Phoebe Tricker

Current Employer/Organisation Name

University of Exeter

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

After leaving Exeter, I worked for a spin off engineering consultancy of Williams Formula 1, predominantly supporting the legal work on decarbonisation projects.  After 2 years, I moved to the University legal team, working as a research contracts officer.  During this time I have qualified as a Solicitor via the SQE route. 

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

I loved law from the minute I started studying it, and found an interest for commercial law while completing my placement at Williams.  I enjoy the challenges that working in law brings, as no two days are the same, and there is always something new to get stuck in to.  My current job is completely different from my previous one, and this has meant that there were so many new areas of the law to explore.  

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

I was a member of, and later the Social Secretary for the Polo Club, where I trained up to 3 times a week.  I was also a member of the Law Society. 

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

I absolutely loved my final year, and getting to explore all the different areas of law that I felt I was never going to practice in in the future.  I also thoroughly enjoyed being on placement as it gave me so many skills and so much confidence for my future career.  

What did you enjoy most about studying here?

I found the classes and the professors to be engaging, and felt like there was always support when I needed it.  I also liked the style of the classes, and being put in small study groups for weekly group sessions meant you had a really good network of peer support.  The campus is also beautiful, and the peaceful feel to it made long days of studying a lot easier.  

Why did you choose to study at Exeter?

I found the campus the most appealing out of all the ones I visited, and I liked that it was not a city campus.  I also knew it had a very good reputation for law, and that the course structure allowed a good variety of subjects to be explored.  Most importantly, I could picture myself living there when I visited.  

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

My placement year taught me so much in terms of transferrable skills, and it is something I would highly recommend to others, even if it is not a placement in law.  It gives you the opportunity to gain new skills in a more forgiving environment, and with a lot of additional support, than if you jump straight from Uni to work.  By the end of my placement I was considerably more confident, independent, commercially aware and resilient than when I first started.  

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

Take any opportunity that comes your way, even if it is a few days in a small local firm, as the experience is invaluable.  Taking opportunities also helps you to shape what area of law you wish to work in so that you can be confident in your career path.  You also do not have to follow the big city law firm route to be successful – I am doing extremely well as a commercial solicitor and I largely put that down to the exposure and responsibility that I have had from working entirely in house. 

What are your plans for the future?

I will continue in commercial law, and hope to climb the ladder to one day be a General Counsel for a company.