A brother and sister have graduated from the same law course, at the same university on the same day after one delayed his ceremony for a year – to share it with his sibling. Sebastian Fitzpatrick, 23, completed his LLM Legal Practice Course, from Liverpool John Moores University’s (LJMU) School of Law last spring with his sister Cara, 22, a year behind him on the very same course.
But Sebastian delayed his ceremony for a year – so he could don his gown and share the big day with his sibling when she finally graduated last week. And they are not the first in the Guernsey family to graduate in law from the Merseyside university 400 miles away, after their gran Karen McTigue, now 66, also studied law at LJMU back in the day.
Cara told us: “It’s three degrees in law in the family now – and all from Liverpool John Moores.
“We had both decided we wanted to study law from a young age but never mentioned it to each other until he applied.
“As we have family in Liverpool on my dad’s side, we thought it would be nice to come up to Liverpool, and when our dad told us that his mother (our grandmother) did a law degree at LJMU, we just knew it would be a perfect fit for us both.
“Seb was a year ahead of me throughout our time at LJMU and I was so grateful I had both him and our grandmother to go to when I needed guidance with the course and life at university in general.”
Cara and Sebastian say they didn’t confer over their degree choices, although Seb, being a year older, set the agenda when applying to LJMU.
Sebastian, 23, told the Daily Express: “I aimed to go into the legal world and really knew this from around the time I started secondary school.
“I was pretty set on going to Liverpool for my university education as this was part of my heritage. To learn where my family comes from and to be around family I have not seen in a long time was a real privilege.
“I decided LJMU was the best place for me and didn’t know my grandmother earned her degree at LJMU until I spoke with her in my first year.
“Being the year ahead of Cara gave my sister the advantage of hearing from my experiences. I had a feeling she would struggle with the transition into university, as I did to, but having me and family there I am sure really helped her.
“She was able to help me as well with reinforcing previous modules I struggled with when I was in my first year.
“And it was great to have my sister close to me as we had always been together up until I left for my first year at university.”
Both brother and sister work in law firms in Guernsey and are completing training contracts to become solicitors.
Hailing from the Channel Islands, any university choice was certain to be a long way from home, so at least Liverpool was familiar, Cara told us.
“Seb and I had visited Liverpool from a young age, so we knew we would love the city and it has become our second home. We’re really proud to graduate and to do so together is really special.”