Introducing Abigail Grace

My name is Abigail and I am from the UK.

My background is in Anthropology and International Relations, which I studied as an undergraduate. I really enjoyed it as it encouraged me to keep people and their cultures as the focus when analysing political developments. I hope to continue this human-centric approach going forward into my legal studies.

After graduating, I worked for two years as a caseworker and project developer in a small refugee support NGO, before moving on to co-ordinate the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme for a different NGO. I thoroughly enjoyed both jobs but always felt frustrated that I could not offer support with regards to peoples legal status or inquiries, which were often some of the most pressing issues people had. As such I decided to go back to school and see how law suited me!

Having completed a foundation in law in the UK (the GDL) I wanted to specialise, and study the areas of law I am most interested in greater depth. The IMRL Masters is exactly what I was looking for. It provides a good balance of technical law and legal theory, but also provides context by including modules on philosophy and the social sciences. It is more holistic than many of the masters programmes I looked at and that appealed to me, given that I have an inter-disciplinary background.

So far, the course has been fantastic. The discussions in class are of a high academic standard, the work is challenging but rewarding and varied, and I have felt supported by staff. Given that I started in the February intake, I feel lucky that everyone on the course is so open and friendly, and I have undoubtedly also learnt a lot from classmates.

After graduating I will consider the next steps available to me to qualify as a lawyer, or perhaps return to work in the NGO sector; either way I feel that the IMRL masters will have equipped me with new skills and knowledge to allow me to be more effective.