Laura Devine is Managing Partner of Laura Devine Solicitors Limited (LDSL), trading as Laura Devine Immigration. She graduated with an LLB from UCL Faculty of Laws in 1986.
How did you get into the field of Immigration Law?
As a young woman, I came to work in London from a small town in Scotland. I quickly recognised the disadvantage of not having a degree and became a mature law student at UCL on the recommendation of my partner John who had read Geography at UCL. It was a revelation to be at one of the world's best law faculties. Although I took my studies seriously, I did and still do, take advantage of what London offers from the arts perspective, in particular, cinema, theatre, music, and literature.
After graduation, I completed articles, in today’s parlance a training contract, at Cameron Markby (now CMS) and qualified into the litigation department practicing contentious employment law. CMS also had lawyers in the commercial department doing non-contentious employment. It seems incredulous today, with the huge industry that employment law has become, to appreciate that in the late 1980s there were few if any, employment teams in law firms. I very much enjoyed employment but decided to leave private practice in the City. As I had no relevant interview experience, I planned to practice my techniques in an interview for a job I had no intention of taking – as an employment lawyer at Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC). To the surprise of many, including myself, I joined...
Tribune News Editor [email protected] TWO Bahamians were indicted in separate US federal districts last week on charges linked to passport fraud and false claims of American citizenship, acc...