CMS is pleased to announce the winners of the CMS Law Bursaries for 2015. After a very close competition, culminating in 20 students participating in assessment days in London and, for the first time, Edinburgh, the five bursaries were awarded, to:
- Mia Bristow, from Bristol
- Abigail Clarke, from Kent
- Chyna Fairclough, from Hampshire
- Matthew McShane, from Glasgow
- Ece Osman, from London
The winners will each receive £2,500 for every year of their law degrees. All 20 students invited to the assessment days will receive mentoring from a CMS lawyer to support them with their university applications and paid work experience at CMS during their first year at university.
Mia Bristow comments: “The bursary is an incredibly positive aid for me; I am now in no doubt that I will attend university, as the cost of higher education is no longer such a worry, and I feel as if I am being supported on my journey into university.”
The scheme is open to students who are the first generation in their family to go to university and who meet certain academic and financial criteria. To apply for the bursary, students at the end of their penultimate year at school had to submit an essay on questions about freedom of speech or voting. Essays were marked by solicitors at CMS and the final 20 invited to an assessment day where they were interviewed, participated in a team role play and met their mentors, current trainees and previous winners.
Chyna Fairclough said: “The assessment day is an amazing opportunity to meet other likeminded people and gain valuable knowledge about the role of a solicitor and what firms are looking for when you apply to them in the future. Overall it's been a fabulous experience!”
