30 years. 30 stories.

As we celebrate 30 years of BPP Law School, we’ve reached out to faculty, alumni, learners, and dug through stories from the archives to share 30 unique experiences. 

Here’s what our people had to say:  

“At BPP we are deeply proud of our thirty-year heritage in legal education. We now have BPP Law School alumni in top law firms around the globe, in barristers chambers, in central and local government, in law centres and the charitable sector. We are at a pivotal moment for the education of the next generation of legal professionals. The profession and pathways to qualification are changing and the skills needed for the profession to thrive now mean that legal teams need to be more diverse not only in terms of widening participation but in working collaboratively in multi-disciplinary teams where wider people, business, technology and innovation skills rank equally with more traditional legal skills and know-how.  What of the next thirty years? At BPP we will continue to offer innovative programmes of study for aspiring solicitors and barristers with just the right blend of knowledge, skills and professional behaviours to ensure those who study with us are in high demand from legal employers. We will also continue our heritage of working closely with the profession as roles and careers within the sector evolve, offering short courses, apprenticeships and wider award-based programmes of study not just in law but in business and people skills, digital and data, change and project management key to the legal profession’s future.” 
Jo-Anne Pugh 
Dean of BPP University Law School 

“When I joined BPP Law School in January 2004 with a mandate to initiate a pro bono programme, I saw it as an exciting challenge. BPP had found the perfect timing to invest in pro bono as we were enough ahead of the curve to ride a massive wave of interest in pro bono as a complementary source of legal services to help individuals ineligible for legal aid. The early days were full of excitement as not a week went by when there wasn’t another student coming to the Centre with another idea about what services we could provide or what NGOs or people needed help. It was tremendously fulfilling to know that we were simultaneously helping to meet legal need as well as training a new generation of lawyers to improve their legal practice skills and to maintain a professional commitment to serving those in need.” 
Kara Irwin, former Director of Pro Bono (2004-2010) 
Legal Skills Trainer and Consultant 

“In my first week at BPP Law School I went to a talk about pro bono, and one of the reasons I’d chosen to do that is because I wanted to do something that was beneficial. The woman giving the talk asked the audience if they knew what pro bono was, and many had said it’s when people do work for free. She explained that, while that is part of the definition, pro bono actually means for the public good, and that really stuck with me and stayed in mind whenever I was working on pro bono projects.” 
Hamraj Gulamali 
BPTC Graduate 

“During my time at BPP, the tutors were always really supportive and keen for students to know they could contact them. I found that they were always available and answered really quickly to emails, especially during revision time when we all had lots of questions as we prepared for exams. Their practical experience in law was also really inspiring and they’d tailor their teaching based on their experience and knowledge in the field, to make sure it was suited for life in practice.” 
Olivia Flasch 
GDL and LPC Graduate 

“I’ve really enjoyed my experience and found the routine really beneficial while working full time alongside my course. Everyone’s really patient at BPP and they do an amazing job at creating a really positive learning environment.” 
Ciara O'Brien 
LPC student 

“I have thoroughly loved every moment of my 10 years of working at BPP and in my most recent role as Deputy Vice-Chancellor. I count myself very lucky to have a job that I absolutely love and look forward to getting out of bed for, every day.  I have had many memorable moments but one of the best was hearing that we had been granted indefinite Degree Awarding Powers. This news came in the darkness of summer 2020 when the pandemic was in its early stages. I remember feeling a close connection with everyone who had contributed to this hugely significant moment, after a 13-year journey, despite the world being online. This has contributed to levelling the playing field in the sector and has given our students, staff and stakeholders even more right to know that they are making a great decision when choosing BPP.” 
Professor Sally-Ann Burnett 
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, BPP University 

“I came into law with a preconception that law students, and law generally, was really competitive, but I’ve met the best group of people I’ve ever met in my entire life, everyone’s so supportive of each other, we pull each other through the course.” 
Jess Foster 
PGDL Graduate, BTC programme September 2022 

“One of my proudest achievements at BPP was in the academic year 2014/15.  I was the Programme Leader for the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) at our Manchester Centre.  We had been running the BPTC in Manchester for a year and I had an amazing team of tutors teaching on the programme and a great bunch of students.  You really got the feeling that together we could do great things and it proved to be the case.  When the BSB published the results of the centralised assessments BPP Manchester’s students achieved the highest average pass rates of any BPTC provider in England and Wales, and therefore our students were ranked as the best cohort across all of the centralised assessments.  On top of this many of our students obtained pupillage either within the year or in the years that followed.  The students’ results and their success in obtaining pupillage were a testament to their and my team's hard work.  It really encapsulates what BPP is all about.  Tutors passionate about delivering top quality tuition working with their students towards a common goal of our students achieving their career ambitions.”    
Mark Keith 
Director of Programmes, BPP University Law School 

“I really recognised the value of my time at BPP after I left. The teaching aspect was very practical, and I was able to hit the ground running in my training contract because the skills that BPP taught me in day-to-day classes was almost a mirror image of private practice.” 
Ryan Adams 
LPC Graduate 

“I remember bursting into tears during one of my advocacy mocks because I felt out of my depth. The tutor sat me down and gave me some of the best advice to overcome imposter syndrome, which I carry with me to this day. He explained that a large part of being a barrister is about confidence, and that if I don’t believe in myself or my abilities, it’s unlikely that anyone else will. Another tutor also convinced me that I didn’t need to change my accent to ‘sound like a barrister’, because a barrister ‘sounds like me’.”  
Andréa Hounto  
BPTC Graduate  

“My corporate memory goes back to October 2001 when I joined BPP in our Holborn Law School. We had just won the contract for delivery of the “City LPC” to a group of magic circle law firms as well as delivering this new programme to other law students. The law school started off very small and was the ‘new kid on the block’ compared to our accountancy and tax business, and we’ve since grown exponentially over the past 21 years.” 
Ali Wells 
Director of Legal and Compliance, BPP 

“I don’t think anything will top the day I took part in the Lord Mayor’s Parade in London. It was 2014 and, to mark the 10th anniversary of the Pro Bono Centre, BPP provided us with a giant float disguised as a huge purple landscape of London. Dancing on and around the float were acrobats, and around them a convoy of office desks, ably driven by myself, my team, and our student volunteers. As we wobbled and waved our way through the streets of London, particularly past the dignitaries standing on the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice), I considered how wonderfully surreal the moment was, how lucky I was to be a part of it and how working at BPP was something quite special.”  
Emma Blackstone 
Joint Head of Pro Bono, BPP 

“My highlight as a Bar student at BPP in 2015, was when I was given the opportunity to represent BPP with fellow student, Shona Probert, at a mooting competition in Pune, India. It was an intense period of working – and getting used to the very different style of advocacy there certainly took some time, but it was also great to get to know the dedicated and hard-working BPP staff based out there.” 
Samir Amin 
BPTC Graduate, Practising Barrister at No5 Chambers 

“This is my 15th year at BPP, having stepped down in 2007 as a partner in private practice. The first thing I noticed about BPP was how friendly and supportive the working environment is and how passionate the teaching staff are about the student experience. These have been consistent themes throughout my time here. There have been many personal highlights, but perhaps the time of year I look forward to the most is when I call the students who have been awarded a full fee scholarship to tell them the good news. All our full fee scholarships are now awarded on a social mobility/widening participation basis, so I know what a ‘game changer’ such news is for the lives and ambitions of the talented students I call. There are frequently tears – and that’s just me – because of the emotional and euphoric responses I hear. I’ll never get tired of making those calls.” 
Jonny Hurst 
Senior Lecturer 
Head of Outreach and Law Marketing Lead, BPP University Law School 

“I am a fourth year Solicitor Apprentice at BPP. I have been at BPP for five years and you can often find me at London Wall alongside the other members of the Legal Team. I am also a double Paralympian, having been born with a missing right hand at the level of the wrist, but despite this I am determined to ensure that my difference is my strength. I often refer to my life in sport as a “previous lifetime” as recently made the decision to retire from swimming in February to pursue my career in Law. Since retirement, I have been able to commit more time to promoting apprenticeships. Some highlights of my journey include setting up the BPP Legal Apprentices Law Society, the first of its kind. I have also had unique opportunities to discuss I&D across various platforms, such a national newspapers, podcasts and webinars which is a huge passion of mine. My cherry on top of the cake moment has been receiving the BPP Apprentice of the Year (Level 5+) this year. I am very proud to be an apprentice at BPP and I am very much looking forward to qualifying in 2024 and seeing where this journey takes me!” 
Amy Marren 
Solicitor Apprentice 

“I’ve loved the PGDL. I expected the online resources to be excellent – they have been. I expected the teaching to be of a high quality – it is. But I didn’t expect to make so many friends so quickly, nor to actually look forward to attending workshops after a hectic day at work. It’s a testament to the environment created by the staff and students alike.”   
Matthew Hodge  
PGDL (Law Foundations Course) student 

“Throughout my time at BPP I had very motivated tutors. I still remember my contract law lecturers, who were really interested in the subject and instilled a real passion. Having worked in shipping law I can see that the cases they’d talked about were so similar to what I encountered in practice.” 
Jonathan Andrews 
GDL and LPC Graduate 

“Studying the BPTC at BPP really prepared me to pursue my career as a barrister. I learned core skills such as advocacy, legal research, opinion writing and drafting – all of which are essential. Throughout your studies and career there will be challenging days and long hours but reminding yourself of why you chose to embark on a career in law will keep you going.” 
Priscilla Lam  
BPTC Graduate 

“My first experience of BPP Pro Bono was as a law student back in the noughties. I was totally bowled over by the difference in my approach to practice following delivering Streetlaw sessions and advising via BPP Clinics. Those experiences helped me to be a better lawyer in practice. I knew, right from day 1 of my training contract, that empathy was key. You can be the most technical lawyer in the world, but without the communication tools to really understand your clients’ needs, it’s difficult to be successful in a law firm. BPP Pro Bono taught me those skills first. I also caught the bug for pro bono – “for the greater good”. As a trainee and qualified solicitor, I continued to supervise at BPP Clinics and share my knowledge with law students. Now, full circle, as Joint Head of Pro Bono at BPP, I’m able to share that knowledge of real-world law.  Along with the rest of the BPP Pro Bono Team, having experienced life as a solicitor, we can reinforce how important the skills you can’t learn from a textbook are”. 
Lucy Wildig 
Joint Head of Pro Bono, BPP 

"Since starting the LPC with LLM at BPP, I moved on to receive tailored one-to-one guidance on applying to law firms, had my application reviewed and even had my first vac scheme interview with BPP's partnership law firm. The dedicated help from BPP Learner Support meant I could have access to study materials well before lectures which certainly eased my nerves and promoted my learning. As a clinically vulnerable person due to a weakened immune system, should my health sufferer whilst the pandemic is still not over, the deferral systems have been fully supportive of unpredictable situations be it health struggles or house move, power cut or landlord disputes as it has been at the beginning of my course. BPP's support system has been genuinely life-transforming. I could not have pursued my dream course to embark on this journey to be a lawyer had it not for all the support from BPP. It genuinely changed my life." 
Farzana Khan 
LPC (LLM) student 

“During my time at BPP I engaged with the Pro Bono Team and worked on a project called ELTAL which stands for Employment Telephone Advice Line. The project was set up as a phone line project for people with employment law problems to telephone in, and they’d get a call back from student pro bono. We’d give them a call and talk through whatever their employment law issue was, and the next stage was a referral process where we’d try to refer or broker that issue to a lawyer in practice who’d contact them and give them advice on the issue they were facing. The role of Student Director came up and I thought it was a great opportunity to get involved in that project as much as possible – to see how it worked, what impact it had, and what went on behind the scenes.”  
Tim Attwood 
GDL and LPC Graduate 

“In February of 2015, BPP University came to my homeland St. Lucia with an amazing opportunity for people from underprivileged and underrepresented backgrounds to apply for full tuition scholarships in either Law, Business, Accounting, Nursing or Psychology to study with the University in the UK. I was one of the lucky ones selected for one of those prestigious scholarships as I applied to study law. Out of the successful candidates 15 of us started BPP Life at BPP School of Foundation & English Language Studies (SoFELS) in Shepherd’s Bush and one of my fondest memories is the reception we received from BPP staff there. Those of us who started our BPP journey there all arrived late due to logistical issues with visa requirements and the team at SoFELS took us in and gave us what is still today one of my favourite experiences with BPP. We were educated on life in the UK, taught the entire first term within 6 weeks, sat exams and did so well that we became the talk of the town at BPP for being one of the best, if not the best cohorts to ever attend SoFLES. Thanks to Dave Hughes and the team of faculty and staff, we had a memorable, enjoyable and productive student experience and first impression of BPP University.” 
Kurt Satney 
LLB & BPTC Graduate 
Disability Advisor, Learning Support, BPP 

“BPP can pride themselves in teaching excellence, and I am personally grateful to the tutors that went to the extra mile to ensure that I was prepared for practice. Since my time at BPP I have been fortunate to have enjoyed legal roles in global media and technology organisations, and I'm currently working as Head of Legal for a leading payments company, advising across the UK and Europe.” 
Leanne Georgiades 
BVC Graduate, Head of Legal  

“I’ve been at BPP for 18 years and always made sure to very consciously put inclusive teaching at the heart of my teaching philosophy, so that students could feel they belonged, bringing their true selves to the classroom. This helped me build rapport and made it easy for me to stay in touch with some of the students each year. My greatest reward at BPP has always been to witness the full “blossoming” of my students ’careers. It’s amazing now to see that the first students I taught are now partners in City law firms, 18 years Call at the Bar, and many other exciting careers. I am still very much in touch with them and it’s wonderful to have them return to BPP to give back (e.g Graduation speeches) and hear their genuine gratitude for how we helped them on this path so many years ago. Over my 18 years at BPP, I have seen a huge leap of progress in the recognition and appreciation of E,D &I and wellbeing support for both students and employees.” 
Charlotte Wanendeya  
Head of Law, BBP University Law School 

“The areas of law that I wanted to specialise in were areas whereby I would typically receive a brief the day before or the day of a hearing. The learning at BPP really reflected this real-world element, particularly in my Advanced Criminal Litigation module, we would receive the brief in class and then be expected to present it back at the end of the session, and it was similar for the exam too. This really helped me learn the most effective ways to present a case and how to prioritise details of a brief, which really prepared me for my career as a barrister.” 
Niamh Ingham 
GDL and BPTC Graduate 

“I really wanted to get into law because of the ability to advocate and promote inclusion. When I found out that there was an award for LGBT undergraduate of the year, an award that really celebrated LGBT advocacy and inclusion, sponsored by a magic circle firm, I thought that was the best opportunity into law for me, and that connected me with many people in the legal sector. I was really excited to start doing the GDL at BPP, and that’s led to really exciting opportunities since then.” 
Tom Moran 
GDL and LPC Graduate 

“I found the training and learning at BPP invaluable to my career. I especially enjoyed the extra-curricular opportunities such as mediation. Through this I learnt many transferable skills that have helped me in a range of ways. Indeed, a highlight of my time at BPP was representing BPP in an international mediation competition in Chicago in 2014.”  
Kirsty Schneeberger 
BPTC Graduate, CEO at Synchronicity Earth 

“After a taking a year out, it was almost a surreal experience to be studying at university again. I was excited to be going to classes, even if they were online, and I was eager to get stuck into the course and meet other people. It was a welcome change of pace, but I hadn’t anticipated what it would be like, finding my feet, in those first few weeks. Having been a reluctant Land Law student I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy Property Law which just so happened to be my first module. Thankfully, the focus on the practical application of the law in the context of client-based work was really clear and digestible and I ended up really enjoying myself, and I am now considering Property Law as an area of law I would like to focus on in the future and I am sure that a big part of that is due to the positive teaching experience that I have had.” 
Amber Flo Morris 
LPC Graduate 

“During my time at BPP I utilised BPP’S Career Hub and was able to engage with legal work experience opportunities. Through this, I was fortunate to secure a three-month legal internship placement at a leading fintech scale-up, where I was involved in a number of research, drafting and project-based activities. The internship was pivotal in that it provided me with my first real exposure to legal work.”  
Sze-Von Lam 
GDL Graduate 

“The tutors made sure we were all fully prepared for the intensity of exam and application season. I never felt alone, I always felt someone was there to offer support because we were all going through the same thing. There were also people who had been through it and could offer support on what to expect, and how best to cope with the intensity of the course. Just knowing that if I had a question or needed any help, I could approach someone, and it would be explained or rectified quickly – that was the most supportive aspect of the course.” 
Sydney Thomas 
BPTC Graduate