Eleanor Toomey
Corporate and commercial solicitor
Law LLB, 2019
Corporate and commercial Solicitor Eleanor Toomey has worked extensively in the corporate world since graduating from St Mary’s in 2019. Having loved her time at St Mary’s and crediting it for helping her get to where she is today, Eleanor now regularly comes back to campus as a speaker and mentor to current law students looking to enter the industry.
“When I left St Mary's I had the skill set to enter the world as prepared as I could be, both professionally and personally."
From student to mentor
Eleanor got her Law LLB from St Mary’s in 2019, having had a good feeling after attending an Open Day. Looking back on her first visit to St Mary’s, Eleanor says that the University immediately connected with her unlike other universities that didn’t have the same community feel.
What sealed the deal was when Eleanor attended one of the Law summer schools on campus, which reaffirmed for her that she really liked the environment and experience St Mary’s could provide.
“The summer school gave me a glimpse into university life and I left the experience knowing that St Mary’s is where I was meant to be."
While the LLB course had a core curriculum, St Mary’s gave Eleanor the opportunity to also explore a variety of optional modules such as medical law and ethics and jurisprudence which she thoroughly enjoyed.
One of the things that Eleanor liked most about St Mary’s was the fact that she didn’t feel anonymous. She shares that lecturers were very approachable during seminars and after lectures, and that she received a great level of mentorship from them in one-on-one appointments.
Outside of the classroom, Eleanor ran the Law Society in her final two years and was a Student Rep. She says that taking part in these opportunities helped her grow as a person, and that by putting a lot in she got a lot out of her time as a student.
"St Mary’s provided me the perfect opportunity to grow and develop as an adult."
"The support from St Mary's really helped me take that step into the legal profession."
After graduation, Eleanor went straight into a paralegal job in Essex, with that firm offering her a subsequent training contract. After two years of training and studying for her master’s degree, Eleanor qualified as a solicitor specialising in corporate and commercial law.
It was at this point that she took a sidestep outside of law, working in the international trade and development industry. However, Eleanor always knew law was her real passion and made a return to working in corporate and commercial law in 2024.
“My lecturers really helped to shape me as a person and prepared me for the professional world."
While Eleanor had wanted be a lawyer since before university, she credits St Mary’s and her lecturers for giving her the voice and confidence to know that this it was something she could pursue.
During her time at St Mary’s, the course provided regular events where students could speak to working barristers, solicitors, and judges. Eleanor shares that it was these connections that the lecturers made for the students that reaffirmed that she wanted a career in law.
Outside of her course, the careers team at St Mary’s also offered practical help and support to Eleanor while she was preparing for her next steps.
Reflecting on her time at St Mary’s in general, Eleanor mentions that her whole family enjoyed seeing what she got up to on campus. So much so, that her younger sister was inspired to study at St Mary’s too.
Eleanor now regularly comes back to St Mary’s to share advice and talk about her career journey with current undergraduate Law students. She says that she loves mentoring the younger years, sharing advice about all her previous mistakes as well as helping them with practical advice relating to job applications and interviews.
She adds that she’s always very frank about her pathway to law, and the fact that it’s not always picture-perfect. This is something she’s enjoyed sharing since her Law Society days.
“Whenever I'm afforded the opportunity to come back St Mary’s, I never decline the invitation."
