Lead ULaw
Roles and Representation that ensure ULaw is the best it can be.
Led by students, for students.
Student leadership and voice is at the heart of everything we do. Students aren’t just a seat at the table, they’re leading the discussion, together.
The SU’s representation structures are designed to provide students with a space to give feedback, share ideas and get involved in their own education and social provision.
Leadership Roles
There's a huge variety of opportunities to get involved and Lead ULaw:
- Every Spring, two Co-Presidents are elected to work full-time as your main representatives, supporting a wider network of student volunteers embedded across ULaw.
- Our class and academic reps act as a channel for feedback and work together to identify trends across different classes and programmes.
- Campus Community Officers and Network Chairs focussed on communities across ULaw work to ensure students from different groups, locations, and backgrounds can expect a tailored and welcoming environment.
- The Student Pool represent a cross section of all students, attending committees and meetings to provide a snapshot of the student experience.
All our reps present student feedback in both individual conversations and formal meetings with operational and senior staff, with the aim of making positive change.
Feedback Map:
The flowchart below demonstrates just how many ways you can give feedback, and how you’re represented. At a glance, it’s going to look like a lot! Don’t worry, the sections below delve in to the different roles explain it all in more bite size chunks.
SU Co-Presidents
Your SU Co-Presidents are former ULaw students, who are elected each Spring. They work full-time to help ensure that students are represented within the university, from day-to-day operations to the most senior meetings.
Although full-time 'employees' of the university/SU, the Co-Presidents are first and foremost the elected leadership for students. With support from SU Staff, they work hard to represent students' voices at university committees, organise new activities and events, and run engaging campaigns.
Both Co-Presidents can be reached by emailing...
Click the links below to get in touch individually, or visit the main Co-Presidents' Page for more info!
Sara Sikora
Academic Affairs
Junaid Iqbal
Community
Equalities Networks
Networks are online communities, open to students across ULaw, which are for typically under-represented groups. They offer a friendly online space for like-minded individuals. We hope to be able to expand these to on-campus networks in the future, depending on the level of interest.
- Racial Equality and Cultural Heritage Students’ Network (REACH): Students who identify as belonging to a minoritised ethnicity.
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer+ Students’ Network (LBTQ+): Students who identify as LGBTQ+.
- Women Students: Students who identify as a woman.
- Mature Students: Usually a student who is over 21 at the beginning of their undergraduate studies, or over 25 at the beginning of their postgraduate studies. Mature students may have experienced a break in their education before beginning their studies.
- Students with Disabilities: Students that identify as disabled.
- Religion and Belief Network: Students who value and respect freedom of religion and belief, with a desire to provide equal and neutral representation for students with different religions or beliefs.
- International Students Network: Students who join ULaw from outside of the UK, or travel from the UK to study elsewhere, whether online or at a physical campus.
Each Network is coordinated by Two Co-Chairs, who are appointed each Autumn.
Campus Communities
Each campus (including ULaw online) should have a dedicated local team to build engagement opportunities for students. They play a key role to represent the SU on your campus:
- Working to create an active and exciting community through organising events and activities.
- Collecting local feedback and campaigning on the issues that affect you.
- Working with the SU and Campus Teams to achieve the communities aims.
Each Campus Community is coordinated by a Campus Community Officer, appointed each Autumn.
Academic Representation
Whilst we know ULaw delivers an outstanding teaching and learning environment, things aren’t always perfect. If you have ideas for ways your classes, facilities, or overall academic experience could be improved, there’s a few ways to provide feedback:
800+ CLASS REPS
Chosen in your individual classes near the start of your studies, these reps act localised points of feedback. They attend Student Staff Liaison Committees (SSLCs) to raise issues and ideas with academic and support staff.
9 x ADADEMIC REPS
Appointed each Autumn, these reps monitor trends and common themes amongst the feedback discussed at SSLCs within a specific programme or school:
- Undergraduate Law Representative: Any student studying the LLB Bachelor of Laws degree in any capacity – full-time or part-time. Also includes LLB Senior Status, and students studying an ‘LLB with...’ course, but not students studying for an UG Apprenticeship.
- Apprenticeships Representative: Any student on a Legal Apprenticeship, to include Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Paralegals and Solicitors.
- Postgraduate Law (Academic) Representative: Students studying any stand-alone LLM or AMIL course, or MSc Legal Technology in any capacity – full-time or part-time.
- Postgraduate Law (Vocational) Representative: Students studying the Bar Practice Course, the MA Conversion, the Postgraduate Diploma in Law, the LLM Legal Practice (SQE 1&2), or any standalone SQE courses in any capacity – full-time or part-time.
- Undergraduate Business Representative: Students studying on any of the BSc Business courses, including Accounting/Finance in any capacity – full-time or part-time.
- Postgraduate Business Representative: Students studying on any MSc courses which are delivered by the Business School, as well as the MBA in any capacity – full-time or part-time.
- Undergraduate Technology and Applied Science Representative: Students on any non-Law or non-Business Undergraduate course, including Computer Science, Criminology, Policing, and Psychology, in any capacity – full-time or part-time.
- Postgraduate Technology and Applied Science Representative: Students on any non-Law or non-Business Postgraduate course, including Computer Science, Criminology, Policing, and Psychology, in any capacity – full-time or part-time.
- Foundation Year Representative: Students studying on the Foundation Year of any Undergraduate programme.
Meetings
There are several meetings that bring all these reps together:
COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Focuses on the student experience of making connections, learning new skills. It typically includes:
- Equality Network Co-Chairs
- Campus Community Officers
- Identity and Interest Student Group Committees
- Co-President Community
EDUCATION COUNCIL
Focuses on teaching and learning, classes, facilities and the overall academic experience. It typically includes:
- Class Reps
- Academic Reps
- Academic Student Group Committees
- SU Co-President Academic
STUDENT EXECUTIVE
An all-student democratic meeting. It brings together all of the reps above to discuss the student experience at ULaw as whole, whilst drafting policies and recommending guidance to share with the SU team, SU Governing Board, and university staff or committees.
SU GOVERNING BOARD (SUGB)
Ensures legal and financial compliance and provides expert oversight for the SU. It is comprised of official members only including:
- Co-Presidents
- 4 x Appointed Student Governors
- 6 x External Governors that provide expert advice and guidance
- SU Manager and a university delegate as observers.
Want to get involved?
Applications are currently open for most of the Lead ULaw roles listed above. Click the links to their individual pages to find out more about each role, or get in touch if you'd like to have a chat!
For Equalities Network Co-Chairs and Campus Community Officers, reach out to our Student Voice Coordinator, Gary:
Gary Knight
Student Voice Coordinator
For Class and Academic Reps, reach out to our Academic Representation Coordinator, Laura:
Laura Trussell-Harris
Academic Representation Coordinator
If in doubt, you are always welcome to get in touch at StudentsUnion@law.ac.uk and we'll pass your message on to the most appropriate member of the team. We can't wait to hear from you!
