Ethel Benjamin scholarship for outstanding women lawyers announced

The New Zealand Law Foundation Ethel Benjamin scholarship for outstanding women lawyers has this year been awarded to Holly Hedley and Bree Huntley.

The award honours New Zealand’s first woman barrister and solicitor, Ethel Benjamin, who was admitted in 1897.  It supports postgraduate research in law that will protect and promote the legal interests of the New Zealand public.

Holly Hedley will use her award to study a Masters of Law in Global Health Law at Georgetown University in Washington DC.  She is particularly interested in the intersection between human rights and health law, especially the impact on women.  Holly has a BSc/LLB(Hons) from the University of Otago and since graduation has been working in Buddle Findlay’s health law team.

Bree Huntley will use her award to study a Masters in Law at Harvard Law School in Massachusetts.  She is interested in the reform of New Zealand’s public law related to delegated legislation.  Bree has a BA/LLB(Hons) from the University of Auckland.  She previously worked as a Judges Clerk to the Chief Justice and is currently a barrister with Thorndon Chambers in Wellington.  Bree was also a recent recipient of the William Georgetti scholarship.

Lynda Hagen, Executive Director of the Law Foundation says, “Both Bree and Holly embody the objectives of this scholarship. They have the commitment and intelligence to undertake postgraduate research and to share that for the good of New Zealand.”

The Scholarship is awarded to postgraduate women who hold a law degree and have been accepted into a postgraduate law course in either New Zealand or overseas.

The award is administered by Universities New Zealand on behalf of the New Zealand Law Foundation.  Universities New Zealand administers over 40 undergraduate and postgraduate awards worth over $2million each year.

Applications for the Ethel Benjamin scholarship close on 1 March each year.

Information about the scholarship is available at http://www.universitiesnz.ac.nz/scholarships/ethelbenjamin

The website of the New Zealand Law Foundation is https://www.lawfoundation.org.nz