Reasons to Vote for Me :)

Why am I running?

I'm running for the role of president because I love the UCL Law Society. I've had an absolutely amazing time this year and I just want to make next year just as amazing, if not better. I want to be president because being a member of this years committee, I think I learned a lot about how to lead a successful committee, but I also have seen things that can be improved upon. I think I understand the role of president really well and I believe I'm in the best position to be what it takes to be a good president.

What makes me the best candidate?

The success of the UCL Law Society ultimately comes down to whether we have the funds to run the events everyone loves. While some money comes from ticket sales, the bulk of all our money comes from sponsorship. Therefore, it is incredibly important that the president knows the best way to get the most amount of money.

This past year as Careers Secretary has especially prepared me for this for several reasons:
1) The reason why we were so successful this year was in part because received so much more sponsorship than last year. As Careers Secretary I had a direct role in that because I was at every single meeting with a firm to support Jack. I also went to several meetings on my own to represent the Society when Jack was still abroad. By being at all these meetings I learned a lot about what firms what to hear and how to promote things so that firms are more willing to give us sponsorship. I will do this by following Jack’s example of using package deals that make the firms think they are getting value for money while making sure we get the sponsorship we need without adding to the workload of the committee.

2) As Careers Secretary, I have spent the last year building a very positive relationship with Graduate Recruitment at every major law firm in the city. I have done a good job as Careers Secretary, and have been nothing short of prompt and professional in all aspects of my dealings with firms. I have been told on numerous occasions that the UCL Law Society has been by far the easiest and best student law society to work with this year. Having this pre-existing rapport with the firms will make the transitions between committees even easier. Not only does the president secure sponsorship, but they must know where to look if our sponsorship falls through. I believe I am in the ideal position to ensure that we get the most sponsorship possible. Being on the committee this year means that I know exactly which things have worked well in order to gain sponsorship and which things haven’t gone well. I know exactly which firms to approach about what.

What are my goals if elected president?

Overall I just want everyone to have a fun and successful year by running excellent competitions, social events and sports events.

It is also the role of president to provide leadership and support to all members of the committee.

As president I would let each member of the committee have the autonomy they want in order to do their jobs but should they ever run into any problems and need help and I will be there to support each member of the committee so the society as a whole can be successful. I understand that one of the most important things is to realise that each person on the committee has been elected by the student body to do their respective role and I will try very hard not to step on anyones toes and make sure that if someone’s toes are stepped on they are protected. But as I said before, if anyone ever runs in to any problems, I will be there to step in and help. As president, I want to make sure every member of the committee has the support they need to do their job and never feel they are on their own. I will also ensure that any disputes, should they arise are resolved before they become larger issues.

Ultimately I want to maintain the standards of everything this year because I think things went really well, but based on things people have been saying, I see that there is definitely room for improvement. Here are what I see as the two main issues to be addressed.

1) Reforming the constitution is a huge issue that I would like to address if elected president. There are currently up to 3 versions of the constitution. I believe it should be put to the student body whether a new constitution should be written from scratch or we should work to consolidate the different versions. All of this can be done through an AGM to start and then further meetings. The amended constitution will then be placed on the website so that any student wishing to see it can see it and there will no longer be rumours of what's in the constitution or not. I believe the constitution should be reformed with the input of the entire student body and not just the 16 members that make up the committee.

2) Responding to calls for transparency, I would make sure that committee minutes go up on the website so people know what the committee talks about. I would also work closely with the treasurer to publish semi-frequent reports of how much money we are spending and where it is going. I would also suggest bringing the secretary to the meetings with the faculty so that she could take the minutes of those meetings and they can also be made available for students. We can also hold bi-monthly meetings where each member of the committee will talk about what they are currently doing and how things are going that will be open to the entire student body (In a way it would be like a committee meeting open to the public).




There are a lot of things I would like to promise you, but I know the society well enough to know the practical difficulties of doing so. As a member of this year's committee I saw there were several things we wanted to introduce but it was problematic because there are only so many days in the calendar and there is nearly something going on every day. Especially when you have two sponsored events, you cannot have them conflicting otherwise you have to answer to the sponsors.

I also know that getting new sponsorship isn't as easy as you might think. We were particularly successful this year because we were able to present things to firms in a way that made them feel they were getting value for money. However, it is completely true that there aren't just city firms from which to gain sponsorship, that is why I have already spoke to Prince Saprai about other careers and firms we can target for sponsorship and careers events.

Finally I would ask people to remember that not only are we all members of the Committee, we are also full time students just like you. Yes, things we have introduced in the past have been successful but they have also significantly added to the workload of other committee members who already work extremely hard throughout the year. Therefore I'd like to strike a balance between introducing new things and adding to the workload. I think new events that can be introduced that would gain sponsorship would be like a one-off negotiations competition between Kings and UCL for both freshers and upper years who take part in the main competitions.

One thing I can promise you is that if you elect me President, I will be able to get Margaret Mountford (from the Apprentice) to come to UCL Law to give a talk and answer questions. :)


Other General Thoughts

1) I believe I would make a good president because I have spent the last year learning about the role by working closely with Jack. I'm really prepared to be president because I know what exactly has worked well and what didn't. I've learned about how to run a successful committee. It is by learning from mistakes that were made this year that will allow me to save money by running events differently. That money can then be put into social events or other things the student body wants.

2) I understand that the president’s other main role is to be a diplomat and be supportive. Ask anyone on this year’s committee and they will tell you that I was always there to lend a hand if they needed me. I understand the problems that can come from not giving people enough freedom so I will do my best to give people autonomy while still feeling like they have my support.

3) I also think I have a very good relationship with the faculty and would build on that next year as president. I think the most important thing is to have a relationship with the faculty to let them know what is going on. If there is a problem I think it is important to go to them as early as possible rather than leaving it until its too late. This year I have developed a very good relationship with Prince Saprai through his role as Faculty Careers Tutor. In addition I would build on the very positive relationship we currently have with Dean Genn and Louisa Johnson.

4) Most importantly, you need a president that will work with the team but not be afraid to take a stand. I think one of the easiest ways to run into problems is when you try to say yes to everyone in order to make everyone happy. While it is noble I believe it can sometimes do more harm than good. I want everyone to have the support they need but I also want people to understand that at times we must work under certain budgetary constraints. I will not be pushed around or pressured into doing things when they are not in the best interest of the society as a whole.




If elected, I will work so hard to make sure the society is financially successful and everyone on the committee and the faculty as a whole has a really great year.