Current research assistant profiles
Every year, our research assistants come from all areas and backgrounds. Find out about some of this year’s intake, and what they think about the job, below:
Marianne Holbrook 
Team: Criminal Law
Previous work experience: I interned at the UN and volunteered with several NGOs and public interest litigation organisations in South Africa. I later completed a judicial clerkship at the Constitutional Court of South Africa and worked as a legal researcher for a South African High Court judge. Before joining the Law Commission, I worked at a London law firm specialising in human rights, asylum and immigration law.
Project: Contempt of Court.
What are your future plans? I’d like to continue working in legal research and / or international development.
Tell us about a recent piece of work: Over the last few weeks I have been drafting a chapter for our Consultation Paper. This involved lots of research and writing. Working together with my line manager to shape the chapter was a great learning opportunity which has certainly improved my writing style. The team will be discussing the policy issues that arise in the chapter in the coming weeks after which I will assist in preparing the chapter for publication.
Why would you recommend working at the Commission? I love my job. I don’t know many people who can say that. The culture is incredible. People really respect work/life balance and are kind and supportive. Hybrid working and flexi-hours mean you can make your job work for you. This work is also incredibly satisfying because you know it makes a difference. There is ample opportunity to take on responsibilities and challenge yourself. The Law Commission is a unique place to learn and develop as a young lawyer and, as an organisation widely held in high esteem, the Commission is a great bridge to future opportunities.
Best thing about working at the Law Commission: I personally love handling “raw” law. I love doing legal research, drafting, having the time to think about legal problems, turning ideas over within the team, thinking again, researching some more, revising the draft. This job is quite different in nature and pace from my previous work in legal practice, where I felt stressed most of the time and was very far removed from any actual law. I think it’s quite rare in many “law” jobs to have this kind of time to review the law, think critically, and develop ideas.
How did you hear about the job? One of my undergraduate degree assessments was to respond to a Law Commission Consultation Paper, proposing law reform solutions. I became more and more convinced that joining the Commission was an incredibly unique opportunity when researching the research assistant role and going through the application process.
How did you find the application process? I found the application process quite intense. There are several stages to it, which means the whole process takes several months. And each stage is quite challenging. That said, because the process is so thorough, I felt confident that I had been given sufficient opportunities to display different skills and competencies, which you don’t always get in application processes. There is very helpful material (the “Applicant Guide”, CV template, and videos with interview tips) published on the Commission’s website which made the process clear and allowed me to focus on the content of my application.
Tips for applicants: This is a fiendishly competitive application process. This means be prepared (this is not one you can “wing”). It also means you may not be offered the role the first time you apply. I applied multiple times before I was offered the position and I know this is also true for some of my colleagues. My advice is to stay motivated, don’t be disheartened if you are not made an offer immediately, and come back stronger in the next recruitment cycle! (the Commission recruits annually). It’s a way to prove to the interview panel that you really care about law reform, and it’s an opportunity to build on your skills and experience in the meantime. When I wasn’t made an offer, I went to South Africa and completed a judicial clerkship where I happened to end up working on a big contempt of court judgment – I have no doubt that this is what clinched it for me when I came to apply for the criminal law team’s contempt of court project.
The competitiveness of the process also means you can be quite proud of yourself when you do get the job! Perseverance pays off.
Saiba Ahuja
Team: Commercial and Common Law
Previous work experience: Before university, I volunteered for the Children’s Commissioner of Wales. During my undergraduate, I complete various mini-pupillages, as well as vacation schemes at city law firms. I also volunteered at a legal aid clinic, and for educational-based pro bono programmes. I undertook part-time research work throughout my time at university, firstly for the Welsh Government, and secondly for one of my professors. I also tutored and worked in retail.
Project: Focusing on artificial intelligence and civil liability
What are your future plans: I hope to complete the Bar course and qualify as a barrister.
Where did you hear about the job?: I did a lot of moots during university, and I often would use Law Commission papers to get an idea of contentious topic areas. I remember thinking it would be an interesting place to work, and then the Research Assistant role was advertised by my university in my final year.
How did you find the application process: The application process is lengthy. However, I found the staggered application approach to be a benefit, as it enabled me to focus on each stage of the application when it came round. I appreciated the transparency around the process, such that we were kept informed of upcoming information and given clear guidelines on what was expected from the application, tests and then interview. I found the resources of the Application Guide, job description, Civil Service skill framework and various YouTube videos by the Law Commission helpful in understanding what skills of mine to highlight.
I was in the midst my final year exams and coursework when the written test and interview stages came around, but I found that relying on these resources helped ease the pressure of what to expect. I also found it reassuring that it was stressed in resources that you are not expected to be a legal expert in anything asked about in the written test or interview! This helped me enjoy learning about different areas of law during these stages and explore my own views on the ways in which the law was working.
Tips for applicants: For the written application, I would recommend keeping in mind the skills and attributes expected of research assistants. These can be found in the Application Guide. I found it helpful to create mind-maps of these skills, with experiences I had such as work experience, volunteering, university work and moots, and then pick my best examples to write about.
The written test can feel a bit daunting, given you do not know what area of law will come up, but I would recommend focusing your efforts on how you are going to write your response. Research Assistants need to be able to explain complex legal concepts in a simple way. Consider the accessibility of your language, the structure of your work, and the accuracy of your spelling and grammar.
Ahead of my interview, I watched a mock Law Commission interview which can be found on YouTube. This helped me understand the format of the interview questions. I would make sure you are answering competency-based questions in a way that best shows off your ability, and to avoid the temptation of just name-dropping experiences. I remember speaking in detail about my university dissertation that I was completing at the time, since I could accurately convey how I had applied certain skills.
Georgina Withers-Boalch
Team: Public Law and Law in Wales
Previous work experience: During my undergraduate, I undertook work experience like marshalling, mini-pupillages and pro-bono schemes. Outside of legal experience, I worked in hospitality and privately tutored. Immediately prior to joining the Law Commission, I gained experience as a research assistant to a professor at UCL.
Project: Agricultural law in Wales. I also support Welsh corporate matters.
Future plans: My aim is to complete the Bar Course and qualify as a barrister.
Where did you hear about the job?: The research assistant role was advertised in a university newsletter. I had, however, previously heard about the work of the Law Commission by one of my undergraduate lecturers, who was formerly a Commissioner.
How did you find the application process?: The application process can feel quite intense as it is spread across many months with several stages. However, the fact that it is a rather long application process meant that I could dedicate a fair amount of time to each aspect. I worked on the written application over the course of a couple weeks, until I was happy that I had used the best examples to answer each question. When it came to the interview, I gave myself plenty of time to review my initial written application and to build upon any points that I had made.
Tips for applicants: I found referring to Law Commission publications a useful way to get to grips with the writing style. This is especially important for the written exercise and my advice would be to note the way in which publications are presented. From the use of subheadings to plain English, these seemingly small tweaks reflect the way in which the Law Commission presents its work to ensure accessibility and simplicity. Aim to use these resources to your advantage! This will also help you at a later stage during the interview, as you’ll have read recent publications and will be able to discuss Law Commission projects.