Just kidding! I’m not going that far back for this. I guess it all started with a Franz Kafka book called *The Trial*. It was a Christmas gift from my parents after I told them I wanted to become a lawyer. As I read it, I realised that the law is a complete mess. Although the lawyer in the book is somewhat useless, it made me realise that lawyers are the ones who can translate this mess and help businesses and individuals understand the law.

I was thrilled to be accepted to the University of Aberdeen, drawn by its strong law program and the chance to explore the Scottish Highlands. When I wasn’t in the library, I was climbing, eventually becoming the mountaineering club’s instructor and earning the Local Aberdeen Hero award for promoting climbing in the community.

Fast forward a few years of studying law, and near the end of my degree, I started looking up at the stars. Space law was offered as an elective, so I thought, why not write my dissertation about it and see where it takes me? I did, and loved every minute of it. I even got to present my article at a conference in Toulouse, France, where I spoke with people representing Airbus and Thales Alenia Space. My paper was later published in the *Space Market Dynamics Journal* at the University of Toulouse, and I was proud to be the only undergraduate presenting at the conference.

After graduating, I returned to my hometown of Windsor and joined Aston Bond, an award-winning Top 500 law firm, as a Corporate/Commercial Paralegal. During my time there, I worked on everything from commercial leases to corporate mergers and acquisitions, even receiving the chance to get involved in a few international transactions. I loved the fast-paced nature of the work and often went beyond my usual responsibilities, handling trademark filings, reviewing commercial contracts, and supporting the team with legal research and drafting. I also managed SDLT returns and HMLR applications, the kind of detailed work that really sharpened my precision and understanding of corporate law in practice.

Around that time, artificial intelligence started to boom. To stand out in the legal industry and deepen my knowledge, I decided to pursue a Master’s in Computer Science at the University of York while continuing my paralegal work. During this time, I created several legal tech projects - including “Supreme Court AI,” which uses OpenAI language models to summarise Supreme Court cases for non-legal audiences. I’m currently writing my thesis on developing a machine learning model for detecting deepfake manipulations in support of the Online Safety Act 2023, with the goal of exploring how AI can protect against deepfakes on online platforms.

I eventually left my paralegal role to explore life as a freelance developer, founding my own business, Cali-Wood. Working closely with clients to bring their ideas to life reminded me how much I value communication, problem-solving, and collaboration. These are the same qualities that first drew me to law. That experience helped me realise that my work is most meaningful at the intersection of law and technology, where I can combine legal expertise with innovation to deliver practical solutions. I’m now excited to explore opportunities in legal practice or legal tech, where I can use both my legal and technical knowledge to help clients navigate complex challenges.