Northumbria law student awarded Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship

Northumbria law student Peace Aribisala has been awarded a scholarship on the prestigious Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship Scheme.

Believed to be the first time a student from a North East university has received the scholarship, Peace will benefit from work experience, mentoring, and a financial contribution towards course and associated study-related costs to assist in his career.  

The scholarship scheme was created in memory of Stephen Lawrence, a talented and ambitious 18-year-old who was murdered in a racist attack in 1993 in London. Established by international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in 2013 with support from Doreen Lawrence, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE, it aims to address the disproportionate under-representation in large commercial law firms and other careers in the City of London of black men from less socially mobile backgrounds, by creating access to opportunities.

Applicants must be in their first year of study at a UK university and are evaluated using non-traditional methods to innovatively assess talent and potential across a wide variety of criteria, not just academic performance. Scholars in the scheme participate in a 15-month development programme, which includes skills workshops, interview coaching, networking, mentoring, support with job applications and careers advice. They will also receive work shadowing and a guaranteed interview for a training contract.

Students get first-hand experience in problem solving within a high-pressure corporate environment in the form of a project week. Overall, the scheme endeavours to provide its scholars with the skills and confidence to thrive during their studies and beyond.

Commenting on his success Peace said: “The Freshfields Scholarship scheme has truly been a life changing experience. It has opened my eyes to the vast world of opportunities that are out there for me, which I had no idea existed, and is helping me to set and achieve goals that I never thought possible. In addition, I am continuously excited to take part in the scheme and work alongside the great minds of the future to see what I can learn from them.”

Siobhan McConnell, Senior Lecturer and Employability & Careers Coordinator at Northumbria Law School, added: “The Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship Scheme is a brilliant scheme and as a Law School we value greatly both our involvement in it and everything it stands for. I’m thrilled for Peace – he is a very talented student and an excellent ambassador for Northumbria. This is a wonderful opportunity that will have a massive impact on him and his future career. I am very much looking forward to seeing Peace’s progress.”

Further details about the Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship scheme and careers at Freshfields are available on the Freshfields website.