Jordon Goodman — aka ‘The Legal Northerner’ — takes light-hearted look at life on the LLB
Law school can be trying at the best of times, with long reading lists to tackle, exams and endless revision. Meet Jordon Goodman, a third year law student at The University of Law, who goes by ‘The Legal Northerner’ on social media, and shares his hilarious law school struggles on TikTok.
In the less than two years he’s been active, Leeds-based Goodman has amassed an army of 14,000 followers and nearly 700k likes on TikTok. The future trainee, who is due to start his training contract next September at a national law firm in the North East of England, regularly posts light-hearted, relatable videos, mixed with educational content.
“My background prior to law is digital marketing, so it just felt right to set up an account where I can show my creative side, yet also provide humour, inspiration, and motivation for law students to strive to do their best,” said Goodman in conversation with Legal Cheek. “I love the fact that I can do a quick 10-30 second video to make someone laugh, or inspire someone and post it for the world to see.”
In most of his short and snappy TikTok clips Goodman is seen mimicking along to a voiceover, often paired with humorous and very relatable captions.
@thelegalnortherner ‘It will be fine, I work well under pressure’ ok Karen #fyp #lawstudent #lawdegree #university
In his most recent video, Goodman jokes, “Me having £45k in student loans to do a law degree just to make funny 10 second videos online about how mental breakdowns are a daily occurrence in law school.” In another, he writes: “Nothing beats telling someone you’re a law student when you are low key struggling.”
Goodman has also got in on the POV (point of view) TikTok trend, where a creator makes it seem as if the audience is part of the video.
@thelegalnortherner The most accurate POV #fyp #lawstudent #lawdegree #university
In another TikTok, Goodman, with his head in his hands, writes “Whenever I feel like giving up I remind myself what I’m working so hard for” before a screenshot of his hefty student loan balance appears on screen.
Other funny law school struggles to feature include, “When you chose to do a law degree and now they’re making you write essays about the law” and “When you’re in the library with your friend the day before an exam and they want to do actual studying but you just wanted the socialisation aspect”.
@thelegalnortherner Land law this goes out to you bby #fyp #lawstudent #lawdegree #university
But it’s not just funny content Goodman shares and his most popular TikTok video, nearing one million views, shows how he perfects his law revision notes. He’s also shared how he scored a first in the first and second year of his degree: by consolidating handwritten notes, doing past papers and using the Pomodoro learning technique.
“I really enjoy the whole concept of TikTok, not just from a comedic standpoint but also from an educational standpoint,” continued Goodman. “I’d like to think that further down the line someone lets me know that I inspired them to really push to achieve their true potential, or to just be reminded that one of my TikToks really made someone’s day. We shall see where it goes over the next few years!”
Asked whether he’ll continue to TikTok as a trainee, Goodman told Legal Cheek: “Absolutely! I want to be as transparent as possible when it comes to starting as a trainee solicitor next September, and definitely want to provide as much of an insight for other aspiring solicitors on what being a trainee is actually like. I’m hoping that my firm will let me do TikToks in the office for ideas such as office tours just to show people what it is actually like working in a reputable firm. My TikTok will definitely continue for as long as I can milk it!”
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