Durham Pensions Law Module Students Awarded Work Experience Weeks with Leading Pensions Law Firms
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As a result of successfully completing their Pensions Law module, in July, June and April eight 3rd year Durham Law undergraduates students were awarded pensions law work experience weeks kindly provided by a number of firms with leading pensions law practices.
| Law firm | Student | Student comment |
| A&O Shearman | Luis Ernesto Valverde | “My time at A&O Shearman was a truly special learning experience, and an excellent culmination for my first adventure into the world of Pensions Law. It seemed daunting to go from studying Pensions Law at Durham to work with some of the UK’s top Pensions Practitioners at A&O Shearman but the team were very kind and welcoming.” |
| Arc Pensions Law | Min Thant Nyi | “My work experience week was extremely enriching, and I ended the week having strengthened my knowledge of Pensions Law and having gained great insight into how a pensions law firm operates. Everyone at Arc was always willing to lend a helping hand whenever I felt stuck, and I greatly appreciated their openness and friendliness.” |
| Harry Pearcy | “During my time at Eversheds I had the opportunity to gain practical experience and further develop the strong foundations the Pensions Law Module gave me. I researched a range of queries and gained a deeper understanding of the field as a whole. I enjoyed working closely with Joel Clarke and Jess Peart, who are also alumni of the Durham Pensions Law Module.” | |
| James Adamson | “I enjoyed the exposure of working in a large law firm in London as it gave me insight into what a future career and work life balance would look like. I spent much of my time working on checking that a TCFD report for a pension fund aligned with the legislative requirements.“ | |
| Freshfields | See Kei Lau | “I gleaned valuable insight into the culture of Freshfields and had a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. I did some work on Pension Dashboards along with having the opportunity to attend a client call about superfunds." |
| Sacker & Partners | Agnes Tsang | “My week at Sackers gave me a valuable insight into how pensions law operates in practice. I completed a structured work experience task tracker designed to expose me to different aspects of a pensions practice.” |
| Slaughter and May | Thom Wheeler | “My week at Slaughter and May gave me invaluable insight into my knowledge and understanding of how pensions law transfers into practical legal matters, particularly around pension scheme transactions. It has truly cemented my enthusiasm in this rich and unique area of law.” |
| Travers Smith | Ian Mak | “My week at Travers Smith allowed me to witness how pensions law operated in real-life scenarios and apply what I learnt in the Pensions Law module. It was incredibly insightful to see how a pension law firm advised trustees on various matters, such as how a pension schemes deed could be amended and even the potential risks and implications of AI in pensions platforms. While the work was complex, the team was incredibly friendly and helpful, offering me plenty of support and regularly checking up on me.” |
The Pensions Law Module at Durham is the only undergraduate module of this type in the UK. It is taught by former Slaughter and May partner and Law School Professor in Practice, Philip Bennett. It is designed to educate students about this hugely important area of law that protects the pension rights of millions of scheme members backed by billions of pounds of assets and which has a significant economic and financial impact.
Professor Volker Roeben, Dean of the Law School, commented:
“On behalf of the students and on behalf of the Law School I would like to thank to each of the law firms for offering these work experience weeks. They provide an invaluable opportunity for some of the top students in the module to see how what they have studied applies in practice.”
Philip Bennett added:
“Pensions Law is an intellectually demanding but richly rewarding area of law both to teach and to practice. I would like to add my thanks to those of the Dean of the Law School. These work experience weeks are very beneficial to the students awarded them and, in some cases, life changing. Students can see how the law as taught to them applies in practice and that insight of pensions law in practice may, in turn, encourage an interest in practising pensions law. I am delighted to be able to report that a number of the Durham Pensions Law Module alumni have gone on to become pensions lawyers.”
NOTES:
More about Durham Law School here
More about Professor Volker Roeben here
More about Philip Bennett here