Former Graduate Diploma in Law student Karen Sullivan was shortlisted as a finalist for Law Student of the Year at the Inspirational Women in Law Awards 2025, delivered by Next 100 Years and supported by Spark21.
In this article, Karen reflects on her legal journey over the past year and what this recognition has meant to her.
The start of a new year is often an appropriate time to take stock and reflect on the previous twelve months. From a professional point of view, I will always look back on 2025 with a real sense of pride and tremendous joy at all my achievements.
I gained a distinction in my GDL, studying law as a second career. I was absolutely stunned and elated in equal measure to receive this result. Thanks to the tremendous support from the College of Legal Practice, I had reasonable adjustments in place and additional time to complete assessments due to a long-term health condition.
In 2023, I had an aggressive skin cancer and at times wondered, because of the resultant nerve damage and significant pain following surgery, whether I would ever work again. In 2024, I was headhunted by a national law firm as a Senior Paralegal and returned to work in private practice, as I continue to strive towards my ultimate goal of becoming a solicitor.
In May, I was delighted to be selected as a student representative on the Programme Committee, the senior academic body of the College of Legal Practice.
The year continued to go from strength to strength for me. In July, I received an email from Next 100 Years, supported by the charitable organisation Spark21, a charity founded “to celebrate and inspire future generations of women in the legal profession”, asking for nominations for a national awards ceremony.
The Inspirational Women in Law Awards seek to identify individuals from across the legal profession who are leading the way in improving equality and diversity. I boldly nominated myself in the category, “Law Student of the Year.”
In September, I received confirmation from the Next 100 years team that my nomination in the category “Law Student of the Year” at the Inspirational Women in Law Awards 2025 had been successful. I later realised that progressing through the first stage of shortlisting, from hundreds of applications and judged by a prestigious panel, was a tremendous achievement in itself. The final stage of shortlisting was to provide a 300-word answer to the following question:
“Describe a challenge or barrier you have faced as a woman in law, how you overcame it, and how this experience has shaped your approach to your career.”
A month later, I was beyond excited to find out that I had been selected as a finalist and invited to attend the awards ceremony in London in early November. I was later to discover that there were only two other finalists in the Law Student of the Year category – a moment that truly made me pause and reflect on how far I had come.
Awards ceremony
The ceremony celebrates people who demonstrate leadership, resilience and passion, as well as a determination to advance equality and diversity in law.
The event was simply wonderful, an inspirational evening attended by over two hundred people and a remarkable celebration of the achievements of a very skilled and diverse group of women working in different branches of the legal profession.
Although I was not successful on winning the award, the entire experience certainly felt like a “win.” I was honoured and humbled to be part of such a wonderful event and delighted that my hard work, perseverance and dedication was recognised and celebrated on such a prestigious platform. The awards ceremony was a real career highlight for me. It is something I will always remember with great fondness and pride.
At the end of the ceremony all the finalists were invited onto the stage, holding their certificates aloft, I felt quite emotional as the events of the past few years flashed through my mind and at the same time absolutely elated and tremendously proud of myself.
Summary
My tremendous achievements thus far demonstrate that women of all ages can progress and build successful new careers in law despite incredibly difficult circumstances. I believe that hard work, determination and tremendous resilience plus significant ability demonstrate that anything is possible if you just believe and back yourself. I have also reflected during the last two years that managing a disability or long-term health condition alongside work and studies should definitely be considered as an additional strength and not as a deficit.
I am mindful of course that this achievement is not mine alone. I am incredibly grateful to the College of Legal Practice’s excellent teaching, flexibility and support as well as to my amazing husband for his unfailing support and encouragement, without which I would never have been able to achieve such phenomenal success.
I look forward with anticipation and excitement to what lies ahead in my legal career.
Congratulations to Karen on being shortlisted for Law Student of the Year at the Inspirational Women in Law Awards 2025. We are proud to have supported her during her GDL studies and wish her every success as she continues her legal career.