer holidays, but may also take place in May or October half-term. The exact dates will be confirmed as far in advance as possible. Students will be required to submit a CV for this experience and will receive support on the programme to complete this.

The Pathways to Law programme is made up of several activities, some of which are common to all Pathways to Law universities and some of which are bespoke to the University of Exeter: 

• Academic sessions at the University of Exeter 
• Client Interviewing & Networking – an opportunity to hone your networking skills and practice client scenarios with legal professionals 
• Expert advice on developing your CV plus advice and guidance on applying to university and your UCAS application 
• Visits to local legal institutions such as Exeter Combined Courts, Truro Courts or Plymouth Courts 
• Pre-placement day to meet legal professionals and help prepare you for your placement  
• Work experience and insight activities with law firms and a range of legal professionals 
• Yr 12 National Summer Conference – this 3-day/2 night residential conference at Warwick University brings together Pathways to Law students from across the country to take part in a wide-ranging programme of academic and social activities 
• Inner Temple – an opportunity to visit the Inner Temple in London- perfect for budding barristers! 
• Graduation ceremony – a perfect way to celebrate your achievements at the end of the programme 

Students will have the opportunity to engage with current Law Student Ambassadors throughout the programme, during on-campus events and off-campus trips and visits

This subject activity strand has contributions from the following degree programmes:

• LLB Law 
• LLB Law with European Study 
• LLB Law with Professional Placement  
• LLB English Law and French Law/Master 1 
• LLB Law with Business (Cornwall) 
• BBL Bachelor of Business & Laws (Cornwall) 

There are no specific entry requirements for this subject activity strand.

To successfully complete Pathways to Law, you must attend 6 of the 10 core sessions – in addition to the Exeter Scholars Student Conference – and successfully complete a legal insight experience or work placement in a legal setting for 2–5 days. This experience could be a face-to-face or virtual experience. Successful attendance on the programme will also result in your eligibility for receiving contextual offers and other considerations from other pathways to law partner universities.   

We want to give as many of you as possible the chance to experience a Sutton Trust programme. This means that you can only take part in one of our programmes at a time. This includes the Pathways programmes, the Sutton Trust UK Summer Schools, and the Sutton Trust US programme. For example: 

• If you receive a place on the Sutton Trust US programme and apply for the UK Summer School programme, your application will not be considered. 
• If you are taking part in a Pathways programme and apply for the UK Summer School programme, your application will not be considered. 

NB: If you took part in Sutton Scholars, you are eligible to apply for the Pathways programmes, the Sutton Trust UK Summer Schools, and the Sutton Trust US programme.