The Law100 Fund aims to support students from underprivileged and underrepresented backgrounds.
Alumni support to new Law100 Scholarship Fund
Law students from underrepresented backgrounds will be able to benefit from a new initiative to be launched by the University of Exeter and supported by Exeter alumni.
In celebration of Exeter’s Law School reaching 100 years of operation, the University is to launch a new scholarship fund to help talented students succeed well into the future.
The Law100 Fund aims to support students from underprivileged and underrepresented backgrounds to study Law at Exeter while ensuring that they’re able to fulfil their academic and extracurricular potential.
Law100 Scholarships will be awarded to students who have come through one of Exeter’s Widening Participation (WP) initiatives including Pathways to Law. A minimum £4,000 per annum will be awarded to each student as part of the scholarship to support their living and study costs. Funding will also enable students to maximise all opportunities whilst at Exeter, ensuring that they’re able to undertake volunteering, internships and other extra-curricular activity without the pressure of having to take on paid work to support themselves.
Supporting social mobility in the law profession is particularly key with reports showing that 22% of UK lawyers and 65% of High Court Judges attended fee-paying schools, compared to 7% of the general population. Less than 7% of barristers and judges are from working class backgrounds.*
The Fund has been launched thanks to founding donations from alumni Peter Baldwin (History, 1991), Steve Edge (Law, 1972 & Hon LLD, 2012), Vanessa Knapp OBE (Law, 1978), Charles Platt (Law, 1974), and Nigel and Sara Tozzi (both Law, 1979), along with Nicholas Cheffings, who is a member of the University Council.
Charles Platt is currently supporting PhD research into plastic pollution, and has also supported the Alumni Annual Fund and the Sir Steve Smith Scholars Fund. He was inspired to make this donation in order to help others benefit from the university education he had. He says: “My time at Exeter really helped me launch my career and be able to take advantage of opportunities. There are many young people with the talent to succeed, but not the financial means. I’m delighted to be able to help someone take that first step to a great career in the legal profession.”
Fellow supporter Vanessa Knapp, who has also donated to the Sir Steve Smith Scholars Fund and to help widening participation events, said: “I think it’s really important that the lawyers of the future reflect the diverse make-up of society. Having a diverse workforce has been shown to be a strength, and in the context of the law profession it can help prevent discrimination and promote inclusiveness more widely. I hope the Fund will help many students lay good foundations for a successful career.”
Peter Baldwin, a long-time volunteer, Alumni Annual Fund and WP supporter, was keen to support social mobility at Exeter. He said: “I am delighted to support Exeter’s efforts to attract and support students from all communities. We need to encourage more talented young people from diverse backgrounds to join the law profession and I know from my own experience that an Exeter education will give them a great start.”
Fundraising for the Law100 Scholarship Fund will officially launch in the autumn and continue into 2023 to support as many students as possible in this milestone year. For more information please contact Simon Tyson on s.tyson@exeter.ac.uk.
* - https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/elitist-britain-2019/
https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/equality-diversity/diversity-profession/diverse-legal-profession/
Date: 15 June 2022