Winners of National Accident Helpline’s Future Legal Mind announced

Reading time: two minutes

The winners of National Accident Helpline’s Future Legal Mind competition have been announced as Syed Adil from the University of Aberdeen and Matthew Johnson from Oxford Brookes University.

The legal essay competition, now in its eighth year, invited students to submit their thoughts on two legal topics, with Syed taking home the undergraduate prize and Matthew bagging the prize for postgraduate student.

The competition was judged by injury law experts National Accident Helpline, with the panel made up of John Kushnick, legal operations director, Jonathan White, legal and compliance director, and Helen Fairhurst, marketing director.

Syed and Matthew will each be awarded £1,500 towards their studies, as well as mentoring with experienced lawyers. They’ll also be given the opportunity to complete a work experience placement at National Accident Helpline’s law firm, National Accident Law.

John Kushnick said: “Syed presented in a calm and caring way, having prepared a thorough and excellently referenced essay. What made him stand out was his passion for law, as amply evidenced by his extensive extra-curricular activities. A very impressive candidate indeed.”

About Matthew’s submission, Jonathan White commented: “Matthew’s essay packed a punch and was very clear and concise. He made a passionate and compelling case and made excellent use of international comparators.”

The topics for this year’s competition were:

• Now that the UK has officially left the EU, what legal changes would you recommend making over the next 10 years?
• Is the UK court system fit for purpose and what role should other, alternative forms of dispute resolution play?

Shortlisted students were then required to send a short recording of why they deserved to be named the winner.

Jonathan White explained: “We believe it’s crucial for the legal sector to evolve in a way that inspires the next generation to build their careers in law – that’s why we continue to run Future Legal Mind.

“We look forward to continuing to support and champion Syed and Matthew in their careers over the years ahead, as well as seeing what the competition will bring in 2023.”

Keep an eye out for the 2023 Future Legal Mind competition launching later in the year.