Applications now open for science, technology, engineering and maths students interested in law
STEM Future Lawyers has teamed up with BPP University Law School for a third year to announce a law conversion scholarship for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) students.
It will see £5,000 granted towards the Law Conversion Course (PGDL) fees of one STEM Future Lawyers member to kick-start their legal career at a BPP campus of their choice. The award may also be shared between two students, who would receive £2,500 each.
STEM students are highly sought after by corporate law firms — particularly those with established intellectual property practices — for their transferable skills and experience. The coming together of law and technology, as seen by firms’ investment in artificial intelligence and innovation hubs, has led them to recruit science and tech-savvy graduates.
BPP tutor Catherine Crampton formally announced the scholarship at today’s flagship STEM Future Lawyers event and law fair, featuring solicitors, trainees and graduate recruitment teams from Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, CMS, Gowling WLG, Herbert Smith Freehills and Mayer Brown.
Crampton said:
“We are delighted to be offering the STEM Future Lawyers scholarship for the third year running. We appreciate that graduates from STEM backgrounds have very specific skills such as proven technical and analytical skills, the ability to communicate clearly and concisely, excellent problem-solving skills and an attention to detail, all of which hold them in good stead for a future career in law.
With technology embedded in our PGDL programme, students will benefit from our new adaptive learning platform BPP Adapt, which uses machine learning to support their development, and our Virtual Practice Environment where students can develop their skills in a simulated legal environment. We look forward to welcoming the winner(s) of the STEM Future Lawyers scholarship onto our programme.”
A panel of legal education experts will assess the applicants, with the successful scholar(s) announced in the New Year.
Earlier this year we reported that a King’s College London biochemistry student and a University of Surrey veterinary medicine graduate scooped the second law conversion scholarship. Jane Xiu and Amy O’Sullivan were chosen ahead of a number of hotshot applicants to each receive £2,500 towards their PGDL fees. Both started their courses in September this year.
The scholarship is open to STEM students or graduates interested in a career in the law. Applications opened today for one month until 20 December 2020.
STEM Future Lawyers is the UK’s dedicated law careers network for STEM students looking to make the leap into law. Since its launch in 2016, STEM Future Lawyers has grown to over 1,500 members, all of whom are STEM students. You can sign up to STEM Future Lawyers, which is a Legal Cheek sister site, here.