Careers in Law

The Careers department hosted a Careers in Law talk on Tuesday 8th November, attended by parents and pupils from across the School. An Old Lyonian as well as a current Governor, Mr Anup Vyas (OL), was our guest speaker.

Anup attended John Lyon between 1981 and 1987 and, after graduating with a first in Law (LLB Hons) from Southampton University, he later worked in the City of London and at JP Morgan. He is a now a Senior Director with Vyman Solicitors Ltd, a law firm that he co-founded in 1998. Anup continues to work on high-value, complex litigation and commercial and property transactions and is also a Trustee of a large charity and a former John Lyon parent.

After an overview of the different routes into law, the skills necessary in the field and some labour market information provided by the Careers department, the focus moved to Anup and his unique experience and journey into law. Pupils and parents heard about the differences between a solicitor and barrister, the magic circle of law firms and the various industry sectors in which lawyers can work. There was an opportunity to ask questions and learn about what pupils could do now to help them prepare for a future career in law, including developing key skills and finding work experience.

The evening was well attended, reflecting the high level of interest by pupils in Law as a potential career and the opportunity to hear from a former pupil and successful lawyer provided them with a fantastic insight into Law and the working life of a lawyer. n

Careers in Classics

On Tuesday 22nd November, our Head of Classics, Mr John Blenkinsop, invited three experts in their fields to share their journeys from reading Classics at university to the world of work. William Morrison, now working in a law firm, Charlie Palmer, working in advertising, and Matteo Chirumbolo, who works at the Courtauld Institute, each spoke about why they chose Classics. Although they acknowledged that it was a difficult subject to study, they all emphasised how Classics taught them a range of key skills including critical thinking and problem-solving: skills that have much relevance to – and are in demand for – a vast array of jobs. This was demonstrated by the guest speakers’ work in a wide variety of fields, which opened up pupils’ eyes to the huge range of possibilities the study of Classics can bring. n