BPP University Law School Leeds, Whitehall 2, Whitehall Quays, Leeds (2026)

24/12/2020

Wishing all of our students past and present and all those who we have worked with in 2020 a very Merry Christmas - from the team at BPP Law School, Leeds!

22/10/2020

A brilliant start to the Law Ambassador Programme this academic year with our first virtual launch event! Squire Patton Boggs and BPP Pro Bono Centre welcome our new Tadcaster Grammar School Law Ambassadors! A big thank you to our Squire Patton Boggs legal mentors and BPP student volunteer for supporting the event!

09/09/2020

Meet the BPP Leeds Team!

Next up is Hannah Machin, Centre Programme Leader for the Post Graduate Diploma in Law.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
The best thing about my job is watching students develop as they progress through the course. Students often join the law conversion course with very little experience of the law and are understandably nervous of the challenge, and it is so rewarding to watch them leave us having built up that confidence and move on to further professional qualifications and ultimately obtain training contracts and pupillages. I also still get an academic buzz out of engaging with the law!

What’s the best piece of advice you can give for a student?
Get involved! Take every opportunity that comes your way. There are so many opportunities to get involved in e.g. pro bono work or to attend fantastic careers events to build your network. It will be demanding to juggle your studies and take advantage of these further opportunities but it will absolutely be worth it! I also always recommend that students treat their first day on the PGDL as the first day of their legal career and approach it with a professional mindset.

What is the best thing about the Leeds centre?
There’s a collegiate feel to the Leeds Law School and we get to know our students really well. The tutor team come from a wide variety of practice backgrounds so whatever your aspirations there will be someone who would be happy to talk to you about their experience.

What is your practice background?
I come from a corporate background and specialised in pensions firstly at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and then Addleshaw Goddard LLP when I moved back home to Leeds.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Sport. All the sport. I’ll watch any sport but particularly love cricket and football and am pretty active myself – you’ll find me in the (Covid secure) gym or walking up a hill somewhere when I’m not in the Law School!

04/09/2020

Meet the BPP Leeds Team!

Next up is Debbie Pettiford, tutor on the BTC!

Hello!

I have worked at BPP since 2015 and have held various roles during my time here. I am now a tutor in the BTC team in Leeds and I love it!

What is your practice background?

I am a criminal defence solicitor having practiced with a firm in Hammersmith before moving back up North and starting at BPP. I have experience in working on a wide range of general criminal matters from minor shoplifting and criminal damage to serious sexual offences, drugs trafficking and attempted murder.

I represented a large number of suspects arrested for various offences during the London riots in 2011.

What is the best piece of advice you can give for a student?

So I will start with full disclosure, the BTC is a lot of work but if you put the time and work in then it will pay off! My advice is to take advantage of all the support that is on offer whether it is a meeting with your personal tutor, a session with careers or a social with your course mates! Support each other through and if you work hard there will be time for a social life too!

What is the best thing about the Leeds centre?

The facilities for students at the Leeds centre are fantastic and the staff are all friendly and really helpful. The fact that we are a small centre means that you will get to know your tutors really quickly. My faviourite thing about the Leeds centre is the team spirit. My colleagues are fantastic and we all work together to ensure students have the best time whilst they are studying with us.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I am gym obsessed so lockdown has been tricky but it made me dig out my running shoes and do crazy things like 31 sets of Armley Killer Steps!! I am happy to be back in the gym now though 

I have an 8 year old boy who plays football and cricket so a lot of my spare time is spent ferrying him to training and matches. We also have two black Labradors so a lot of time is spent walking and cuddling them.

We love to travel and I am always planning our next adventure, we were meant to be overlanding from Zambia to Cape Town this summer but that one will have to wait. I have at least three trips in the planning at any given time.

04/08/2020

Next in our ‘Meet the BPP Leeds Team’ series is Andrew Prangley, PGDL Tutor who teaches Contract Law.

What is your practice background?
I started off as a commercial litigator but swapped to practice in Employment Law and Criminal Litigation.

What's the best advice you can give a student?
Enjoy yours days as a student; don't worry about your future career too much at this time as all the pieces will come together eventually; network like mad.

What do I do in my spare time?
Walk the dog; rescue the sheep; go to the pub.

29/07/2020

Next in our Meet the BPP Leeds team is Felicity, the joint Programme Leader for the Part Time LPC and LLM (Legal Practice Solicitors) courses.

Before coming to BPP I worked in practice at a variety of firms from a large London practice, to a boutique IP firm, to a commercial practice in Leeds, always in intellectual property litigation.

In my role as a tutor and Programme Leader, I enjoy sharing my knowledge of the law and trying to add value to the students' learning by sharing my experience from practice. I also like to help students develop their professional skills for their future careers.

I would advise students to not skimp on preparation for class. Sitting in a fast moving SGS when you are asked to apply the law can be a daunting experience if you don't know the basics. I'd also advise students to spend time after each session reviewing what they've learnt; the courses are fast paced so you need to ensure that you understand each topic as you go along. Cramming is not possible!

Outside of work I have a young family, we enjoy going for bike rides and camping. An ideal night off would involve going to a music concert, or for a long walk with a stop at a country pub.

23/07/2020

Next in our Meet the BPP Leeds team is Helen Slater, Centre Programme Leader for the BTC.

Hello!
I’m the Programme Leader for the Barrister Training Course at BPP Leeds. I hope you enjoy reading a little bit about me before starting with us!

What is your practice background?
I started pupillage in 2000 (you do the maths about my age!) at what was No6 Chambers here in Leeds. I practised in criminal law, accepting instructions on behalf of prosecution and defence in a wide range of matters across the North Eastern Circuit. I was fortunate to appear as a led junior in a number of complex multi-handed cases and in high profile cases involving serious historical sexual allegations.

What’s the best thing about your job?
I’m going to be cheeky and tell you about two things I love about my job!
Firstly, I get real satisfaction from seeing the development of our students whilst completing their Bar vocational training. For many students there is a tangible transformation from law student in September to confident legal professional the following summer. This is truly amazing to see!
Secondly, I love the people I work with and meet in my job. Leeds is a very homely and welcoming place to study and work, with a great set of students and work colleagues. I hope you will find that too.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I have a son (4) and two border terriers (10 and 8) to look after, so there’s not much spare time after that! When I have the time I like to re-charge the batteries with a Body Combat class, a spot of baking and sunny holidays in Spain!

I’m really looking forward to meeting our new students in September and wish you a safe and enjoyable summer!

Best wishes

Helen

21/07/2020

Next in our ‘Meet the BPP Leeds Team’ series is Helen Bush, LPC Tutor and Team Leader…

Why did you become a tutor?
I have always wanted to teach – so, with the added bonus of teaching my profession, teaching on the LPC was my ultimate in job satisfaction.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give for a student?
Don’t panic! Stay calm and work through any tricky areas slowly and methodically PLUS always ask for help if you need to – that’s what we’re here for!

What is the best thing about the Leeds centre?
Size and location.

What is your practice background?
I trained and worked at DLA for most of my legal career as a civil litigator, mainly personal injury. After having children I became a Professional Support Lawyer at DLA, rather than a fee earner. Part of this role involved training the other lawyers so teaching was a natural progression for me.

What is your favourite film?
Too many to name but Rock of Ages is definitely one of them

What’s the last concert / gig you went to see?
Take That!

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Eat, drink and exercise!

16/07/2020

Meet the BPP Leeds Team!

Next up is Claire Illingworth, Centre Programme Leader for the Full Time LPC and LLM Legal Practice (Solicitors).

What do you enjoy most about your job?
My job is to ensure the smooth running of the LPC and LLM (LPS) in Leeds and I really enjoy meeting our students at induction, getting to know everyone and supporting them on their journey through the course. It is incredibly rewarding to see our students develop and progress under our guidance and then move onto exciting new careers.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give for a student?
Use the time before the course starts to get organised, complete the pre-course reading and get plenty of work experience if you can. Also have a good break! The course is fast-paced and intense, but also interesting and engaging. The hard work will be worth it! Also to get involved in Careers and Pro Bono events to really make the most of everything we have to offer at BPP.

What is the best thing about the Leeds centre?
All the team members are so student focused and we all want to make your time with us a great experience. We are a close knit team of tutors and we get to know our students really well. We are always happy to support our students and our (virtual, at the moment) door is always open!

What is your practice background?
Before joining BPP I was in private practice as a family law solicitor specialising in divorce, finances, and private children matters.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I have two boys aged 11 and 8 so I spend most of my spare time organising their social lives! I’m often seen on the side-lines of our local football and cricket club watching my boys play and when I do get some time to myself I enjoy socialising with my friends and family and planning my next interior design project in my house.

What is your favourite film?
I don’t have that much time to watch films (see above!) but I absolutely love the nostalgia of films from the 80s and 90s. My absolute favourite Christmas Film is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, I’ve watched it so many times but it still makes me laugh out loud!

14/07/2020

Next in our meet the BPP Leeds Team is Carmelina Hanson, joint Centre Programme Leader for the Part Time LPC and LLM Legal Practice (Solicitors).

What is your practice background?
Non - contentious Intellectual Property

How many years were you in practice and in what area?
8 years in practice having worked at both DLA Piper and Eversheds

What is your favourite film?
The Godfather & The Shawshank Redemption

What’s the last concert / gig you went to see?
Tramlines 2019

What do you like to do in your spare time?
What spare time? I have young kids! When I do find time, I enjoy boxing and running. I have/had plans to run marathons around the world starting this year. All plans on temporary hold for now. I also enjoy making skincare and cosmetic products.

08/07/2020

Meet the BPP Leeds Team!

Over the next few weeks we will be posting a Q&A with various members of the BPP Leeds team.
First up, Head of Law (North East), Tim Maddison…

What do you enjoy most about your job?
This may sound a little corny but the honest answer is the satisfaction I get from helping people develop and achieve their goals. That relates to both our students and the team in Leeds as well. Working with such great people is something else that I really enjoy.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give for a student? Embrace and enjoy the course. Like everything in life, if you commit to and enjoy what you do, you tend to do well and reap the benefits! I would also strongly advise our students to make the most of our fantastic and award winning careers and pro bono teams.

What is your practice background?
I was a Corporate Restructuring lawyer at a firm called DLA Piper. That covered a multitude of practice areas and came with a huge variety of work which I really enjoyed.

What is your favourite film?
Goodfelllas. Classic gangster film with a great cast.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I have three young boys aged between 1 -7 so that takes up a lot of my spare time which is great. When I’m not spending time with my family, I am training to run a marathon. I live a little way out of Leeds so there are a lot of really good running routes for me to get stuck into.

20/05/2020

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