Former College of Law student, Serene Allen, from Watford has scooped two of the major law student awards in the country.

Serene, 23, has won both the Roger Leyland Prize, awarded by leading international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, and the Nigel Asquith Prize, which is awarded by top law firm Morgan Cole.

The Roger Leyland Prize is awarded annually in memory of Roger Leyland, a former partner at Herbert Smith who chaired The College of Law's ethnic minority subcommittee.

It recognises the highest overall mark achieved by a black or Asian student on the College's Legal Practice Course (LPC).

The Nigel Asquith Prize is for the student who obtains the highest overall mark in the Business Law part of the LPC.

All those intending to become solicitors must pass the LPC before they can proceed to the next stage of practice.

Serene was a student at the College's London Bloomsbury centre until July 2012 and scored an overall average of 86 per cent in the LPC and 97 per cent in the Business Law exam.

She grew up in Watford and was educated at Parmiter’s School. From there she went on to The London School of Economics and Political Science graduating in 2011 with a 2:1 class honours degree in Law.

Serene said: "I am thrilled to have won these two awards. I am especially pleased to have won an award relating to Business Law, as it is an area I find particularly interesting. I look forward to the future and the rest of my career in law."

Serene started her training contract to become a solicitor in September at leading regional law firm Matthew Arnold & Baldwin LLP based in Watford and London.

The College of Law is Britain’s largest legal training organisation for both student solicitors and barristers and attracts some of the country’s most able students. It has centres in London, Guildford, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Chester and York.