This year, Somerville College, University of Oxford has awarded its inaugural Bingham Scholarship.
The prestigious scholarship was conceived and funded by Gopal Subramanium to cover the full course fees and a grant for living costs for law undergraduate finalists or Oxford University alumni who had been accepted on the university's Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) course.
The BCL programme itself holds a remarkable reputation as a world-renowned taught graduate course in law. It specifically caters to exceptional law students with a background in common law.
The goal of the scholarship was to inspire and encourage early career legal professionals to delve into a wider range of academic topics that hold a profound impact on the practice and study of law. This includes but is not limited to criminal law, constitutional law, and commercial law, providing a broader and more comprehensive legal education.
The scholarship is also tied with an internship at the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, housed at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL).
The Bingham Centre was established in 2010 with a clear vision and mission. Its primary objective is to advance the Rule of Law on a global scale, accomplishing this through various means such as democratising the Rule of Law, embedding its principles, fostering Rule of Law leadership, and promoting a broader consensus regarding the fundamental essence of the Rule of Law.
In recognition of the remarkable contributions made by the late Lord Bingham, Gopal Subramanium made the decision to name the scholarship in his honour. Lord Bingham, hailed as the greatest lawyer of his generation, held an illustrious career serving in pivotal roles such as Master of the Rolls, Lord Chief Justice, and Senior Law Lord. His legacy continues to resonate within the legal community, inspiring future generations of legal professionals to aspire to greatness.
Read more about the inaugural Bingham Scholarship here.