The Field Fisher Waterhouse Prize is an annual essay prize for Student Advisers in the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre (LAC). The first prize of a two-week vacation placement at Field Fisher Waterhouse and £1000 went to Barbara Eze. Second prize of a two-week vacation placement and £500 went to Roya Jafari.
This year’s 2,000 word essay subject was "Should pro bono be mandatory for lawyers and law students’. The judges look for a sound grasp of the law, strong awareness of current affairs and originality of thought. Keeping a client’s attention so that they read their legal advice from start to finish is a key part of effective legal advice. Barbara Eze’s interesting essay style certainly caught the attention of the judges and they described it as ‘Refreshing’, ‘Catcher in the Rye style’ and even ‘Laugh out loud’.
The essay was judged by Anjali Kemwal - Director at Legal Aid firm Law for All, Edward Baugniet - Legal Counsel in Vodafone, Joanne Lee - Legal Counsel for Cancer Research UK, Ellen Fleming - Retired Partner at Field Fisher Waterhouse, Elisabeth Gates - Head of Vodafone Procurement Company Legal.
Denise Sexton, Pro Bono Partner at Field Fisher Waterhouse said: “Field Fisher Waterhouse is extremely proud to be involved with the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre and the opportunity to work closely with the students during the essay competition. As always, the high quality of entries is a testament to the level of knowledge and know-how among the students and choosing a winner is always a difficult task. This year we are pleased to welcome the winner and runner-up, Barbara Eze and Roya Jafari, to the firm's vacation scheme and look forward to working with them in developing their legal careers."
The essay competition winners were announced at the George Hinde Moot Competition Final on 31 March 2011.
Read more about the Legal Advice Centre at Queen Mary, University of London.