Scholarship boost for legal minds of the future

As part of a progression agreement between the two historic institutions, Charlotte Watson, Jake Bedford and Chadrac Sangani have each received a share of the generous University of Law Future Lawyers Scholarship.

The £16,250 funding pot is aimed at levelling up access to ULaw programmes for students or graduates who are either underrepresented in Higher Education or disadvantaged.

The Chester Law School graduates each received £5,416 towards helping them progress in their chosen profession.

For self-sufficient student Charlotte, who graduated in Law this year, the award is more than she had hoped for.

“Funding has always been something that I have struggled with,” she said. “When I heard about the University of Law Future Lawyer Scholarship, I had hoped I would be awarded enough to cover the amount I needed to pay myself due to postgraduate funding not covering the full amount.

“I’m so grateful to have been awarded as much as I have been as not only does it cover the difference, but it also gives me enough money left from student finance to help with living expenses and bills. The scholarship relieves the pressure of funding and allows me to concentrate on my LPC (Legal Practice Course) LLM (Master’s in Law) as well as learning as much as I can from my job.”

Jake, who graduated in 2018, added: “The scholarship means a lot to me as it shows that my hard work has paid off and it will relieve some of the financial stressors associated with Higher Education, allowing me to focus on my course.”

The funding has also given Chadrac, who graduated in 2021, financial peace of mind.

“Throughout my years at the University of Chester, I have been supported academically and financially, which allowed me to focus on my study more while not having any financial issues to worry about. Being granted this scholarship means that the University of Chester still supports me in reducing my financial burden and giving me peace of mind, allowing me to pursue my educational goals.

“However, receiving the scholarship is not just receiving money for me; it tells me I am seen as having potential for the future of our society and being appreciated by the University. I want to represent that society and make sure I give back to the community in the long term.”

As part of the partnership agreement between the universities, in addition to the scholarship, for an initial period of three years any Chester undergraduate who chooses a ULaw course qualifies for a £250 discount on any ULaw product.

One of the UK's longest established specialist providers of legal education and training in the UK, ULaw has similar partnership arrangements with several other universities in England. Its campuses, in cities throughout the country and internationally, now include the University of Chester’s Queen’s Park buildings from where its postgraduate vocational programmes have been delivered since September.

Ruth Sutton, Head of Law at Chester Law School, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have reached this collaboration with ULaw, which is testament to both universities’ commitment to promoting equality and opportunity for further study to all graduates of the University of Chester who aspire to be lawyers.

“This partnership not only provides our students and graduates with fantastic progression opportunities in the legal field, but it also enhances collaborative working within the legal education in Chester and the wider region.

“We look forward together to the growth of a successful partnership.”

Amanda Hedayati, Dean of ULaw’s Chester campus, added: “We are delighted to now be able to offer our postgraduate law courses from the wonderful site at University of Chester’s Queens Park buildings.

“This is an exciting partnership for us with an institution that shares our commitment to championing talent and supporting equality of opportunity into the legal profession. We are pleased to be able to offer University of Chester students continuing their studies at our Chester campus the Future Lawyer Scholarship programme and broader fee discounts to further that vision.”

The University of Law Future Lawyers Scholarship will be available again in 2022/23 for Chester graduates and will open again in Summer 2022.