Exeter Scholars

Pathways to Law

Pathways to Law is an innovative and exciting programme which provides fantastic opportunities for sixth form students who are interested in Law. Jointly managed and funded by the Sutton Trust, Pathways is offered at 13 UK universities, including the University of Exeter. We are excited to be able to offer places on Pathways to Law as a strand of Exeter Scholars – but please note that, as Pathways is also part of a national programme, some of the activities and aspects of the programme will be a little bit different from other subject activity strands.

Dates

	Day	Date	Time	Location	Topic
Session 1	Wednesday	14th December 2022	10:30–15:00	Streatham campus, Exeter	Welcome, introduction to the Law School, academic session, campus tour (Streatham campus)
Session 2	Saturday	14th January 2023	10:30–15:00	Streatham campus, Exeter	Client interviewing and networking, CV workshop
Session 3	Wednesday	8th February 2023	10:30–15:00	Streatham campus, Exeter	Pre-placement day
	Monday – Friday	13th – 17th February 2023	Various	Placement provider	Work experience placements*
Session 4	Wednesday	8th March 2023	13:00 - 16:00	Penryn campus, Cornwall	Academic session (Criminal Law), campus tour (Penryn campus)
	Monday – Friday	3rd – 14th April 2023 (excluding bank holidays)	Various	Placement provider	Work experience placements*
Session 5	Wednesday	28th June 2023	10:30–15:00	Streatham campus, Exeter	Explore Law at Exeter!
	Monday – Thursday	July / August 2023	4 days (3 nights)	University of Warwick	Sutton Trust Summer Conference
	TBC	Summer holidays 2023	Various	Placement provider	Work experience placements*
Session 6	Wednesday	20th September 2023	10:30–15:00	Streatham campus, Exeter	Academic sessions
Session 7	Wednesday or Monday	11th or 16th October	09:30–15:00	Exeter Courts	Court visit (includes talk with Judge)
Session 8	Friday	20th October 2023	09:30–15:00	Truro Courts	Court visit (includes talk with Judge)
Session 9	Wednesday	15th November 2023	10:30–15:00	Streatham campus, Exeter	Academic session Preparing for Law fair Law fair
Session 9	Thursday	8th February 2024	12:00–16:00	London	Visit to Inner Temple, London** Please note: Time does not include travel
	Wednesday	24th April 2024	17:00–19:00	Streatham campus, Exeter	Pathways to Law Graduation Ceremony***

* 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.

Work Experience Placements:

Pathways to Law students are required to complete a law-related work experience placement lasting 3–5 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.

Students will have the opportunity to engage with current Law Student Ambassadors throughout the programme, both face-to-face and via 1:1 chat forums, such as TAP.

Activity Locations

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. You will also have the opportunity to visit either the Courts in Exeter or Truro (dependent on current covid restrictions), to visit the Inner Temple in London, and to attend a Summer Residential at the University of Warwick. 

Face-to-face placements will take place within an hour's commute of your home address, although virtual alternatives will 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 Warwick Conference and the Inner Temple visit to London.

Subject Activity Strand Content

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 and Truro Courts
Work experience and insight activities with law firms, law courts, barristers chambers, or in-house legal teams
National Summer Conference – this residential conference 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

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

LLB Law
LLB Law with European Study
LLB English Law and French Law
LLB Law with Business
BBL Bachelor of Business & Laws

Entry Requirements

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

Pass Criteria

To successfully complete Pathways to Law, you must attend 6 of the 9 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 3–5 days. This experience could be a face-to-face or virtual experience.

Important Note from the Sutton Trust

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.