Amy Carter

Current Employer/Organisation Name

Withers LLP

What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?

I was fortunate enough to graduate with a training contract offer from Withers LLP. I studied my LPC at BPP in Birmingham before moving to London to start my training contract. I qualified into the Charities and Philanthropy team in 2015 and was promoted to Senior Associate whilst on maternity leave in 2021.

Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?

I loved studying law at Exeter – I always chose the problem questions in exams and knew that I wanted to be a solicitor after graduation. I did a lot of volunteering whilst at Exeter – I was general coordinator for Exeter Nightline (Voice), as well as doing an internship with Macmillan Cancer Support. One day I found the page on Charity Law in the Chambers and Partners guide in the library and knew that was what I wanted to do. I applied to every law firm listed for charity law in Chambers and Partners, but knew from the beginning that I wanted to work at Withers. Qualifying into the Charities team was a dream come true – even though I didn’t do a seat in the team as part of my training contract. I get to spend my working days advising charities, people setting up charities and those giving to or working with charity; in a small way, my work contributes to the amazing work those organisations do. Every day is different – I can go from advising a client on a multi-million pound donation to a major fundraising partnership agreement; from re-writing a leading charity’s Royal Charter to helping someone set up a charity to support a cause they are passionate about. I work with an incredible team and every day I get to use the skills and knowledge that I have been developing since studying law at Exeter.

Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?

I was a volunteer for Exeter Voice (Nightline) and my roles including being General Secretary and General Coordinator. I was also a member of the Law Society and the European Law Society.

What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?

I loved studying French law with a small group of students with expert tutors; my year studying for my Masters in France was hard, but one of the best experiences of my life – made even better by the incredible friends who were there with me. I loved the variety of modules which were available – and am so excited to hear that Charity Law is now an optional module.

What did you enjoy most about studying here?

The campus at Exeter is beautiful and I really enjoyed the fact that there was separate campus, but you were still so close to the city. Exeter is also small enough that you know or recognise a lot of people which was always reassuring when socialising.

Why did you choose to study at Exeter?

We always spent family holidays in Devon so coming to Exeter felt like coming home. I really wanted to study law and French law and Exeter offered a Masters from the Universite de Rennes I as part of my undergraduate degree.

What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?

Perseverance – applying for a training contract is an incredibly competitive process. You need to put a lot of effort into the process and keep going even when you start to receive rejections. Organisation – as a lawyer, you have to balance a number of competing clients and matters. The only way to do that effectively is to be very organised. Commercial thinking – the best lawyers understand their clients and the sector they operate in. Volunteering within charities meant that I knew about the sector I wanted to work with.

What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?

Think about what area of law you want to go into. Is there a particular sector which interests you? Try and get experience in that sector – it will make your application stand out if you then apply to firms who work with that sector.

What are your plans for the future?

I am looking forward to continuing my career at Withers LLP and hope one day to make partner.