| Value | NZ$5,000 |
|---|---|
| Number offered | One |
| Closing date | 30 September (for student application) 15 October (for nomination by staff member) |
Information
Established in 2024 by the University of Otago in collaboration with the Donor, Dr Mai Chen, an alumna of the University of Otago and former member of staff in the Faculty of Law. For more than 30 years, Dr Chen has been active as one of New Zealand’s foremost experts in constitutional and administrative law, and recently received an Honorary Doctorate in Laws from the University of Otago for her services to the legal profession. The accolade recognises her significant contribution to the practice of public and administrative law in New Zealand, and her ongoing commitment to promoting diversity within the profession, and in business and the community.
Dr Chen now wishes to contribute funding to establish an annual award that rewards innovative legal thinking. Valued at $5,000, the award will be granted each year to the student judged to have produced the most innovative piece of legal writing for an LLM or LLB(Hons) degree, or for a LAWS300 or LAWS400 research and writing assignment.
Application Process:
- Students may apply for this award themselves, by submitting the below application form to Student Administration (Scholarships) by 30 September, or
- Students may be nominated directly by Faculty academic staff (paper leaders, supervisors, tutors) who identify an outstanding piece of written work they believe merits consideration by the award selection panel. The below nomination form must be submitted to the Faculty of Law by 15 October.
Applicants must:
- be a New Zealand citizen or New Zealand Residence Class Visa Holder
- be enrolled in the LLM or LLB(Hons) programme at the University of Otago, or in any LAWS300 or LAWS400 paper
- have completed and submitted an original piece of legal writing in fulfilment of their programme (or paper) requirements, such as a thesis, dissertation, research paper or essay, which in a meaningful way challenges or expands the boundaries of established understanding and thinking about the Law.
The following factors shall be considered in selecting the scholarship recipient
- The broad purpose of the award is to encourage and reward innovative thinking in legal scholarship.
- The winning piece of writing should substantively, or through its methodology, push the boundaries of conventional understanding and thinking about the Law.
- Entries may span a variety of legal subjects and themes.
- Entries may also range in length, complexity and level, from undergraduate essays and research papers submitted as course work (LAWS300-400 only) through to LLB(Hons) dissertations and LLM theses.
- The crucial consideration is the quality and originality of legal thought evident in the work.
Downloads
For students applying: Download the Mai Chen Legal Innovation Award Application Form
For staff members nominating a student: Download the Mai Chen Legal Innovation Nomination Form