John Morgan graduated from the School of Law in 2013. He qualified with Brodies LLP, winning multiple awards including Trainee Solicitor of the Year, International Bar Association European Scholar, and the Federation International de Droit European Prize. He will be attending the University of Pennsylvania as a Thouron Scholar this autumn.

A reflection on the influence of the law school on my career seems somewhat presumptuous not four years after graduation. Like most, my LLB is a blur of lecture halls, exams and essays. Yet as we all know, Glasgow isn't just a law school. It’s in that forge of a workshop, long hours of toil broken only by a cup of tea with Ellen, that many of us find passions – whether academic or for a fellow student – which last a lifetime. It's in the draughty lecture halls that we absorb principles which shape our professional and personal lives.

Already in my short time away, Glasgow's impact has been immeasurable. Without the law school I wouldn’t have had the ability to work in our Parliament, to have taught my own university classes, or to practice law in our country’s largest law firm or bank, as I’ve been fortunate to do. I wouldn’t have had the knowledge to win prizes which have taken me to Lincoln’s Inn, the European Parliament and US Congress, and even the Glasgow Hilton. I certainly wouldn’t have the confidence to contemplate studying at an Ivy League college.

For many students, including myself, Glasgow is a springboard to opportunities we couldn't otherwise have imagined. Just last month I found myself, surreally, sharing limericks and Winston Churchill stories with a generous American philanthropist, and was fortunate to receive a scholarship to support study in America. It’s the composure and, dare I say, wit instilled during my time at Glasgow which helped me thrive in that environment.

We're all immensely fortunate to be members of a diverse alumni family. The efforts of Lorna Brown and Professor Jim Murdoch have created a melting pot of international students and Scots comfortable on a global stage. The results are visible: our alumni are very much at home in every international court, tribunal and institution, every debating chamber and boardroom. At any professional or academic event I've attended, across continents, I've always found Glasgow alumni to share a whisky!

Personally, Glasgow provided something rather less tangible and much more important than simply qualifications. I entered university by the skin of my teeth through a widening participation scheme, yet left comfortable in any environment no matter how intellectually imposing. Glasgow instils in each graduate that same confidence, that while we come from varied backgrounds and have a diversity of talents, we can each be world changers. 

First published: 12 April 2017

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