Warwick Students Win National Law Award at The House of Lords
Students at The University of Warwick School of Law have won the LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Award for 'Best Contribution by a Team of Students'.
The Warwick team, comprising of 28 law students, were recognised for their ‘School Tasking’ project, a Warwick Law School-led initiative in which year five primary school students are introduced to law through fun and interactive tasks. The challenges are designed to advance pupils’ core skills including creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork.
Launched at Warwick in 2022 using the format of Channel 4 television show, Taskmaster, School Tasking has now expanded to 34 universities across the UK and Ireland, supported by teams of law students across the participating universities.
As part of the School Tasking programme, Warwick law students delivered fortnightly sessions at six primary schools, leading classroom sessions, encouraging students to work together, be curious, and ask questions.
School Tasking project lead, Dr Ali Struthers, Reader in Law at The University of Warwick, said:
“School Tasking aims to teach year five children a little bit about law, build positive connections with university more broadly, and encourage pupils to be enthusiastic about their learning.
“The student team at Warwick Law School have built the most wonderful connections with our participating primary schools, and I couldn’t be prouder of them or their impact on the next generation.”
The awards, run by LawWorks with the support of the Attorney General, recognise and celebrate the outstanding pro bono work undertaken by law schools and law students across the UK.
The Warwick team, represented by third-year Law students Ella Cowell, Kieran Balendran, Clare Mellor, and third-year student Tani Ilemobola (Law and Sociology BA), received their award from the Attorney General, the Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC, in the Cholmondeley Rooms of the House of Lords on Wednesday (23rd April).
The Attorney General, the Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC, said:
“I am a proud champion of pro bono work which provides an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the wider community and engage with clients from diverse backgrounds.
“Congratulations to all the nominees who have made a significant contribution, and I would encourage all of you to continue being ambassadors for pro bono work as you embark on your legal careers.”
Alasdair Douglas, Chair of LawWorks, said:
“We were delighted to be able to hold the Awards event in the Houses of Parliament with its ancient links to the creation of the rule of law, access to justice for all being one of its central tenets and we are grateful for the Attorney General’s support. I would like to extend my thanks to our judges, who had the daunting but fulfilling task of selecting the winners. Congratulations to all this year’s winners of the LawWorks and Attorney General’s Student Pro Bono Awards.”
ENDS
Notes to the editor
All photos credit: Dr Ali Struthers, The University of Warwick
Photo 1: Warwick team accepting law award with the Attorney General (L-to-R: Attorney General, Lord Hermer KC; Kieran Balendran; Tani Ilemobola; Ella Cowell; Clare Mellor; Alasdair Douglas, Chair of LawWorks).
Photo 2: Warwick team celebrating with Dr Ali Struthers (L-to-R: Dr Ali Struthers; Clare Mellor; Ella Cowell; Kieran Balendran; Tani Ilemobola).
Warwick’s six partner primary schools were chosen to widen participation, with eligibility criteria being higher than average percentage of pupils receiving free school meals and, or, lower than average school progress scores.
For further information on School Tasking, please visit the website, available here.
The judges for the 2025 Awards were:
- I. Stephanie Boyce, former President of The Law Society of England and Wales (2021-2022)
- Marina Faggionato, Joint Chair of the Bar Council Pro Bono & Social Responsibility Committee
- Peter Farr, Head of Civil Law Policy, Ministry of Justice
- James Harper, Executive Sponsor, Rule of Law and CSR for LexisNexis UK & Ireland
- Deborah Smith, Executive Director and Senior Counsel, Goldman Sachs and LawWorks Trustee
- Victoria Speed, formerly Director of Trust for London’s Employment Legal Advice Network & Director of Pro Bono at BPP Law School
For further information on LawWorks and Attorney General’s Student Pro Bono Awards 2025, please visit the website, available here.
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