With inadequate funding available for even the best students to take up their places to study law at a postgraduate level, we need your support more than ever.

When even the truth becomes subjective, where do we turn for objectivity, understanding and interpretation?  

In an increasingly divided, contentious and chaotic world, the rule of law comes into its own. It re-establishes a proven foundation of shared values where all perspectives can meet — even if grudgingly. 

The Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge is one of the world’s leading centres of excellence in both legal research and the teaching of law. Long established at the forefront of legal scholarship, the Faculty continues to make major contributions to the formation and development of legal discourse and policy both in the UK and internationally. 

With over 1,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, it’s the largest faculty in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Its postgraduate student body represents 30 per cent of the Law Faculty’s students, with 195 students currently studying for a Master of Laws (LL.M), 25 studying for a Master of Corporate Law (MCL), and 120 students studying for a PhD in Law. This postgraduate work is a vital step in building a pipeline of the top legal scholars of the future, whose expertise is fundamental in maintaining the legal frameworks that underpin our society. 

And yet it is harder than ever for master’s level law students to find funding for the LL.M degree, which is an important stepping-stone to reaching the Bar. In fact, there’s a stark contrast in funding prospects for PhD applicants versus master’s applicants in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences: in the most recent cycle, around 75 per cent of PhD offer-holders secured full funding compared to only 20 per cent of master’s offer-holders. 

The Faculty of Law is committed to encouraging the brightest students to study here at Cambridge, regardless of their financial means or background. This means there is a growing, near-critical need for postgraduate scholarships, particularly in the master's programmes.  

That’s where the new Law Postgraduate Fund and donors like 3 Verulam Buildings (3VB) barristers’ chambers play a vital and visionary role. 

The Postgraduate Fund for Law has been set up to provide financial aid for postgraduate students to help alleviate their financial worries whilst studying here at Cambridge, meaning that more students from diverse backgrounds can study at the postgraduate level. This transformative educational experience has a profound impact on their trajectories and their ability to contribute to the wider world. 

Recent postgraduate graduates of the Faculty of Law have gone on from Cambridge to exceptional roles. Maxence Rivoire, who studied for a PhD at St John’s College in 2021 focusing on private international law, arbitration and intellectual property, reflects: 

“My PhD was an essential step in my academic career and led to my appointment as a Lecturer at the Dickson Poon School of Law at King's College London. But I could not have achieved this without financial support. Too many students must give up their academic dreams because of financial considerations, so I strongly encourage anyone to contribute to the Law Postgraduate Fund." 

3VB, one of the leading commercial sets of chambers in London, is taking a different approach to postgraduate support by fully funding Ebube Akpamgbo, who is currently studying for a Master of Laws at Trinity College. Watch the film to find out how he came to do the LL.M at Cambridge and about the difference 3VB’s support has made.

According to Adam Kramer KC, Head of Pupillage at 3VB, it’s just good sense to want to strengthen the law profession through ensuring the best and brightest scholars have their chance, regardless of finances or background:  
 
“3VB is proud to provide a full Cambridge LLM scholarship, so as to enable a student interested in the commercial Bar who would not otherwise be able to do so to devote themselves to study on the LL.M. This is part of 3VB’s aim to make a positive impact on society by addressing social, environmental, and economic challenges and improving diversity in the commercial Bar.” 

Dr Ella McPherson, Deputy Head of School of Humanities and Social Sciences, couldn’t agree more:   

"Our MPhil and master's students are a vital part of our intellectual community. Like Ebube, they arrive with rich and diverse professional and academic experiences that bring fresh ideas into the classroom. It is a privilege to witness them learn from each other, as well as to learn from them. I am heartened for academia as well as for the wider world that they are our up-and-coming scholars and citizens, and we are all very grateful to donors like 3VB for making their time with us possible. Funding a master’s scholarship is investing in our collective future."   

Professor Tim Harper, Head of the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences, sees a flourishing partnership ahead for Cambridge law and a range of philanthropic giving:  

“Cambridge is proud to support a thriving population of talented postgraduate social scientists like Maxence and Ebube, but funding especially for the master’s year is increasingly hard to find. We are therefore immensely grateful to the Law Postgraduate Fund, 3VB and other valued donors for pledging their support to help students take their first steps on a postgraduate journey that will benefit society in ways we cannot yet imagine. We encourage others to champion this essential pipeline to ensure that there is a funded place at Cambridge for anyone with the talent and aspiration to succeed”.