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 on Wednesday morning to watch more than 330 undergraduate law students being conferred their degrees (27 joint honours students graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree and 309 students graduating with a Bachelor of Laws with Honours degree). Later in the day, 83 postgraduate students graduated with qualifications that included postgraduate Certificates, postgraduate Diplomas, Master of Laws degrees and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
A further Congregations ceremony was held on Tuesday this week at Rochester Cathedral where six law students graduated from their part-time studies at Medway. (Next year will be the final year for Kent Law School students graduating from Medway).
This year the University has awarded two Honorary Doctor of Civil Laws degrees to Attorney General Lisa Madigan and diplomat Baroness Ashton of Upholland. Lisa Madigan was elected to a fourth term as Illinois Attorney General in the United States and the longest serving Attorney General in Illinois history. She regularly testifies before Congress on consumer and critical issues. In 1986-87 she studied at Kent as part of an exchange with Georgetown. Baroness Ashton is a Life Peer who served as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and First Vice President of the European Commission from 2009 to 2014.
The University has also awarded two Honorary Doctor of Laws degree to criminal barrister Courtenay Griffiths QC and human rights lawyer Jocelyn Cockburn. Courtney Griffiths is a barrister notable for his defence within a number of high-profile cases. He is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding jury advocates of his generation. Jocelyn Cockburn is a leading Civil Liberties lawyer who has been at the centre of some of the most politically sensitive cases in the last decade. She brought a judicial review challenge against the Director of Public Prosecutions for his decision not to prosecute anyone for the murder of Stephen Lawrence
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 prizes awarded to law students in recognition of their academic successes.
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.
All the prize winners from 2017 are listed below:
Postgraduate prizes
- Oxford University Press Prize for academic excellence in LLM (Master of Laws): Michael John Patrick
- Head of School’s Prize for outstanding student work: Judith Onwubiko and Sanam Amin
Undergraduate prizes
School Prizes
- Faculty of Social Sciences Rotary Prize – most distinguished overall degree performance: Amber Dullaway
- Faculty of Social Sciences Prize – best overall degree performance: Francesca Charlton, Eleni Dionysiou, Natasha Oke, Irena Madella and Adrienne Zay
- Antony London Prize – best student contribution to Kent Law School (sponsored by Antony London’s family): Alex Acaster and Rachel Bale
- Hallett Prize – best dissertation in any year (sponsored by Hallett Solicitors, Ashford): Suleen Latif and Samuel Spencer
- Head of School’s Prize – outstanding student work on Critical Legal Thought: Amber Dullaway, Hendrik Johnson, Oluwatobi Obaremo, Matt Speed and Olubukola Williams
- Scott-Moncrieff Essay Prize – best essay on Social Justice (sponsored by Lucy Scott-Moncrieff, Scott Moncrieff Harbour & Sinclair): Roxana Cioara
- Special Award for KLS Student Community Building – best contribution to Community Building: Ravneet Kondel
Stage Prizes
Stage 1/Certificate
- Hart Publishing Prize – best performance by a Stage 1 student – winner (sponsored by Hart Publishing, Oxford):Georgia Millington
- Hallett Prize – best performance by a Stage 1 student – runner up (sponsored by Hallett Solicitors, Ashford):Amanda Duckworth
- Stantons Prize – best performance by a Certificate in Law student – winner (sponsored by Stantons Solicitors, Gravesend): Holly Delahunty
- Director of Certificate in Law Prize – best performance by a Certificate in Law student – runner up (sponsored by Karen Devine, Senior Lecturer): Connor Underwood
Stage 2
- Whitehead Monckton Prize – best performance by a Stage 2 student – winner (sponsored by Whitehead Monckton Ltd Solicitors, Maidstone):Rihanna Melvin
- Hallett Prize – best performance by a Stage 2 student – runner up (sponsored by Hallett Solicitors, Ashford): Adeola Obisesan
- Davis, Simmonds & Donaghey Prize – best performance by an ex Certificate in Law Stage 2 student (sponsored by Davis, Simmonds & Donaghey Solicitors, Gillingham): Winner – Hannah Carr. Runner up – Beriwan Berkpinar
Stage 3/Finalists
- Thomson Reuters Prize – best performance by a finalist at Canterbury (sponsored by Thomson Reuters, London): Winner – Amber Dullaway. Runner up – Irena Madella
- Jarmans Prize – best performance by an ex Certificate in Law finalist (sponsored by Jarmans Solicitors, Sittingbourne): Winner – Paige Banks. Runner up – Voke Oniovo-Kukor
- Davis, Simmonds & Donaghey Prize – best performance by a finalist at Medway (sponsored by Davis, Simmonds & Donaghey Solicitors, Canterbury): Hayley Goucher
Subject Prizes
- Kent Law School Negotiation Prize – most outstanding negotiating team: Samuel Ashley-Williams and Alex Jones
- Canadian Negotiation Prize – best team in the Canadian Negotiation (sponsored by Nick Jackson, Senior Lecturer): Maariyah Baig and Samantha Paulin
- Clement-Walker Prize for Mediation – most outstanding mediation teams (sponsored by Janie Clement-Walker, Lecturer): Team 1) Maariyah Baig and India Hughes. Team 2 – Kyle Hefford and Andreas Malekos
- Athena Prize – best mediation role play (sponsored by Janie Clement-Walker, Lecturer): Olubukola Williams
- The Spirit of Mediation Award (received at the INADR International Mediation Competition, Glasgow): Charlotte Simpson, Gabriela Kratchanov and Vadanjali Deosamy
- 4th Place Crystal Award for Mediation (received at the INADR International Mediation Competition, Glasgow): Sonia Soares, Mojeedat Aderinto and Maizy Bence
- Colley Prize – best performance in the European Law module (sponsored by Colley Solicitors, Rochester): Kaloyan Dinev and Jessican Kilkelly
- European Degree Prize – best performance by a finalist completing a four year programme including an Erasmus year (sponsored by Professor Geoffrey Samuel, Professor of Law): Francesca Charlton
- Gardner Croft Prize – best performance in the Property Law module (sponsored by Gardner Croft Solicitors, Canterbury): Sara Jacob
- Hallett Prize – best performance in the Public Law module (sponsored by Hallett Solicitors, Ashford): Ingrid Malo and Aaryan Tokhi
- Herbert Smith Freehills Prize – Best Law of Obligations Stage 2 final result (sponsored by Herbert Smith Freehills, London): Eman Salem
- Hillier Prize – best Introduction to Obligations Stage 1 final result (sponsored by the Peter & Michael Hillier Trust): Ra’chel Thorpe-Blair and Nicholas Barrett
- Norman Cooper Advocacy Prize – best Certificate in Law student in Criminal Law presentation (sponsored by Jeremy Cooper and Kent Law Society): Kate Sowa
- Sir Terence Etherton Master of the Rolls Prize – best essay on a topic in Equity and Trusts (sponsored by Sir Terence Etherton, on recommendation by Nick Piska): Winner – Tendo Lubwama. Runner up – Daisy McLean
Law Clinic Prizes
- Brachers Access to Justice Prize – outstanding contribution to Access to Justice by a Kent Law Clinic student (sponsored by Brachers Law, Maidstone): Kevi Velcani
- Criminal Justice Project Prize – best contribution to the Kent Law Clinic Criminal Justice Project: Chantal Davison and Kinga Stabryla
- Fairweather Prize – outstanding contribution to the Kent Law Clinic (sponsored by Fairweather Solicitors, Canterbury): Chantal Davison
- Oxford University Press Prize – best contribution to Kent Law Clinic by a non-finalist (sponsored by Oxford University Press, Oxford): Alexandra Nadasan
Mooting Prizes
- Internal Mooting Prizes – Canterbury: Alex Acaster, Ebunoluwa Adeniran, Shaiya Beechook, Alaana Durocher, Cara Hall, Gabriella Kratchanov, Liam Meanwell, Nicole Sicilia, Hannah Taranto
- Justin W Yuen Canadian Law Moot Prize – best performance in the Canadian Moot Competition (sponsored by Justin W Yuen, Criminal Lawyer): Maariyah Baig and Samantha Paulin
- Kent Law Society Prize – best overall mooter (sponsored by Kent Law Society, Sevenoaks): Alex Acaster and Tom Bishop
- Weekly Law Reports Prize – best overall Stage 2 & Stage 3 mooters (sponsored by The Incorporated Council of Law Reporting, London): Stage 2 – Cara Hall. Stage 3 – Nicol Sicilia