‘Academic/Course based Society of the Year’ is awarded to an academic society who has made an outstanding contribution to their department, as well as to the Union, University, and wider community.
Aberystwyth University Law Society (AULS), our winner this year, really impressed the panel. The sheer variety and quality of activities offered to their members over the past academic year stood out, alongside their valiant efforts in uniting the Law and Criminology departments.
One key example of this union was the Law and Criminology Student Conference, organised by the Law Society and the Criminology Society. This platform allowed for students to showcase and be recognised for their hard work. Building upon these connections, the Law Society and Criminology Society hosted the hugely successful Winter Ball. The event attracted staff and students from across the department giving them the opportunity to meet outside of an academic setting, alongside strengthening relations. The collaborations such as these have brought the department together, allowing students to work together and network within their academic department.
“The law society are amazing in everything they do; they organise multiple different events which helps students across departments. The entire committee are hardworking and inspirational individuals who deserve recognition” – Anonymous nominator
Other internal events featured training session on mooting, LinkedIn and types of work experience. Additionally, AULS hosted guest speakers on a range of different topics. These kinds of opportunities allow members to elevate their academic experience by exploring topics they may not directly learn on their course and networking with external individuals and organisations that may lead to future opportunities.
The Law Society also found themselves travelling across the country. In November, the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) invited the committee to travel to Cardiff with the head of their academic department and members of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office to participate in the Founders’ Day Celebration with alumni. Later in November members set off to Birmingham for the Advocate of the Year competition hosted by BPP Law School. The annual competition is open to undergraduate students and consists of various mock trial scenarios. This year the trials consisted of a mock personal injury claim and a criminal trial focused on the crime of harassment. After an early start from Aberystwyth, the advocates went on to have a very successful day with all participants thoroughly enjoying their time.
An amazing achievement for the Law Society over the past year was their nomination to be LawCareers.Net’s Best Law Society for student engagement at their national awards. This has been tremendous for raising the profile of not only the society but also the department and university.
Their many successes would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication from the committee. From the start they learnt to be flexible and adapt their ways of working, exploring new ways of doing things and reflecting for the future. An honourable mention here would be for James Watson. James was this year’s winner of our ‘Administrative Excellence Award’ which recognises an individual’s dedication to the running and administration of their society.
Overall, the society has done a fantastic job in bringing their department together, allowing students to collaborate and meet people across degree schemes. Their committee has worked hard throughout the whole year to put on a range of academic and extracurricular activities. Their achievements have clearly not gone unnoticed from their various nominations and successes. The SU is excited to see what the Law Society get up to next year, and we hope you are too!
Why not get involved yourself? Check out the Law Society here:
Email: scty235@aber.ac.uk
Website: https://www.abersu.co.uk/society/auls/
Facebook: @AberLawSoc
Instagram: @aberlawsoc
