Law student Lauren wins award six centuries in the making

A law undergraduate from Northampton is already pushing through the glass ceiling after being awarded the Lord Neuberger Prize by one of the 600-year-old Inns of Court.

The Neuberger Prize, awarded by the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn to non-Russell group undergraduates, aims to identify students who have proven their excellence and gives them the opportunity to integrate with the Inn during the final year of their qualifying law degree.

Lincoln’s Inn is one of four Inns of Court and Barristers must be a member of one of them in order to practise law.

This year, University of Northampton’s second year Law student Lauren Knights was one of the prize winners which also comes with funding, mentoring, and assistance preparing for scholarship applications.

Lauren, a former pupil of Caroline Chisholm School in Northampton, said: “To be in this position to speak to well established and knowledgeable professionals, I feel very fortunate.

“There is the perception that Russell-group graduates get better access to legal careers. But this prize provides people the opportunity to access a competitive area and recognises the experience and effort people put in towards that goal.”

Dominic Carrington, Barrister and Senior Lecturer in Law at UON said: “The role of a barrister is an archaic profession, established in 1532, in today’s modern society it must stay relevant and reflective of the general population. The days when the Inns of Court were only open to certain segments of society are gone and this award ensures there is a steady flow of talent into the profession from all segments of society.

“We can only nominate one exceptional law student each year, and Lauren has shown great tenacity throughout her time at UON, with fantastic grades, she has grabbed every opportunity sent her way, we think she’s one to watch and this prize confirms our predictions that she has a wonderful career ahead of her.”

Visit the University website for more information about studying Law at UON.

If you would like to hear more about Lauren’s story, listen to this UON podcast.