Durham Student Law Society holds inaugural Alumni Event in Lincoln’s Inn

3 March 2026

Durham Student Law Society’s inaugural Alumni Event marked a standout moment in the Society’s calendar.

The event brought together students and more than 200 alumni from over 60 international and City law firms, the Bar and in-house legal roles. It marked a successful celebration of the Durham law community, providing a valuable opportunity for current students to build new potentially career enhancing relationships with alumni and providing alumni with the opportunity to rekindle connections with each other and to build new connections with current students.

Despite the very significant expense of hosting in London, the Society chose not to charge an entry fee for students or lawyers, reflecting a commitment to keeping participation open and inclusive regardless of individual financial circumstances.

Recognising that the main barrier for many students is often travel, Durham Student Law Society also worked to support train travel. We would like to extend our thanks to Hogan Lovells, BARBRI, and Durham Law School and the Law School Alumni Association, for their generous support dedicated to helping students with travel to the event.

All students at the event on the Durham Grant received full reimbursement for their travel to and from the event and all other students at the event received reimbursement of a very substantial part of their travel expenses. The evening demonstrated strong student turnout and engagement, reflecting our commitment to making the event accessible to all, regardless of financial circumstances.

Reflecting on the evening, Durham alumnus and former Slaughter and May partner, Philip Bennett, the Law School’s first Professor in Practice and the Law School’s Director of Employability, said:

“It was both a pleasure and an honour, at the request of the Dean of the Law School, Professor Volker Roeben, to represent the Law School at this event. Delivery of this event by the Durham Student Law Society required meticulous planning, project management, and attention to detail; all key employability skills. The students involved “smashed it”. This was a fine example of one of the reasons why Durham graduates are amongst the top 3 most recruited by leading law firms headquartered in the UK as confirmed on a regular basis by Chambers & Partners surveys. A particular feature of this event was what I call the Durham difference. It includes the impact of serendipitous meetings with a Durham connection; an example is the Law School’s Alumni Association which has grown from 40 founder members in September 2024 to over 1,100 members today. Without a meeting with Durham alumnus and former Travers Smith managing partner, David Patient, the Association would not be where it is today”

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David Patient, the Chair of the Law School’s Alumni Association’s Executive Committee commented:

“Congratulations to Tyrese and the entire Executive Committee of the Society for organising such a wonderful event, and for bringing together so many current students and Durham alumni for a truly memorable evening in London.”

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Tyrese Anderson, President of the Durham Student Law Society, said:

"This event represents a milestone for the Society and for the wider Durham legal community. One of my priorities this year has been to redefine how we connect with our alumni and to build a more visible, more engaged ecosystem for future generations of students. To see that vision realised in a room filled with more than 200 alumni and students was incredibly meaningful, and I am proud of what we achieved together.

We are deeply grateful to Hogan Lovell and BARBRI for their generous support, and to the Law School and the Alumni Association for their collaboration throughout. Their contributions ensured that the event remained accessible to all students, which was central to our mission, and allowed us to deliver an evening of genuine connection and opportunity.

I also want to thank the team at Lincoln’s Inn for their exceptional professionalism, and the Executive Committee for their commitment and resilience over the past six months. This was a complex project to deliver, and it simply would not have been possible without the dedication of Mia Bradshaw, Gavin Cheung, Maia Lawrence, Jiya Bhatia, Simoni Khattar and Siya Chadha, as well as the wider support of the Committee.

Finally, to our alumni: thank you for showing up for the next generation. Your presence, insight and enthusiasm made this evening what it was. We hope many of you will continue your involvement through the DLS mentoring scheme as we work to build a long-term, sustainable student–alumni pipeline. My hope is that this event becomes a lasting tradition at Durham, one that continues to grow long after my presidency."