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Hi everyone, my name is Mehvesh Ikhlaq and I’m a second year law student who would love to be the general secretary for barsoc.

Throughout my time at school, I was involved in multiple committees which gave me the space to really strengthen my communication and organisational skills. Having been the sixth form treasurer, I independently managed the allocation of all student-led expenses. I also became adept at establishing effective written and verbal communication not only across sub-committees but also with the external companies we were liaising with. This experience enabled me to build strong connections between various stakeholders, ensuring the smooth execution of events and projects throughout the school year.
Additionally, as a volunteer for Age UK I would regularly collaborate with my peers to plan and execute events for the elderly people we were working with. In order to create engaging and appropriate activities we made a collective effort to get to know and understand the needs of our participants. This opportunity meant I was able to develop both my interpersonal and event planning skills. It also meant I could hone my ability to work productively in a team.

Given my experience and the skills I’ve demonstrated, I am confident in my ability to be a successful general secretary and would really appreciate you voting for me!

Hey, I'm Honey, I’m an aspiring family barrister and I would love to be considered to be the general secretary for the Bar Society! I am about to enter my fourth year on the Law LLB (International) programme having just finished a year abroad at Uppsala University in Sweden. I have been committed to a career at the Bar since first year, and so have been attending bar related events and trips ever since! This includes having visited Gray’s Inn and Middle Temple Inn and taken tours of the Royal Court of Justice and the Supreme Court on the Law x Bar trip to London in both first and second year. Further, I have attended the Lincoln’s Inn University Afternoon & Dinner and Gray’s Inn Advocacy Day. I have volunteered with pro bono projects organised by the School of Law such as Support Through Court and the Welfare Rights Project. Since this, I have completed two mini-pupillages in family law and one in criminal law. I have attended events from various other societies such as the Law Society and WBB. I think my wealth of experience reflects my commitment to a career at the Bar and therefore I would love to be involved in the Bar Society this year and help organise events and aid the general running of the society, particularly when I have benefitted from the society before. Further I have experience planning events, as I was co-head organiser for my year 11 prom for 180 students. I also have further work experience in hospitality and retail. Further I have experience public speaking from participating in theatre from the age of 3 until I have 18 years old and I have competed in mooting competitions including being the lead appellant in the winning team of a moot against the University of Huddersfield.

I hope you will consider voting for me in this role!

I am excited to nominate myself for General Secretary as I am passionate about bringing fresh ideas and energy to help Bar Soc thrive. My experience and skill set makes me confident that I can contribute meaningfully to this role, creating a fun and inclusive environment for all cultures, budgets and genders.

Communication:
With my experience in writing blog posts for charities and managing social media accounts, I am well-equipped to handle the society’s communications. I write fluently, which stems from my background in essay-based subjects at A-level, as well as completing an EPQ and achieving a 1st in my first year of law. I also succeeded in winning mooting competitions in Year 13, further proving my communication abilities.

Event Planning Support:
I pride myself on my organisational skills, demonstrated in my time as a Senior Prefect in Sixth Form. I coordinated large-scale events such as music concerts and a charity talent show which raised £1000. I have plenty of ideas for society events, such as an IKEA trip for freshers and themed Mischief nights. I am eager to repeat the London excursion following last year’s success, and organise additional accessible trips, such as to Leeds Crown Court to ensure more members can participate.

Resource Allocation:
Event management has given me the confidence to handle society logistics, such as booking venues, hiring equipment and managing budgets. I am committed to running an eco-friendly society, with a greater focus on technology and renewable materials to reduce waste during society events.

External Relations:
Completing several mini pupillages and chambers events, I have built valuable contacts that can enhance our society’s activities. Maintaining relationships with BPP and the Law Society is a priority for me, as I have been involved with both, and plan to complete my BTC at BPP’s Leeds Headquarters.

I am confident that my skills and enthusiasm will stand me in good stead as General Secretary. Thank you for considering my nomination!

Hi everyone, Karim here. Honestly speaking, I only just decided two weeks ago that I want to pursue a career as a Barrister after spending 3 months doing zero legal work experience (yeah all applications rejected), travelling every 2-3 weeks because I loved spending my summer in the UK, working part-time in hospitality dealing with customers with no common sense and terrible math skills (like most of us tbf) when paying bills etc while thinking to myself: “I’ll go absolutely crazy if I have to do this for the rest of my life”.

In all seriousness, I was constantly putting in thought about my future with what I hope to achieve. Long story short, being a barrister is what I want to be because I truly feel that is the best way to help counter injustice in today’s world, as cliché as it sounds, being the voice for those without one. However, I’m sure many can agree the adversities that are encountered when finding information about what being a barrister is all about, especially what it takes and how to be one if you’re a student who’s facing social mobility challenges.

Besides working part-time as a bartender/waiter, I’m also the President of the Leeds Gryphons Ice Hockey Club and a brand ambassador for CaseSnappy. Based off that, I enjoy keeping myself busy which should show that my time/stress-management skills are somewhat decent. Being an international student also helps with the fact that I love meeting new people, exchanging new ideas like how to swear in different languages, demonstrating my open-mindedness. Most importantly, I just yap a lot like most Secretaries do.

Having said that, I’d love to take this role to help like-minded who wish to pursue this career in doing what it takes to be a barrister. From being involved in organising more moot competitions for students to gain more practice and experience, to having insight days with current barristers or judges to gain more in-depth understandings to what the career is all about, or even just going to pubs and randomly arguing with people just to sharpen our advocacy skills (jokes but not really), I’d love to help shape a diversified culture of aspiring barristers to help one another so that we’re all able to help others professionally in the future.