The annual Congregations ceremony for graduating law students was held in the historic, vaulted nave of Canterbury Cathedral last week.
Families, friends and staff took their seats in the morning (for undergraduate students) and again in the evening (for postgraduate students) to watch 446 law students being conferred their degrees; 22 joint honours students graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree, 328 students graduated with a Bachelor of Laws with Honours degree, one student graduated with a Postgraduate Certificate, one student graduated with a postgraduate Diploma, 84 students graduated with a Master of Laws degree, and 10 students graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy degree.
Medway law students Emily Thompson, Melissa Moon and Michael Millin received their undergraduate degrees in a Congregations ceremony held at Rochester Cathedral on Tuesday this week.
This year the University has also awarded three Honorary Doctor of Civil Laws degrees; one to Ambassador Ivo Daalder, who was the US Permanent Representative to NATO and who studied politics at the University, in recognition of his contribution to diplomacy; one to the first President of the European Council and former Prime Minister of Belguim, Herman Van Rompuy, in recognition of his distinguished contribution to public life internationally; and one to the Director of victims’ group Widows against Violence Empower (WAVE), Sandra Peake MBE, in recognition for her pioneering work as a civil rights activist. An Honorary Docot of Letters degree was also awarded to the Hon Dame Linda Dobbs DBE in recognition of her pioneering role as a non-white woman in the senior judiciary. The full list of recipients of Honorary Degrees from the University of Kent is available to view online.
The Law School’s annual prize-giving reception followed the first Congregations ceremony on Wednesday last week, with afternoon celebrations held in a marquee on the lawn in front of the library. Visitors were welcomed by Head of School, Professor Toni Williams, before Professor John Fitzpatrick, Director of Kent Law Clinic, announced the winners of 31 prizes awarded to Canterbury law students in recognition of their academic successes. A further seven prizes were awarded to Medway law students.
Images of the day captured by the University’s photographer at the Cathedral are available to view on the University of Kent’s Flickr account. More images from the prize-giving reception are available to view on the Law School’s website and Facebook page.
All the prize winners from 2016 are listed below:
Postgraduate prizes
- Oxford University Press Prize: for academic excellence in LLM (Master of Laws): Tory Hibbitt (winner); Michael Delaney and Danielle Fritz (runners up)
Undergraduate prizes
Mooting Prizes
- Kent Law Society Prize – best overall mooter (sponsored by Kent Law Society, Sevenoaks): The Law Asia Team – Orestis Anastasiades, Elena Savvidou and Elizabeth Virgo
- Weekly Law Reports Prize – best overall Stage 2 & Stage 3 mooters (sponsored by The Incorporated Council of Law Reporting, London): Gabriela Kratchanov, Stage 2 and Joseph Chambers, Stage 3
- Hallett Prize – best external competition mooter (sponsored by Hallett Solicitors, Ashford): Catherine Mclatchie
- Canadian Moot Prize – best performance in the Canadian Moot (sponsored by Nick Jackson, Senior Lecturer): Gabriela Kratchanov
- Internal Mooting Prizes – Canterbury: Ayodeji Ayodele, Danniella Betsworth, Joseph Chambers, Meghan Daniels, Kampamba Katongo, Rosie Latawski, Emily Numutaako, Osiyemi Osipitan, David Slomianski, Folakemi Swain and Jessica Thoebalds
Law Clinic Prizes
- Oxford University Press Prize – best contribution to Kent Law Clinic by a non-finalist (sponsored by Oxford University Press, Oxford): Jaspinder Cheema
- Fairweather Prize – outstanding contribution to the Kent Law Clinic (sponsored by Fairweather Solicitors, Canterbury and presented by Mr Nick Fairweather): Meghan Kinna and Andrea Mauti
- Brachers Access to Justice Prize – outstanding contribution to Access to Justice by a Kent Law Clinic student (sponsored by Brachers Law, Maidstone): Lula Wyss le Brocq and Sian Hukin
- Criminal Justice Project Prize – best contribution to the Kent Law Clinic Criminal Justice Project (sponsored by Lucy Welsh, Lecturer): Adrienne Ford and Catherine Mclatchie
Subject Prizes
- European Degree Prize – best performance by a finalist completing a four year programme including an Erasmus year (sponsored by Professor Geoffrey Samuel): Lula Wyss le Brocq
- Canadian Negotiation Prize – best team in the Canadian Negotiation (sponsored by Nick Jackson): Akeem Gardner and Andrew Kirk
- Gardner Croft Prize Commercial Negotiating Pirze – best commercial Negotiators (sponsored by Gardner Croft Solicitors, Canterbury): Kojin Mirzayi and Claudio Storelli
- Healthcare Law Negotiating Prize – most promising Negotiating team (sponsored by Healthcare Law, London): Osiyemi Osipitan and Mutinta Chinganya
- Healthcare Law Negotiating Prize – most outstanding Negotiating team (sponsored by Healthcare Law, London): Team 1 – Adrienne Zaya and Krystin Wilson. Team 2 – Kojin Mirzayi and Claudio Storelli
- Clement-Walker Prize for Mediation – most outstanding Mediation teams (sponsored by Janie Clement-Walker, Lecturer): Team 1) Maizy Bence and Sonia Soames. Team 2 – Mojeedat Aderinto and Charlotte Simpson
- Hillier Prize – best Introduction to Obligations Stage 1 final assessments (sponsored by the Peter & Michael Hillier Trust): Eman Salem and Lauren Rule
- Herbert Smith Freehills Prize – Best Law of Obligations Stage 2 final assessment (sponsored by Herbert Smith Freehills, London): Irena Madella
- Edinburgh University Press Prize – best Law, Space and Power Essay (sponsored by Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh): Elizabeth Virgo
Stage Prizes
- Hart Publishing Prize – best performance by a Stage 1 student – winner (sponsored by Hart Publishing, Oxford): Lucia Trabattoni
- Hallett Prize – best performance by a Stage 1 student – runner up (sponsored by Hallett Solicitors, Ashford): Jennifer Wilson
- Whitehead Monckton Prize – best performance by a Stage 2 student – winner (sponsored by Whitehead Monckton Ltd Solicitors, Maidstone): Irena Madella
- Hallett Prize – best performance by a Stage 2 student – runner up (sponsored by Hallett Solicitors, Ashford): Amber Dullaway
- Thomson Reuters Prize – best performance by a finalist (sponsored by Thomson Reuters, London): Winner – Morgan Copeman; Runner up – Sean Wells
School Prizes
- Annual Advocacy Award – best advocate for the Police Probationer’s Mock Trials: Kyle Kuczynski
- Antony London Prize – best student contribution to the Kent Law School (sponsored by Antony London’s family): Guevara Leacock and Osiyemi Osipitan
- Faculty of Social Sciences Prize – distinguished overall degree performance: Morgan Copeman, Lula Wyss le Brocq, Sean Wells, Elizabeth Virgo, Orestis Anastasiades, Siani Mcnamara, Katy Kennedy
- Hallett Prize – best dissertation in any year (sponsored by Hallett Solicitors, Ashford): Elizabeth Virgo
- Head of School’s Prize – outstanding student work on Critical Legal Thought: Winner – Elizabeth Virgo (A copy of Elizabeth’s essay is available to read online: Trust Registration An Unfortunate Inevitability). Runner up – Lula Wyss le Brocq
- Scott-Moncrieff Essay Prize – best essay on Social Justice (sponsored by Lucy Scott-Moncrieff, Scott Moncrieff Harbour & Sinclair): Akasa Pradhan
- Special Award for KLS Student Community Building – best contribution to Community Building: Aminata Comfor Jarrett-Coker
Medway Prizes (including ex Certificate winners)
School Prizes
- Davis, Simmonds & Donaghey Prize – best contribution to KLS at Medway (sponsored by Davis, Simmonds & Donaghey Solicitors, Gillingham): Gemma Blythe
Stage Prizes
- Stantons Prize – best performance by a UKM Certificate in Law student (sponsored by Stantons Solicitors, Gravesend): Winner – Jane-Ly Karna
- Director of Certificate in Law Prize – best performance by a UKM Certificate in Law student (sponsored by Karen Devine, Senior Lecturer): Runner up – Hannah Carr
- Davis, Simmonds & Donaghey Prize – best performance by an ex Certificate in Law Stage 2 student (sponsored by Davis, Simmonds & Donaghey Solicitors, Gillingham): Winner – Paige Banks. Runner up Voke Oniovo-Kukor
- Jarmans Prize – best performance by an ex Certificate in Law finalist (sponsored by Jarmans Solicitors, Sittingbourne): Winner – Lewis Irons. Runner up – Sean Bresnahan
Subject Prizes
- Colley Prize – best performance by a UKM Certificate in Law student in the Public Law module (sponsored by Colley Solicitors, Rochester): Jane-Ly Karna
- Norman Cooper Advocacy Prize – best Certificate in Law Advocate in Criminal Law (sponsored by Jeremy Cooper and Kent Law Society): Jane-Ly Karna