The University of Law student Bernie Thomas reflects on her journey so far
Bernie Thomas was 17 when she arrived at university in the UK — a year younger than most of her peers, coming from a French school system that runs to a different rhythm. “I went to school in France and the school year works differently, so I was applying to UK universities when I was 16 or 17.”
Bernie applied for a dual law degree (in English law and French law) for three reasons: it aligned closely with her strengths; she was inspired by her exposure to law during her school classes; and importantly, it preserved the flexibility to decide at a later stage, whether to pursue a legal career in England or in France.
She had grown up in France and still has family there, but also wanted to experience university life in the UK. Bernie’s parents both studied in the UK, and the uni experience here encourages students to embrace a broader student life. “They told me that UK universities in particular have a big focus on life outside of your academics, specifically getting involved with societies,” Bernie recalls. “We thought that wider student experience would help me come out of my shell a bit more.”
This path led Bernie to the University of Exeter, where she spent three years studying the core English law modules, alongside three core French law modules: contract, administrative, and constitutional law. In her final year, Bernie took the leap across the Channel and studied in Rennes, completing a Masters in EU law.
In France, the route to qualification as a lawyer is a little different. “Typically, a three-year bachelor’s in law, then a Master 1 and Master 2. After that, aspiring lawyers must pass the entrance exam for law school (école d’avocats) and then finally, qualify for the Bar,” Bernie explains. With her Master 1 secured, she could choose whether to take the next step towards qualifying in England or France. Ultimately, she secured sponsorship from a Southwest-based firm to complete the SQE at The University of Law Exeter. She sat SQE1 in January and is now studying towards SQE2.
In terms of securing a training contract, Bernie offers two key pieces of advice to aspiring solicitors. First, mentors matter. “I benefited massively from having a mentor through the GROW programme,” she says. Her mentor, who had also done a dual degree and spoke French, supported them through “every step of the way, from interview to assessment centre practice.”
The mentor was particularly helpful when it came to the dreaded commercial awareness case study. “It can be difficult to know what to expect or what a firm is really assessing in these questions; having someone who had already been through the process really helped,” she explains. “I think I was overthinking it, but my mentor kept me on track, and helped me realise what really mattered to law firms as businesses.”
The second piece of advice is to be authentic, and not to change yourself to fit a stereotypical lawyer mould. Looking back, Bernie says she applied to firms “trying to fit myself into what I thought they want” — but with her current firm she clicked immediately and didn’t have to pretend to be anything she wasn’t. “I wasn’t making a conscious effort to tailor myself; I was already tailored to firm!”
Then there’s the SQE. She “mentally prepped” the summer before starting the course and did “a tiny bit of revision just to get back into the flow of things”. In terms of advice before you start, she says to “revisit the core areas from your undergraduate degree and patch up your knowledge where the details had faded.” For Bernie, this meant going back through her “contract and tort notes” to refamiliarise herself with content she hadn’t thought about for a while.
Crucially, Bernie also recommends “finding study methods that work for you and ignoring what other people are doing.” Flashcards helped consolidate her knowledge and test that she remembered everything before the exam. “But if long-form notes, mind maps, or diagrams are your thing, use them instead. Everyone works differently.”
Bernie also recommends going straight to the source. “I went specifically through the SRA specification on the website because that’s what you’re going to be tested on.” Knowing exactly what she needed to know and what might be assessed helped Bernie narrow down her studies and focus on what mattered most.
The most difficult topic for Bernie in SQE1 — “quite a common one amongst future solicitors” — was solicitors’ accounts. What got her through wasn’t brute-force repetition, but adapting her approach when it wasn’t clicking. “If something’s not working, don’t keep hammering at it in the same way; try new methods to make it click.” Her fix was to create a table for accounting entries to record transactions until it “eventually clicked just in time for the exam”.
Organisation was also key to her success, as she created a revision timetable allocating topics to each day and strategically pairing related subjects, such as land with property practice and criminal law with criminal practice, to maintain momentum. She also tracked her multiple-choice question performance in Excel, analysing it in more detail than simply by module. Rather than recording results for the whole of property practice, she monitored performance in specific topics such as leases and exchange of contracts. She explained that breaking it down helped her to visualise exactly what she needed to do and to identify where her strengths and weaknesses lay. When it came to The University of Law’s resources, Bernie says: “the manuals were really comprehensive,” and the SQE1 revision app, “which has about 4,000 questions to help practise MCQs,” helped her become familiar with a question format she’d never had to do before.
And if she could give just one final piece of advice to aspiring solicitors (whether you’re about to sit the SQE, applying for training contracts, or early on in your legal journey), it’s this: “Focus on yourself and your own journey. Everything is so competitive right now,” she says. “Just ignore what other people are doing and make your own path. It’s very easy to be scared about what you see online and the pass rates, but at the end of the day, you need to do what works best for you. Keep on trying at it and it will work out someday.”
Secrets to Success Exeter — with Ashfords, Michelmores, Trowers & Hamlins and ULaw — takes place in-person THIS AFTERNOON, Tuesday 17 February. The event features a panel discussion featuring top law firms as well as networking with lawyers, early talent and graduate recruitment teams. APPLY NOW.
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