Andrew Sugarman
Andrew studied the BVC at the Inns of Court School of Law and won the Scholarship in 2001.
He writes:
Like many students, particularly these days with the introduction of tuition fees, university racks up the debt and mine was looking impressive even before I had the pleasure of cross examining a myopic nosey neighbour who had “witnessed” a murder through his net curtains in week 1 at the ICSL. Who was to say I would even get a pupillage? I thought about going into an area of law I was not particularly keen on because I understood it to be well paid in the early years. I thought about different careers which might reduce the risks of financial ruin. Almost miraculously though, the heavy financial burden was suddenly lifted.
I was very surprised to find that I had been successful and that I was to be presented with the award by the Lord Chief Justice at the Old Bailey. I recall feeling immensely relieved, happy, excited and shocked at the same time. My confidence grew, in part helped by seeing senior barristers and judges alike applauding “my achievement” when I collected the award. It is not every day that you are told by the Lord Chief Justice that he looks forward to seeing you in his court. Given my nerves, I am not sure the feeling was reciprocated. However, from that time on, I felt more able to enjoy the career path I had chosen.