Law graduate Ella’s journey from Clearing to national champion

When Ella Bailey came to the University of Leicester through Clearing, she never dreamed that she would graduate as a national law competition champion.

Recent graduate Ella, alongside her teammate Amelia Gibson, won the oldest and most prestigious mooting contest in the UK – the Essex Chambers National Mooting Competition.

After joining Leicester Law School in 2022 through Clearing, Ella threw herself headfirst into everything the University of Leicester had to offer.

She said: "Despite us loving our time at Leicester, it wasn't our first choice of uni so we thought, how can we make the most of it?

"So, the first thing I did was force Amelia to sign up for mooting. We went and watched our first moot in first year and we said, 'We could do that!"

Mooting is a legal role-play activity in which participants argue a legal case in front of a judge or panel of judges.

The extracurricular activity is very popular at the University of Leicester and helps students to develop essential skills such as identifying relevant points of law, conducting independent legal research, drafting skeleton arguments, preparing bundles and speaking confidently and succinctly.

For Ella, going to university crept up on her. She said: "For me, I think it sort of happened all at once.

"I remember being in my final year of A-levels and just not really thinking properly about where I wanted to go.

"I hadn't visited any universities, but I'd taken history, law and politics at A-level.

"It was debating topics that I really enjoyed and listening to other people's views.

"So, when it came to the rush of applying to universities, I wanted to go somewhere where I could get involved with the debating side of things.

"I was narrowing it down between politics and law, but I realised after A-level Law, there was so much more to learn about it, and so I chose Law."

Discussing the Clearing process, Ella said: "I think coming through Clearing or not getting your first option is always really daunting, but it has been a really good three years.

"I got involved in Leicester Law Society pretty quickly, and it has been really, really beneficial."

Ella's advice for future students is: "Get involved in as much as you can, there isn't much that can go wrong with it.

"You can only benefit from failing at something anyway, so get involved in as much as possible.

"Lots of people are doing a law degree, and you need something that makes you stand out. These are the things that are required; they aren't just an extracurricular that is good to put on your CV, they are requirements."

Ella graduated from Leicester Law School last month with First Class Honours (LLB Law).

She was the student speaker at her graduation ceremony in July and has been awarded a James Crouch Scholarship for Gray's Inn's Bar Course.

All courses available via Clearing are on the website. The website also includes a live chat function, links to live information events, a guide to applying, answers to frequently asked questions, information for parents and more.

Applicants who have their grades can call 0116 373 6000 where staff can chat through the options or contact us on WhatsApp by clicking the link on our website. The lines are open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Those waiting for results, can call or use WhatsApp between 7am and 9pm on results day (Thursday 14 August). On Friday 15 August lines are open 8am to 6pm.

The University offers guaranteed University-managed accommodation if applicants apply before Monday 1 September.